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.
Many Christmases Ago
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And thay saw a star that shone so bright
And to them the angel's message was told
Many, many Christmases ago
And they heard good tidings of great joy
(And they heard good tidings of great joy)
T'was the birthday of a baby boy
Who was born to save our very souls
Many, many Christmases ago
Come, oh come, and greet the newborn child
Born of mother Mary, so gentle and mild
In our hearts the child is born again
And he offers peace, good will to men
For the message lives, the shepherds were told
Many, many Christmases ago
Let us lay our gifts before the king
(Let us lay our gifts before the king)
And in joyful voices, let us sing
(And in joyful voices, let us sing)
For to us the angel's message is told
As it was so many Christmases ago
Come, oh come, and greet the newborn child
Born of mother Mary, so gentle and mild
Many, many Christmases ago
The song "Many Christmases Ago" by Marty Robbins is a beautiful ballad that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The lyrics describe the scene of the night he was born, where shepherds in the fields saw a bright star shining above them. They received a message from an angel, which brought “good tidings of great joy” that a baby boy was born to save their souls. The birth of Jesus represents the message of peace and good will towards all men, which still lives on today.
The lyrics of the song evoke a sense of wonder and reverence towards the story of the birth of Jesus. The shepherds are depicted as receiving a divine message that led them to the manger where the baby Jesus lay. The lyrics are a poetic reflection of the Christian faith, which sees the birth of Jesus as a transformative moment in human history. The birth of Jesus is a reminder that hope, peace and love can overcome darkness and bring light to the world.
Overall, "Many Christmases Ago" is an emotive and heartfelt song that captures the spirit of Christmas, which is that of love, hope, and kindness. The song is a timeless classic that continues to resonate with people all over the world.
Line by Line Meaning
There were shepherds in the field that night
On that night, there were shepherds in the field.
And thay saw a star that shone so bright
They saw a glowing and radiant star.
And to them the angel's message was told
The message of the angel was conveyed to them.
Many, many Christmases ago
This happened many, many Christmases ago.
And they heard good tidings of great joy
They received wonderful news that brought immense happiness.
T'was the birthday of a baby boy
It was the day a male child was born.
Who was born to save our very souls
He was born to rescue our spirits.
Come, oh come, and greet the newborn child
Let us welcome and say hello to the newborn.
Born of mother Mary, so gentle and mild
He was born of Mary, who was nurturing and kind-hearted.
In our hearts the child is born again
In our hearts, we remember and re-experience his birth.
And he offers peace, good will to men
He brings an opportunity for unity and kindness among humans.
For the message lives, the shepherds were told
The message still thrives, just like the one conveyed to the shepherds.
Let us lay our gifts before the king
We should offer our presents to the king.
And in joyful voices, let us sing
And while rejoicing, we should sing.
As it was so many Christmases ago
As it was a long time ago, but still resonates with us now.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BOB BINKLEY, PHOEBE BINKLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
June Lynn
I LOVE Marty's Christmas album....and this song stands out especially.....simply beautiful 💜
barrygioportmorien1
One of the best Christmas songs ever, it comes from a great Christmas album by Marty.
Tarquin45
When it's a Christmas album, one usually only plays it in December, but I would make an exception for Marty Robbins. Some of Marty's best Christmas offerings were on his album 'Marty Robbins -The Lost Recordings' which featured him singing 'SilverBells', 'Silent Night', 'Blue Christmas' and 'Winter Wonderland' live.
Ingrid Maier
OMG, this is soooo beautiful, my goosebumps have goosebumps. I love Marty since I can think. At the age of eleven I bought my first record and it was Marty´s Devil Woman and ever since then I have collected everything from Marty. But it just "knocked me down" that I have not heard this before and that I don´t have this Christmas Album. Does anybody know where I can get it??
jhtenvelde
Great christmasalbum from the great and wonderful Marty Robbins.May he and his lovely wife Marizona rest in the heavenly peace that God reserved for them and us.
Shirley Lawlor
Another one I haven't heard before ,, just wonderful
David Cheatwood
I grew up with a dad who loved Marty Robbins. We had many of his albums and I can remember seeing tears in dad's eyes on some of his songs, like this one. Dad's been gone since 1984 and now I, at 63 years old still can't help but tear up with the great childhood memories when Iistening to the Christmas album.
Rebecca D
Many Christmases Ago
Marty Robbins.
💓🎼🎵 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Christine Vicker
Fabulous just fabulous merry Xmas Marty May u rest in peace keep entertain them up in heaven us Aussie fans down here won't forgit wot a legend u r
Nathan Weiss
Merry Christmas