I'm here because Kazuo Ishiguro, the renowned author mentioned about this song in one of his interviews related with his famous book ' The Remains of the Day'.

I lost my wife/best friend to breast cancer 20 years ago. We both loved Tom Waits. Her name was Rita, four letters beginning with R, just like Ruby. This song is so beautiful that I'm constantly compelled to listen to it, even though it tears me up.

Tom Waits as usual makes you nostalgic or regretful about pasts you never had. This song is utterly beautiful.

Heartbreakingly beautiful

One of the best songs ever written.

The only song that has ever made me cry. I first heard it nearly 40 years ago. It still makes me cry.

I was in rehab 2001 and i lost my kids my family my dignity and this song helped bring me back,thanks tom

Tom Waits is, without a doubt, one of the great songwriters of our (or anyone's) generation.

Making me cry in the laundromat. 😭

"Jesus Christ this goddamn rain will someone put me on a train" ... I've got nothing.

In all the sadness and grief...we still go on..you never know what the next day will bring..may be peace..Thanks Tom for every song you've shared with us

"I'll never kiss your lips again.. or break your heart"..What a line!..What that means to me is that with love there is risk..of the pain after departure

Makes my cry every time

Always my favorite Waits song. "The morning light has washed your face, and everything is turning blue now. Hold onto your pillowcase, there's nothing I can do now." What a seriously profound lyric.

I will leave behind all of my clothes I wore when I was with you All I need's my railroad boots And my leather jacket As I say goodbye to Ruby's arms Although my heart is breaking I will steal away out through your Blinds for soon you will be waking The morning light has washed your face And everything is turning blue now Hold on to your pillow case There's nothing I can do now As I say goodbye to Ruby's arms You'll find another soldier And I swear to God by Christmas time There'll be someone else to hold you The only thing I'm taking is The scarf off of your clothesline I'll hurry past your chest of drawers And your broken window chimes As I say goodbye I'll say goodbye Say goodbye to Ruby's arms I'll feel my way down the darken hall And out into the morning The hobos at the freight yards Have kept their fires burning So Jesus Christ this goddamn rain Will someone put me on a train I'll never kiss your lips again Or break your heart As I say goodbye I'll say goodbye Say goodbye to Ruby's arms

This song tears me up every time.

favorite waits song when i'm drunk and down in the dumps, this song like many of his got me through brutally tough times

The most beautiful song I've ever heard.

What an brilliant idea to have a brass quartet together with full symphony ochestra ! A trombonist´s comment ! Can not listen this one without tears.

The first time I saw my dad cry was when his sister,Ruby,died. The again when his daughter,Grace,died. Then,the last time,when he was dying. Ruby Grace is now a name I hold deep inside.

We are naming our daughter Ruby and this song is beautiful, just as I hope she will be. Thanks Tom Waits..

My favorite too. This and 'On a Nickle .'

Just had to hear this song again today … thank you universe for Tom Waits … Nobody can do what he does ...

This should have been a number one hit....Both sides of the Atlantic. A heart wrenching beautiful song.

This song is a work of a genius .the line "I will never kiss your lips again or break your heart" is just heartbreaking .

A dear friend reminded me of this song. My boyfriend broke my heart and I couldn't stop playing this song for too long, a my best friend reminded me of it, 30 years later. It was all for the good in the end and am married to my true soul mate, but the emotions still come back, just less.... definitely one of the saddest songs written, for me.

Ruby was my mother's name. She has been gone for five years, and this song makes me weep. I can't listen to it that often..

Am I crying? Yes. Did I click "replay?" Yes.

Only musician whose each and every song I love. Tom is my God! ❤️

Saddest song i've ever heard.. amazing

Heartbreaking beautiful song.

This is my favorite song by Tom Waits. It never fails to reach down deep and pull a few tears to the surface. The imagery is incredible!!

Lost the "love of my life" to drugs, at the same time i first heard this in the early 90´th. Arwwgh.....How did Tom Know?

I lost my brother and best friend Ruben this April... This song makes me cry everytime, cause it touches my soul, and I'll never have Ruby's arms around my shoulder

all you need is Tom -Van - Leonard. All their music.and shut the door on this crazy world.

i think it should be noted that Tom Waits' songs are one of the few things on youtube which no one can say shit about. Even haters can't hate Tom Waits.

I had to listen to this song as my mother dies. "I'll never kiss your lips or break your heart" Sad, but this song helped me a lot. Thank you, Tom✌💗

oh Hell, i can't decide between Ruby's arms, Martha or lullaby which sends me deeper into calm reflection. The words on each is emotional poetry, the music tranquil and soulfull, and Toms voice, like velvet and sandpaper.. unique.. nope, no contest, all 3 win.

I just got out of a relationship with a Ruby, and it feels like Tom is talking directly to me. devastatingly sad and beautiful like all of his ballads

Tom's always been a master of writing from the perspective of different characters, I'm surprised that there haven't been many comments about how this song is from a perspective of the ghost of a dead soldier saying goodbye to his widowed lover. Its such a beautifully crafted song and as always, his voice and the music compliment the tone of the lyrics masterfully.

My absolute fav Waits song,although EVERY fuckin song on this album is golden,this one moves me to tears every time.......The only good thing my first husband turned me onto was this L.P.

My favorite stage of my favorite artist. Not a wasted note, no cheap emotion. I can cry and smile at the same time.

I'm living these lyrics... her name's Ruby and everything.

Perfect rainy Sunday morning music.

the end chorus is so beautiful ... So Jesus Christ this goddamn rain Will someone put me on a train I'll never kiss your lips again Or break your heart As I say goodbye I'll say goodbye Say goodbye to Ruby's arms

Pure genius !!

Ruby's Arms. What a sad, sad song. Music is meant to move. His songs move me so much. There are times when no other music will do. Like now.

Pure Genius

Just good old-fashoned song writing … Tom is a special artist - with rare rough beauty implied in every note ...

am here because of Kazuo Ishiguro

Saddest song ever written.

No one listens to the words anymore most. underappreciated lyric that l know of

i love this song. there's no blame, no nastiness, not even a reason given. its just time for him to go. and thats him off. genius

Jesus christ this goddamn rain, will someone put me on a train. Tam. Fuckin' wow.

Beautiful, understated , felt.

So sad andere so beautiful it hurts .

I wish she hadn't been, but the first girl I ever loved was called Ruby. Years go by and I don't miss her, but I still think of her on occasion. She hurt me so much. Crazy how someone you love and can't imagine hurting anyone, can prove you so wrong..

Tom Waits is America's greatest songwriter.

gut-wrenching...like nothing ive ever felt...and everything all at once. #wordsfailme

This song always stops time

This is straight butter...a master song writer...

Tom is simply incredible. His emotion and reality touch the soul. Thank you Tommy !

It's one of those songs that I can play over & over again and not get bored. it has it's flaws but I love this song and the way he sings it .

fantastic thank you tom waits

One of our great poets.

Truly a legend and one of my fav songs ever ❤

“But in all of the sadness, when you’re feeling that your heart is empty, and lacking, You’ve got to remember that grief isn’t the absence of love. Grief is the proof that love is still there.” Tessa Shaffer, Heaven Has No Regrets . . Will

just stunning gets better like fine wine as years pass

もうトム最高❗ 本当ええ歌だわぁ～❗

I Love him

Heard once upon a time that this is considered the saddest song ever written

Morning light has washed your face!! ☁️🌸☁️

Well,Tom is just one and only..This song makes me crying every time,like Kentucky Avenue,or If I Can to Go...

Absolutely beautiful!

Just beautiful.

To the Master torch song writer, singer of our times, wished Amy Winehouse lived long enough to have song with this master of the blue flame.yeah!

my god stunning tune by top man if my last couple days on gods great earth where listening to tom waites would go to meet big man in sky happy very happy

OH MY DEAR GOD!!!

Read this elsewhere "He's stealing away through her window blinds. A person couldn't do that. She's holding her pillow, indicating that he hadn't spent the night with her. Darkened hall, hobos keeping fires burning is the light at the end of the tunnel. The wind took her scarf off the clothesline, disturbed the wind chimes as his spirit passed. I never put it all together until I read your comment. You're right, he's a Soldier who has died in war, come to say his last goodbye to his love." Can't believe I never saw this. Of course he takes her scarf, a champion always wore his Ladys colors.

Woke this morning with this playing in my head.

Lyrics People also search for Main results I will leave behind all of my clothes I wore when I was with you. All I needs are my railroad boots And my leather jacket. As I say goodbye to Ruby's arms... Although my heart is breaking I will steal away out through your blinds For soon you will be waking. Morning light has washed your face And everything is turning blue now. I hold on to your pillow case. There's nothing that I can do now. As I say goodbye to Ruby's arms You'll find another soldier. And I swear to God by Christmas time There'll be someone else to hold you. The only thing I'm taking is The scarf off of your clothesline. I'll hurry past your chest of drawers And your broken wind chimes. As I say goodbye, I say goodbye Say goodbye to Ruby's arms.

Heartbreaking beautiful....

stunning beautiful, my favorite

Sublime....

If I ever had daughters I'd call them Martha, Muriel and Ruby

I’m sorry for your loss

One of my many favourites of his pieces .

It's not gonna get played in the club, but it's the human beings, making these songs, that make life more, barable :)

truly heart-breaking song. Truly

evry day i find something new together with TOM WAITS.chris from sweden

This song and On the Nickle are masterpieces.

un capolavoro

DON'T SAW OFF RUBY'S ARMS ! THAT WON'T DO! HOW WILL WE SLIDE DOWN ? MAN I LOVE YOUR COMPASSION ! TOM YOU KILL ME WHERE IT REALLY COUNTS ! YOU ARE THE MOST GIFTED !

...'The only thing I'm taking is the scarf of off your clothesline I'll hurry past your chest of drawers, And your broken windchimes'... Damn~ This song is about an 8.5 magnitude emotional earthquake... Absolutely devastating.

He is amazing..

This song makes me shiver

It's a ballad about a man, possibly a soldier leaving his lover asleep in bed. It's the early morning, he goes down the road, gets on a train. Nothing unusual in that. But the song is delivered in the voice of a gruff American hobo utterly unaccustomed to revealing his deeper emotions. And there comes a moment, midway through the song, when the singer tells us that his heart is breaking. The moment is almost unbearably moving. By Kazuo Ishiguto

Bar none my favorite artist of all time...time time time.......even Thomas Jefferson. over . . . skull and crossbones ring that golden bell man

Been there, Tom. Know that. Next to "on the Nickel" : this is the best you've ever written and performed.

so beautiful!