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 Pity What Money Can Do
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I loved her true and I thought she loved me
But I couldn't offer her anything new
It's a pity what money can do
She met with a stranger more wealthy than I
What I had promised her he said he'd buy
She gave him kisses then left me so blue
It's a pity what money can do
He can't spend fortunes on poor worthless schemes
But a rich man will buy dreams that never come true
It's a pity what money can do
Now he has my sweetheart, I'm all alone
He'll be as lonesome when his fortune's gone
She'll spend all his silver then find someone new
It's a pity what money can do
The lyrics of Marty Robbin's song "It's a Pity What Money Can Do" convey a theme of loss, regret, and the corruptive influence of wealth. The singer is a poor boy who fell in love with a poor girl, but their love is cut short by the intervention of a wealthy stranger. The lyrics express how the singer believed the two of them had a genuine connection, yet the promise of wealth and material goods proved too tempting for his lover to resist. The rich stranger can easily buy her affection and her promise to be loyal to her original lover fades away. The singer is left alone, feeling the bitter consequences of having no money. The overall message seems to be a warning about the corrupting power of wealth and the importance of remaining humble and true to oneself.
Additionally, the song highlights the social inequalities perpetuated by a capitalist system where money trumps love and true affection. In a society where financial status is often prioritized, the people who have less face constant hardships, both economically and socially. The song points out that having money can often supersede everything else, leading people to make choices that they might not have made otherwise. Ironically, the wealthy also suffer; they may have all the money in the world, but it can never buy true love, loyalty, and genuine connection with others.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a poor boy, a poor girl was she
Both of us were poor, struggling to make ends meet.
I loved her true and I thought she loved me
I loved her deeply and believed she felt the same way.
But I couldn't offer her anything new
I couldn't give her anything different or exciting in terms of material possessions.
It's a pity what money can do
Money has a way of changing people and their priorities, leading to unfortunate consequences.
She met with a stranger more wealthy than I
She encountered someone who had more money than I did.
What I had promised her he said he'd buy
The things that I had promised to buy for her, he said he would buy instead.
She gave him kisses then left me so blue
She kissed him and chose to leave me feeling very sad.
It's a pity what money can do
Money has such a strong influence over people's decisions and actions; it's a true shame.
A man without money is well off, it seems
Someone without a lot of money is actually better off in some ways.
He can't spend fortunes on poor worthless schemes
He can't waste money on things that aren't really worth anything.
But a rich man will buy dreams that never come true
A wealthy person can afford to pursue things that are unlikely to actually happen.
It's a pity what money can do
Money has the power to corrupt and blur what's truly important.
Now he has my sweetheart, I'm all alone
He ended up with the person I loved; now I'm by myself.
He'll be as lonesome when his fortune's gone
The man who took my sweetheart will also be lonely once his wealth disappears.
She'll spend all his silver then find someone new
The girl who chose to leave me for money will eventually spend all of his money and move on to someone else.
It's a pity what money can do
It's truly a misfortune how money can change people and their actions.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dennis Comer
truly a wonderful performance
bruno fermelin
Marty is the best!! Regards from Sweden
jtls8
Outstanding*****Thank you Lilly!
betty stephenson
fabulous thanks lilly
Bud Maxwell
Don't get any better than that!!!!!!!!