By Michael Baginski/ “Tumbling Dice” is often cited as one of the Rolling Stones top songs, so it’s of little surprise that it has been covered by many artists over the years and, surprisingly perhaps, none so capably as Linda Ronstadt. That’s no insult to clearly one of the greatest vocalists of all time, but one tends to recall her softer offerings like “Blue Bayou.”
Indeed, after hearing her 1977 version of the classic song from the Stones’ genre-defining “Exile on Mainstreet” album, Stones guitarist Keith Richards is said to have exclaimed, “I wrote the song, but Linda Ronstadt owns it.”
Of course, the versatile Ronstadt had belted out such numbers as “You’re No Good,” and made Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” her own as well by the time she tackled, “Tumbling Dice,” which became a Top 40 hit for her. But being proclaimed better than Jagger (whom Ronstadt also performed the song with) is high praise indeed.
Lyrics
Women think I’m tasty, but they’re always tryin’ to waste me
And make me burn the candle right down
Baby, baby, I don’t need no jewels in my crown
‘Cause all you women is low down gamblers
Cheatin’ like I don’t know how
Baby, baby, there’s fever in the funk house now
This low down bitchin’ got my poor feet a itchin’
You know you know the deuce is still wild
Baby, can’t stay, you got to roll me
And call me the tumblin’ dice
Always in a hurry, I never stop to worry
Don’t you see the time flashin’ by
Honey, got no money, I’m all sixes and sevens and nines
Say now, baby, I’m the rank outsider
You can be my partner in crime
Baby, can’t stay, you got to roll me
And call me the tumblin’, roll me and call me the tumblin’ dice
Oh, my, my, my, I’m the lone crap shooter
Playin’ the field every night
Baby, can’t stay
You got to roll me and call me the tumblin’ dice
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
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