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"See Ruby Fall"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Hello, I'm Johnny Cash
A-side"See Ruby Fall"
"Blistered"
Released1969 (1969)
Genrecountry
LabelColumbia 4-45020
Songwriter(s)Johnny Cash[1] or
Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison[2]
Producer(s)Bob Johnston[1]
Audio
"See Ruby Fall" on YouTube

"See Ruby Fall" is a song co-written by Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.[2][3] The title is a play on the phrase "See Ruby Falls", which is painted on some Southern barn roofs to direct potential tourists to a well-known waterfall in Chattanooga.

Recorded by Cash at the Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 20, 1969,[2] the song was released as a single (Columbia 4-45020, with "Blistered" that was recorded two days earlier[2] on the opposite side)[4][5][6][7] in October.[4]

On U.S. Billboard's country chart, the single charted as a double-A-side, reaching #4.[8] On the Hot 100, "Blistered" reached #50, and "See Ruby Fall" #75.[9] (according to some sources, both songs reached #50).[10]

Both "Blistered" and "See Ruby Fall" are part of Johnny Cash's album Hello, I'm Johnny Cash (out in January 1970).

Analysis

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Cash and Roy Orbison collaborated on "See Ruby Fall," from Cash's Hello, I'm Johnny Cash album, after seeing a billboard in Tennessee that read "See Ruby Falls." Ruby Falls is a waterfall in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They took that hook and turned it into a song of frustration, as you watch someone you love drift further and further away from you. The narrator admits that he knew someday Ruby would leave him for a more exciting life than the one he could provide for her. She certainly did, as he explains that she can now be found under the red light downtown. It's a brutally frank song without a happy ending for the singer. It was released as the B-side of "Blistered."

— John M. Alexander. The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash[11]

The B-side of the first single ("Blistered") [from the album Hello, I'm Johnny Cash (1970)] was a song Cash co-wrote with Roy Orbison called "See Ruby Fall." Inspired by signs they saw painted on barn roofs in Chattanooga urging travelers to visit the local attraction Ruby Falls, Cash and Orbison used the phrase to weave together the story of a love gone wrong. The singer knows his other half is on her way out of the door, so he lets her go, only to tell someone else where he can find her. It's classic country love-gone-wrong, covered up a bit by the almost ragtime piano that lessens the emotional impact of the song.

— C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black[5]

Track listing

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7" single (Columbia 4-45020,[1] 1969)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."See Ruby Fall"J. Cash2:48
2."Blistered"B. E. Wheeler2:18

Charts

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Chart (1969) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 50[10] or 75[9]
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 4

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Johnny Cash - See Ruby Fall / Blistered". Discogs. 1969. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  2. ^ a b c d John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
  3. ^ John L. Smith (1 January 1985). The Johnny Cash Discography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-24654-8.
  4. ^ a b The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
  5. ^ a b C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat. pp. 138–. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2.
    C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat Books. pp. 123–. ISBN 978-1-61713-608-5.
  6. ^ Steve Turner (1 November 2005). The man called Cash: the life, love, and faith of an American legend. Thomas Nelson Inc. p. 266. ISBN 978-0-8499-0815-6.
  7. ^ Standard Catalog of American Records, 1950-1975. Krause Publications. 2000. ISBN 978-0-87341-934-5.
    Tim Neely (1 August 2002). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-471-7.
    Tim Neely (31 August 2006). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 9780896893078.
  8. ^ Joel Whitburn (2002). Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-151-2.
    Joel Whitburn (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, Billboard. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9.
    "Blistered/See Ruby Fall Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  9. ^ a b Joel Whitburn (1978). Joel Whitburn's pop annual, 1955-1977. Record Research.Joel Whitburn (2001). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955-2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-147-5.Joel Whitburn (2003). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-155-0.Joel Whitburn (2007). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-172-7.
    Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual, 1955-1999. Record Research. 2000. ISBN 978-0-89820-141-3.
  10. ^ a b Joel Whitburn (1972). Top Pop Records, 1955-1970: Facts about 9800 Recordings Listed in Billboard's "Hot 100" Charts, Grouped Under the Names of the 2500 Recording Artists. Gale Research Company.
    "Blistered/See Ruby Fall Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  11. ^ John M. Alexander (10 April 2018). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 212–. ISBN 978-1-68226-051-7.
    John M. Alexander (16 April 2018). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 978-1-61075-628-0.
  12. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  13. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
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