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.
Making Excuses
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makin' excuses to my heart
I'm usin' alibis to cover up for all those lies
You've been tellin' me right from the start
Makin' excuses for the times you let me down
I guess I learned a lot from you
Makin' excuses every time you came around
Now that you're gone I find
That I can't keep an open mind
So I'm makin' excuses to my heart
Makin' excuses for the times you let me down
I guess I learned a lot from you
Makin' excuses every time you came around
That's all you knew how to do
Now that you're gone I find
That I can't keep an open mind
So I'm makin' excuses to my heart
In “Making Excuses,” Marty Robbins is reflecting on a rocky relationship that has come to an end. As the song opens, he admits to making excuses since his partner left him. He explains that he is making excuses to his heart, as he tries to justify the lies that he has told himself and the role that he played in the souring of the relationship. Rather than facing the truth, he is creating excuses that only serve to prolong his own pain.
Robbins goes further to suggest that his partner played a part in his own downfall. He accuses them of letting him down and creating a pattern of excuses that he mimicked. By reflecting on this pattern, he is admitting that he allowed the relationship to become toxic by failing to address problems directly.
In the final verse, Robbins realizes that he has not been able to move on from the relationship and that he is still creating excuses. He acknowledges his closed-mindedness and inability to confront the truth, and admits that he's lost without his partner. Ultimately, the song is a meditation on the human tendency to create stories that justify our actions and the difficulty of coming to terms with the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been makin' excuses ever since you went away
I have been using various reasons and justifications since the time you left me.
Makin' excuses to my heart
I am not being honest to myself and making up reasons to justify your actions.
I'm usin' alibis to cover up for all those lies
I am fabricating reasons to hide the fact that you lied to me.
You've been tellin' me right from the start
You have been confessing your lies from the very beginning.
Makin' excuses for the times you let me down
I'm coming up with excuses to cope with the moments when you disappointed me.
I guess I learned a lot from you
I learned how to make excuses from you.
Makin' excuses every time you came around
I made excuses to explain your actions every time you visited me.
That's all you knew how to do
You relied on making excuses as your only way of dealing with situations.
Now that you're gone I find
Now that you left, I realize.
That I can't keep an open mind
That I can't accept new ideas and perspectives.
So I'm makin' excuses to my heart
So, I'm still trying to justify your actions to myself, even though you're gone.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maj-Brith H
Great as all his recordings!
MrHenry2001
Great singer. Too bad he isn’t alive today. I’d want to go see him if he was alive and touring in Moline, IL. The good ones leave too soon. Even though I was born way after his time, I still enjoy his music. RIP Marty. You’re one of my favorite singers.
MrMajros
So great ! Love it, thanks !!!
Shirley Lawlor
Just wonderful. .. can listen for hours
Anthony Seiler
I have this album and it is a great album,of course it is a Marty Robbins album.
Primrose Haran
simply brilliant marty thanks he is the best
Noel Conroy
Fantastic great singer Marty
Irene Mccann
Good old Marty, he was the best.
Shirley Lawlor
Just beautiful can listen for hours
Irene Mccann
One of the best Marty Jim Reeves Merl Haggard Lefty Frizzell and of course the fabulous Hank Williams.