When Rita Leaves Chords

KeyE CapoNone TuningStandard Difficulty Plays551

When Rita Leaves by Delbert McClinton is a moderately challenging guitar song played in the key of E. It uses the chords E, B, A and F#m. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
E
Text
16
Speed
  			           E                                              B 
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. 
                                            A                        F#m 
Took all her clothes but one red dress, the one she knows I like the best. 
            E                   B                           E   
All I could do was clean up the mess, and wonder where she'd gone. 



        E                              B                         
I had a sky-blue rag top Mustang, a 1964. 
                                                     E      
She drove it off into the night til it just wouldn't go no more. 
                                            A                    F#m         
She caught a ride on into town, bought some gas and laid the top down. 
         E                       B                           E 
Then she burned that pony to the ground on the desert in New Mexico. 




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


Solo:  E B E A F#m E B E 


        E                               B 
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. 
                                                 A              F#m 
Her mama knew I was taking it hard, said she was sorry about my car. 
                  E                            B                                  
She said "You're lucky all she broke was your heart 
                E  
You better just let her go." 


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


E 
She never gave me a chance to explain. 
       A                                F#m 
Hell I guess it doesn't much matter now anyway. 
          B              E 
When Rita leaves, Rita's gone. 
          B              E 
When Rita leaves, Rita's gone. 
    	

Chord diagrams

Guitar tuner

--
Start the tuner and play a string

Reference tones

Standard tuning, lowest to highest. Click a string to play it; the string the mic hears is highlighted.

Click Start tuner and allow microphone access. The needle centers and turns green when a string is in tune (within 5 cents).
No microphone? You can still tap any string above to hear its exact reference pitch.

Metronome

100 BPM Andante