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.
Girl From Spanish Town
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lived and loved a long time ago
Disappointed in love I decided to roam
Sad was the day that I sailed far away from my home
Every dream I dream takes me again
To the island down in the Caribbean
Back to happiness and my Spanish Town home
To be filled with grief and misery
If she takes me back I will never more roam
Brown skinned girl from Spanish town lives in my heart
I've tried to forget her but how do I start
Constantly she's on my mind both night and day
I've known only sorrow since I sailed away
Let the tide and trade winds carry me
To the girl I want to marry me
I can't live alone just on mem'ries I've known
I'm just like a bird that dosen't sing
Like a seagull with a broken wing
Take me off of this ship let me go home
Brown skinned girl from Spanish town lives in my heart
The song "Girl From Spanish Town" by Marty Robbins is a ballad about a man who left his home island in the Caribbean after experiencing heartbreak, and has been unable to forget the woman he left behind. The singer of the song laments his decision to sail away from his Spanish Town home, where he was in love with a brown-skinned girl who continues to haunt his thoughts. He dreams of returning to the island and the happiness he left behind, and hopes that the girl will take him back so he never has to leave again. The vivid descriptions of the Caribbean landscape and the memories of his lost love make for a poignant and wistful song.
Line by Line Meaning
Past the Gulf Of Mexico is an island where
There is an island beyond the Gulf of Mexico
I lived and loved a long time ago
I used to live on that island and I loved someone there a long time ago
Disappointed in love I decided to roam
I left the island because I was disappointed in love
Sad was the day that I sailed far away from my home
I left my home with sorrow when I sailed away from the island
Every dream I dream takes me again
I dream of the island and the girl I loved every night
To the island down in the Caribbean
I dream of the island in the Caribbean Sea
Back to happiness and my Spanish Town home
I dream of being happy again, back in Spanish Town where I used to live
To the brown skinned girl that's causin' me
The girl I loved who has caused me
To be filled with grief and misery
To be sad and unhappy
If she takes me back I will never more roam
If she takes me back, I will never leave again
Brown skinned girl from Spanish town lives in my heart
I still love the brown-skinned girl from Spanish Town
I've tried to forget her but how do I start
I tried to forget her, but I don't know how to do it
Constantly she's on my mind both night and day
I think about her all the time, day and night
I've known only sorrow since I sailed away
I've been sad ever since I left the island
Let the tide and trade winds carry me
I want the tide and wind to take me back to the island
To the girl I want to marry me
I want to marry the girl I love
I can't live alone just on mem'ries I've known
I can't live alone with only the memories I have
I'm just like a bird that dosen't sing
I am like a bird that doesn't sing
Like a seagull with a broken wing
I am like a seagull with a broken wing
Take me off of this ship let me go home
I want to leave this ship and go back home
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARTY ROBBINS
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!