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.
It's A Sin
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because I know our love could never be
It's a sin to say that I don't miss you
When silence proves that you've forgotten me
The dream I built for us has tumbled
And each promise broken like my heart
Why pretend that I can't live without you
The dream I built for us...
The lyrics of Marty Robbins's song It's A Sin present a narrative of a speaker who is battling internal conflicts regarding their love for someone they cannot be with. The repetition of the phrase "It's a sin" in the opening line highlights the singer's sense of guilt and shame regarding their feelings. They acknowledge that their love is forbidden or not reciprocated, and they feel remorseful for holding onto it. Despite feeling this way, the singer cannot help but miss the other person and laments the fact that they seem to have been forgotten in silence.
The second half of the verses carries a tone of despair and resignation. The singer accepts that their dreams of being with the other person have been shattered, and each promise made to them has been broken. The phrase "like my heart" adds a melancholic touch to the already somber lyrics. Despite being fully aware of the futility of holding onto their love, the singer cannot help but feel like living without the object of their affection is impossible. The final line, "When deep inside I know that it's a sin," reinforces the theme of guilt and shame and serves as a reminder that the singer's love cannot be acted upon.
Overall, Marty Robbins's song It's A Sin is a poignant portrayal of unrequited love and the emotional turmoil that accompanies it. The lyrics capture the internal conflicts and the sense of guilt that often arise when loving someone who cannot be with us.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a sin a sin the way I love you
I feel guilty for loving you the way I do because I know that our love can never be.
Because I know our love could never be
I know that there is no hope for us to ever be together.
It's a sin to say that I don't miss you
I would be lying if I said that I didn't miss you.
When silence proves that you've forgotten me
I can tell that you no longer think about me because you haven't spoken to me in a while.
The dream I built for us has tumbled
The hopes and plans that I had for us have fallen apart.
And each promise broken like my heart
The promises that were made between us have been broken, which hurts me deeply.
Why pretend that I can't live without you
I shouldn't pretend that I cannot live without you, and I should accept that our relationship is over.
When deep inside I know that it's a sin
Even though I still love you, I know that it's wrong for me to feel this way because we cannot be together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRED ROSE, ZEB TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Primrose Haran
marty doesn't sing a bad song love everything he does
WFD (music soundtrack to my life)
Isn’t it beautiful how you can understand every word. This time put out the best singers and music.
Rosie Soyza
Beautiful voice
Shirley Lawlor
Just wonderful ,, can listen for hours
Shirley Lawlor
Just wonderful can listen to him singing for hours
Jackman The4th
How could people dislike this?? It must have been an accident😁
Marcella Felice
I love this man with all my heart!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Shirley Lawlor
Just wonderful can listen to Marty for hours
Dil Rukshi
What lovely words with such sweet melody.
David L. Rogers
I'll tell you what's a sin, it's a sin if you don't listen to Marty here at his best, I know that for sure :)