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.
Not So Long Ago
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was young and acted foolishly
Broke her heart, caused us to part
Once upon a time
Unconcerned, I let her slip away
In my sorrow, now I curse the day
I broke her heart, caused us to part
Once upon a time, I must confess
In my reach was complete happiness
Didn't know that I was really livin'
Once upon a time
Now another kisses her goodnight
She was mine, and would be mine tonight
If I'd only done a little givin'
Once upon a time
Once upon a time,
I laughed, the night, she said, this is the end
Made her cry in front of all her friends
Acted smart, and broke her heart
Once upon a time
I remember what I told the crowd
Let her go, I even yelled it loud
I talked a lot, and lost a lot
Once upon a time
Gone forever, never to return
Is the love that once so brightly burned
I remember once upon a time
How much I used to brag
Like so many little grains of sand
I let her slip through my foolish hands
And before I knew it, love had turned
From riches back to rags
Once upon a time she was my love.
In Marty Robbins's song Not So Long Ago, the singer reflects on a past love who he had once taken for granted. The lyrics are filled with regret as he acknowledges his foolish behavior that caused them to part ways. He laments on how he didn't appreciate what he had with her at the time and how he wishes he could go back and do things differently.
The first verse sets the stage for the rest of the song with the singer acknowledging his past mistakes. He describes how he acted foolishly and broke her heart. In the second verse, he reveals how he let her slip away and how he now regrets it. He paints a picture of his own sorrow and how he curses the day that caused them to part ways.
The chorus of the song is where the title, "Once Upon a Time", is introduced. It describes a time when he was truly happy and didn't even realize it. He wishes he could go back to that moment in time and do things differently. The final verse is where his regret culminates in his realization that their love is gone forever. He acknowledges that he messed up and wishes he had done things differently.
Line by Line Meaning
Not so long ago, she cared for me
A short while ago, the person being referred to was shown love and care by another person.
I was young and acted foolishly
During that time, the recipient of the care was young and made poor decisions, lacking maturity and wisdom.
Broke her heart, caused us to part
Their actions harmed the woman emotionally, causing the relationship to become untenable.
Once upon a time
This idiom suggests reminiscence of a past era or period.
Unconcerned, I let her slip away
The recipient did not show much concern or caring for the woman during the relationship, which caused her to leave.
In my sorrow, now I curse the day
The recipient experiences regret about the choices they made and expresses it with sadness.
Once upon a time
This idiom is repeated as a reminder of earlier, happier times in the relationship.
Once upon a time, I must confess
The recipient expresses the need to confess something related to a particular point in time in the relationship that was personally happy.
In my reach was complete happiness
At this time in the relationship, the person believed they had found true, complete happiness with the woman in question.
Didn't know that I was really livin'
There is a sense of realization that they only now realize what life was like back then when they were young and filled with love.
Once upon a time
This idiom is repeated again to emphasize the aforementioned realization.
Now another kisses her goodnight
In the present, another man is with the woman and shares an intimate moment with her.
She was mine, and would be mine tonight
If the recipient had done things differently in the past, the woman in question would still be with them at present.
If I'd only done a little givin'
The person realizes they could have done more to make the relationship work reinforcing the belief that they could still be together.
Once upon a time
At this point, the refrain is used to remind the listener of how things were in the past, and how things could have been different if the recipient had acted differently.
Once upon a time, I laughed, the night, she said, this is the end
The recipient remembers laughing when the woman in question said the relationship was not going to last suggesting they viewed it more light-heartedly than she did.
Made her cry in front of all her friends
Their laughter belittled her accusations that the end was coming making her cry and feel ashamed in front of others.
Acted smart, and broke her heart
The laughing and belittling may have been an attempt to dodge her leaving in an attempt for the recipient to stay in control of the relationship, resulting in breaking her heart.
Once upon a time
The phrase is used again to show a time far in the past, adding a layer of nostalgia and regret to the song.
I remember what I told the crowd
The recipient recalls what they said aloud to their friends, potentially feeling embarrassed about it at present.
Let her go, I even yelled it loud
The recipient actively pushed the woman away, yelling loudly for her to leave and not allowing the relationship to continue.
I talked a lot, and lost a lot
Their own confidence and bravado put them in a position where they lost something very valuable.
Once upon a time
The common phrase is used again to refer back to how great things were before.
Gone forever, never to return
The recipient acknowledges the relationship is beyond repair and cannot be fixed.
Is the love that once so brightly burned
The love was intense, passionate and full of life, but it faded away due to poor decision making.
I remember once upon a time
The refrain is used again to highlight the lost times of the past.
How much I used to brag
The recipient speaks of how much they boasted and talked about the love and attraction they had in the past when things were good comparing it to their current state.
Like so many little grains of sand
The recipient is making a point about something so small and important being lost, leaving them as helpless as sand being blown away by the wind.
I let her slip through my foolish hands
The recipient knows mistakes were made that resulted in such an important part of their life slipping through their fingers.
And before I knew it, love had turned
The recipient was unaware that love can turn on a dime and that there was not enough time to fix anything once it happened.
From riches back to rags
The love they shared, which was once rich and fulfilling, has now been reduced to rags, lacking the life and meaning it once gave them.
Once upon a time she was my love.
The lyrics conclude by reiterating how wonderful the time was when they were in love, and how much they regret losing it in the way they did.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARTY ROBBINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Primrose Haran
simply fantastic love this song from marty the greatest singer ever
Eddie Swewney
Love this song song so much 🍀
Zane Starr
Thought I had heard all his songs, but not this one, so even now it is so good to hear the best country/western/ & love songs singer there ever was or sadly will be.
tarquin45
Thanks for the perceptive comment jbrandiwine. This is one of my alltime favorite Marty ballads and was one of the first of his songs I posted. I couln't believe that I was so lazy as to use the same photo all the way through though.
Eddie Swewney
My favourite of marty songs
Maureen Zaman
What a song. What a voice.
Eddie Sweeney
Love this song