G  C  G  C  G  C  G  C

[Verse 1]
G      C           G         C
Ruby's shoes would take her
  G             C            G    C
A mile or so to school every day
G         C            G          C
Where the white people hated her
       G               C                  G      C
They'd scream and hold signs and tell her to go away

[Verse 2]
G          C        G         C
But Ruby's will was stronger
         G               C                G     C
Than the bigots with the signs could ever know
G                 C              G       C
She stopped every morning on the corner
    G           C           G          C
And prayed that someday the pain would go

[Chorus]
      Dsus4          C
She'd stop and she'd pray
     Dsus4                C
That all the hatred would go away
             Dsus4                  C
She was only six years old, but she knew
                      G     C
Walk a mile in Ruby's shoes

[Instrumental]
G  C  G  C  G  C

[Verse 3]
G         C           G          C
Ruby sat alone in the classroom
          G                 C                 G     C
She never dreamed the other children wouldn't come
     G     C           G             C
They hated her for the colour of her skin
      G         C       G         C
Well, colour is such an amazing illusion

[Chorus]
      Dsus4          C
She'd stop and she'd pray
     Dsus4                C
That all the hatred would go away
             Dsus4                  C
She was only six years old, but she knew
                      G     C
Walk a mile in Ruby's shoes

[Instrumental]
G  C  G  C  G  C

[Verse 4]
G        C          G        C
Now Ruby knew about Dorothy
        G    C              G     C
And the ruby shoes that she wore
G   C              G      C
She wondered about Oz sometimes
           G        C          G                     C
Well, well no other child ever walked in her shoes before

[Chorus]
      Dsus4          C
She'd stop and she'd pray
     Dsus4                C
That all the hatred would go away
             Dsus4                  C
She was only six years old, but she knew
                      G     C  G  C
Walk a mile in Ruby's shoes

[Bridge]
Em       C                D   Dsus4  D
Ruby, if birds can always fly
                      G       C
Why, oh why, can't you and I

[Instrumental]
G  C  G  C  G  C

[Verse 5]
G      C           G         C
Ruby's shoes would take her
  G             C            G    C
A mile or so to school every day
G         C            G          C
Where the white people hated her
       G               C                  G      C
They'd scream and hold signs and tell her to go away

[Chorus]
      Dsus4          C
She'd stop and she'd pray
     Dsus4                C
That all the hatred would go away
      Dsus4          C
She'd stop and she'd pray
     Dsus4                      C                G  C   G  C
That no other children would be raised this way
      G  C  G     C
Ruby's      shoes

[Outro]
   G         C
If birds can fly
     G      C
Then why oh why
   G         C
If birds can fly
     G       C          G  C  G
Then why, oh why, can't I