“The memory is strong when Ruby puts her red dress on”
5 months after my grandmother passed away I was babysitting the sweetest little boy in the world. We stopped to get a donut and the vendor gave us an extra donut for free. Because this little boy is a gentleman in the making, he gave the extra donut to me. It was a French Cruller.
The boy didn’t know that what he was doing was forcing me to hold on real tight to my brave face because if I didn’t I was going to break down over a French Cruller. (Important note: French Crullers were my grandmother’s favorite donuts. I don’t just randomly get emotional over French Crullers.)
A French Cruller is my red dress. The memory of my grandmother is the strongest when I see a French Cruller, when I see her old address book or when I have a deck of cards in my hands. I can relate to Ruby’s inclination to only hold on to that something when she’s alone, to cherish those memories in the same way that she probably cherished those moments.
Here are a couple of things listening to Joel Crouse’s “Ruby Puts Her Red Dress On” always does:
(1) It reminds me that he’s a really talented songwriter. (You can listen to his debut album, Even the River Runs, on Spotify here)
(2) If I’m listening closely to the lyrics it does a little more than just tell me about Ruby and what she’s dealing with, it tells me about me, my grief and how I’m handling my loss.
(3) It reminds me that I’m wearing a brave face most of the time. (This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The truth is you need to make it through your school or work days, but it’s when the brave face never comes off that things could go really bad, really quickly.)
I watched a YouTube video with Joel Crouse and he said that one of his favorite parts is that a lot of this song is up for interpretation. Maybe I just think Ruby’s loved one died because that’s what I’m going through.
In an effort to let this song be anything you need it to be we’ve broken down the lyrics in another article. Click here if you want to read how anyone who has lost a loved one can relate to Joel Crouse’s lyrics.
Until then, watch the video and let it do what it does best:
And because I’m a sucker for how in concert rendition of songs sound, click here to listen to it live.
Are you a Joel Crouse fan? What are your thoughts on this song?
Dale aqui para leer esto en español.
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