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.
Lovesick Blues
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm in love,
I'm in love with a girl,
That's what's the matter with me
I'm in love,
I'm in love, with a beautiful girl,
But she don't give a darn about me
to make her love me I tried,
But she just refused
And ever since she's gone away,
I've got those lovesick blues
Got the feeling called the "blue hoo's,"
since my sweetie said "Good Bye"
Seems I don't know what to "Do Hoo"
All day long I sit and cry
That last long day we spent alone
I'm yearning for it yet
She thrilled me, filled me,
with a kind of lovin',
I never will forget, the way she called me sweet daddy"
Twas just a beautiful dream
I hate to think that it's all over I lost my heart it seems
I got so used to her somehow
But I'm no body's baby
Now, gee it's awful when you're lonesome
and get those lovesick blue-oo-oo-oo-oo's
Got the feeling called the "blue hoo's,"
since my sweetie said "Good Bye"
Seems I don't know what to "Do Hoo"
All day long I sit and cry
That last long day we spent alone
I'm yearning for it yet
She thrilled me, filled me,
with a kind of lovin',
I never will forget, the way she called me sweet daddy
Twas just a beautiful dream
I hate to think that it's all over I lost my heart it seems
i got so used to her somehow
But I'm no body's baby
Now, gee it's awful when you're lonesome
and get those lovesick blue-oo-oo-oo-oo's
In “Lovesick Blues,” Marty Robbins sings about being lovesick over a girl who doesn't reciprocate his feelings. The song describes his desperation to make her love him, even though she has refused to do so. He reminisces about their past love, that he can’t forget, describing it as a "beautiful dream". However, the reality is that he is lonely and heartbroken after she left, feeling nothing but despair, and getting the "blue hoo's" which just leads him to sit and cry all day long. The lyrics capture the common theme of unrequited love and the heartbreak that goes with it.
The song was originally written by legendary country artist Hank Williams and was first recorded by him in the late 1940s. The song was later covered by many artists before Marty Robbins’s version became one of the most popular. “Lovesick Blues” was a huge hit for Robbins when it was released in 1960, reaching number one on the country charts and number 24 on the pop charts. It became one of his signature songs, and his version is considered a classic.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm in love,
I have strong feelings of affection for someone
I'm in love,
I am deeply infatuated with this person
I'm in love with a girl,
I have romantic feelings specifically for a female
That's what's the matter with me
These strong emotions are causing me trouble or distress in some way
I'm in love,
I am still completely absorbed by my feelings for this person
I'm in love, with a beautiful girl,
This person is attractive to me physically or emotionally
But she don't give a darn about me
Despite my feelings, this person does not reciprocate them
to make her love me I tried,
I have attempted to win her over in various ways
How I sighed and I cried
I have expressed my sadness and frustration at not being able to win her heart
But she just refused
Despite my efforts, this person has not shown me any interest or affection
And ever since she's gone away,
This person has left my life or stopped communicating with me
I've got those lovesick blues
These feelings of unrequited love have caused me emotional pain and sadness
Got the feeling called the "blue hoo's,"
The emotional distress from unrequited love has left me in a state of desperation and despair
since my sweetie said "Good Bye"
These emotions began when this person left or ended the relationship
Seems I don't know what to "Do Hoo"
I feel lost and alone and do not know what actions to take
All day long I sit and cry
I am constantly consumed by sadness and can not stop crying
That last long day we spent alone
I am reminiscing about our last moment together
I'm yearning for it yet
I still long for that time together even though it has passed
She thrilled me, filled me, with a kind of lovin', I never will forget, the way she called me sweet daddy
This person made me feel alive and happy in a way that I will never forget, specifically using a term of endearment towards me
Twas just a beautiful dream
Those memories feel like a distant, yet beautiful, dream
I hate to think that it's all over I lost my heart it seems
I feel like I have lost an important part of myself due to this relationship ending
i got so used to her somehow
The presence of this person became such a routine part of my life
But I'm no body's baby
I am no longer in a relationship and do not feel loved by anyone
Now, gee it's awful when you're lonesome and get those lovesick blue-oo-oo-oo-oo's
The emotions of loneliness and unrequited love are making me feel terrible
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Cliff Friend, Irving Mills
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!