When Rita Leaves

Tallapoosa

by Delbert McClinton

Count in 3 beats

Intro	E	B7	E

	E	B7
She left a	lipstick letter on the mirror shattered on the	bathroom floor.

	E
All I could put back together was never see	me no more.

	E7	A	F#m
Took all her clothes but one red	dress, the one she	knows I like the	best.

	E	B7	E
All I could	do was clean up the	mess, and wonder where she	had gone.

	E	B7
I had a	sky-blue rag top Mustang, a 19	64.

	E
She drove it off into the night til it just wouldn't	go no more.

	E7	A	F#m
She caught a ride on into	town, bought some	gas and laid the top	down.

	E	B7	E
Then she	burned that pony to the	ground on the desert in New	Mexico.

Melvin sings Baritone (Tenor is on loop)

	B7	E
When Rita	leaves, Rita's	gone.

	B7	E
She	gave me every chance a man could	want.

	A
I've never	known a love so strong,

	E	A
Or so	crazy when she's been done	wrong.

	B7	E	E
When Rita	leaves, Rita's	gone.

Solo - Melvin Guitar

E	E	B7	B7	B7	B7

E	E	E	E	E7

A	F#m	E	B7	E

	E	B7
I put a	call into her mamasita, back in	El Paso.

	E
She said she got the story from Rita on her way to	Mexico.

	E7	A	F#m
Her mama knew I was taking it	hard, said she was	sorry about my	car.

	E	B7
She said "You're	lucky all she broke was your	heart

	E
You better just let	her go."

	B7	E
When Rita	leaves, Rita's	gone.

	B7	E
She	gave me every chance a man could	want.

	A
I've never	known a love so strong,

	E	A
Or so	crazy when she's been done	wrong.

	B7	E	E
When Rita	leaves, Rita's	gone.

Spoken

	E
She never	gave me a chance to explain.

	A	F#m
Hell I	guess it doesn't much matter now	anyway.

Sung

	B7	E
When Rita	leaves, Rita's	gone.

	B7	E
When Rita	leaves, Rita's	gone.