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.
Mango Song
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pick the mango from the tree
Hand the mango down to me
Put the mango in a sack
Put the sack upon my back
Everybody, now come along
Help me sing my mango song
Take the mango to the square
Try to sell the mango there
If I do not sell it, then
Take it back and try again
Everybody, now come along
Help me sing my mango song
Mango
Pickin' mango is mighty hard
Children play in Daddy's yard
Woman work in the kitchen
Cooking meals and patching britches
Everybody, now come along
Help me sing my mango song
Mango
See the woman walking by
See her basket sitting high
Basket high on woman head
Did you hear what the woman said
Everybody, now come along
Help me sing my mango song
Mango
The lyrics of Marty Robbins's "Mango Song" describe the process of picking and selling mangoes. The singer asks for the mango to be picked from the tree and handed down to them. They then put the mango into a sack and carry it on their back to the square to try and sell it. If they don't sell it, they try again. The song goes on to describe the difficulties of picking mangoes and the different roles of men, women, and children in this process. It ends with the singer seeing a woman with a basket of mangoes and asking for others to help sing their "Mango Song."
At its core, "Mango Song" is a celebration of the simple joys of life. The upbeat tempo and catchy melody of the song reflect the excitement of the singer at the prospect of picking and selling mangoes. The repetition of the word "mango" throughout the song also emphasizes the simplicity and beauty of this fruit.
Line by Line Meaning
Pick the mango from the tree
Harvest the mango fruit from the tree
Hand the mango down to me
Pass the mango fruit over to me
Put the mango in a sack
Store the mango fruit in a bag for transportation
Put the sack upon my back
Carry the bag containing the mango fruit on my back
Everybody, now come along
Everyone around, join in this activity
Help me sing my mango song
Sing with me joyfully as we go about picking mangos
Take the mango to the square
Proceed to the market to sell the mangoes
Try to sell the mango there
Attempt to exchange the mango fruits for money
If I do not sell it, then
In case we don't find buyers for the mango fruits,
Take it back and try again
Return with the unsold mangoes and repeat the selling process
Pickin' mango is mighty hard
Choosing mango fruits to be harvested is challenging
Children play in Daddy's yard
Kids are playing around their father's property
Woman work in the kitchen
Women are engaging in household chores within the kitchen area
Cooking meals and patching britches
Fixing the family's clothing while preparing meals
See the woman walking by
Notice the lady who's passing by
See her basket sitting high
Spot the basket held up high on her head
Basket high on woman head
A basket placed on top of a lady's head to carry things
Did you hear what the woman said
Did you listen to what the lady was saying
Everybody, now come along
Come with me, everyone around
Help me sing my mango song
Join the fun song about mangoes that we're singing
Contributed by Samantha H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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!