Born in Glendale, Arizona, Robbins taught himself guitar while serving in the United States Navy during World War II, and subsequently drew fame performing in clubs in and around his hometown. In 1956, he released his first No. 1 country song, "Singing the Blues" and one year later, released two more No. 1 hits, "A White Sport Coat" and "The Story of My Life". In 1959, Robbins released his signature song, "El Paso", for which he won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. Later releases that drew critical acclaim include "Don't Worry", "Big Iron" and "Honkytonk Man", the last for which the 1982 Clint Eastwood film is named, and in which Robbins made his final appearance before death.
Over the course of his career, Robbins recorded more than 500 songs and 60 albums, and won two Grammy Awards, was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and was named the 1960s Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music. Robbins was a commercial success in both the country and pop genres, and his songs were covered by many other famous artists, including Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead and Elvis Presley. His music continues to have an influence in pop culture today, having recently appeared in several contemporary pop culture features, including the video game Fallout: New Vegas, and the series finale of AMC's Breaking Bad.
Robbins was born in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. His mother was mostly of Paiute Indian heritage. Robbins grew up in a difficult family situation. His father took odd jobs to support the family of 10 children; however, his hard drinking led to divorce in 1937. Among his warmer memories of his childhood, Robbins recalled having listened to stories of the American West told by his maternal grandfather, Texas Bob Heckle, who was a local medicine man. At 17, Robbins left his troubled home to serve in the United States Navy as an LCT coxswain during World War II. He was stationed in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. To pass the time during the war, he learned to play the guitar, started writing songs, and came to love Hawaiian music.
Robbins' discography consists of 52 studio albums, 13 compilation albums, and 100 singles. In his career, Robbins charted 17 Number One singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, as well as 82 Top 40 singles.
Robbins' highest charting album is 1959's Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. It charted to #6 on the all-genre Billboard 200, and was also certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album's first single, "El Paso", became a hit on both the country and pop charts, charting to Number One on the Hot Country Songs as well as the Billboard Hot 100. While that would be his only pop Number One, in 1957, "A White Sport Coat" charted to #2, and in 1961, "Don't Worry" charted to #3.
His final Top 10 single was "Honkytonk Man" from the 1982 eponymous film in which Robbins had a role. He died shortly before its release. Since his death, four posthumous studio albums have been released, but they made no impact on the charts.
Robbins married Marizona "Mari" Baldwin on September 27, 1948. They had two children, Ronny and Janet, and were married 34 years until his death.
Abilene Rose
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll tell you a story of Abilene town
Of two young lovers as true lovers know
The girl in this story is Abilene Rose
Rose Rose Abilene Rose your mem'ry still lives in my heart
Rose Abilene Rose we promised we never would part
She was the fairest in Abilene town
Her eyes were as bright as the stars up above
Every one knew when she chose me to love
Rose Rose Abilene Rose...
We courted each other out under the moon
We planned to be married the first day of June
Then I started drinking and gambling you see
I broke her young heart and then she left me
Rose Rose Abilene Rose...
I got into trouble and had to leave town
Rose got married and then settled down
She was as happy as happy could be
With her young cowboy and their family
Rose Rose Abilene Rose...
This is the story I promised to tell
All you young cowboys remember it well
If you find true love don't tear it apart
Marry that true love don't break her young heart
Rose Rose Abilene Rose your mem'ry still lives in my heart
Rose Abilene Rose forever we must live apart
The song Abilene Rose by Marty Robbins is a heartwarming country ballad about a love story that didn't have a happy ending. The singer of the song tells the story to all the young cowboys who are gathered around him. He narrates about two young lovers, himself and the girl named Abilene Rose. He describes her beauty in her gingham gown, her bright eyes that glittered like stars up above, and how everyone knew that she had chosen him to love. He reminisces about their courtship and how they planned to be married. However, the singer started drinking and gambling, which broke Abilene's young heart and caused her to leave him.
The song then talks about how the singer got into trouble and had to leave the town, while Abilene got married and settled down with her young cowboy and their family. The singer still holds her memory close to his heart and knows that they can never be together again. He then makes an important message for all the young cowboys to remember that if they find true love, they should never tear it apart and instead marry that true love.
Overall, the song's lyrics tell a story about lost love and regret. Through this song, the artist implores people to learn from their mistakes and value true love.
Line by Line Meaning
All you young cowboys come gather around
Listen up, young cowboys, I have a story about Abilene town.
Of two young lovers as true lovers know
The story is about two young lovers who were deeply in love.
The girl in this story is Abilene Rose
The girl in question is a beautiful young woman named Abilene Rose.
Rose Rose Abilene Rose your mem'ry still lives in my heart
Even now, the memory of Abilene Rose lives on in the singer's heart.
Rose Abilene Rose we promised we never would part
The singer and Abilene Rose promised to never leave each other's side.
Rose was so pretty in her gingham gown
Rose was stunningly beautiful in her simple gingham dress.
She was the fairest in Abilene town
Everyone in Abilene knew that Rose was the most beautiful woman in town.
Her eyes were as bright as the stars up above
Rose's eyes shone as bright as the stars in the night sky.
Every one knew when she chose me to love
The townspeople knew that Rose had chosen the singer as her lover.
We courted each other out under the moon
The singer and Rose spent time together, courting each other under the moonlight.
We planned to be married the first day of June
They had planned to get married on June 1st.
Then I started drinking and gambling you see
The singer began drinking and gambling, which caused problems in their relationship.
I broke her young heart and then she left me
His actions caused Rose's heart to break and she left him.
I got into trouble and had to leave town
The singer got into trouble and was forced to leave Abilene town.
Rose got married and then settled down
After the singer left, Rose got married and started a family.
She was as happy as happy could be
Rose was very happy with her husband and their life together.
With her young cowboy and their family
Rose and her husband were happy raising their family together.
This is the story I promised to tell
The singer promised to tell this story to the young cowboys listening.
All you young cowboys remember it well
He wants the cowboys to remember this cautionary tale.
If you find true love don't tear it apart
The singer advises the young cowboys not to ruin true love if they find it.
Marry that true love don't break her young heart
Instead, they should marry their true love and not hurt them like he did with Rose.
Rose Rose Abilene Rose your mem'ry still lives in my heart
The singer repeats that Rose's memory will always live on in his heart.
Rose Abilene Rose forever we must live apart
Despite this, he and Rose can never be together again, and will live the rest of their lives apart.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A
on Johnny Fedavo
This is a fantastic, emotional song, thanks to whoever added the meaning behind the lyrics to this song. Makes it easy for some to understand a bit better!