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.
Oh Virginia
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How many tears since I've walked by your side Virginia
Too many moonlights have come and gone
Too many sunups and too many sundowns
Too many teardrops and too many roses have died
I'm like I was sad like the day we parted
I'm just the same lonely and still broken hearted
Love grows no colder I still feel the same
Life has been empty but I've learned to live it Virginia
Oh Virginia when will I stop loving you will it go on forever
Oh Virginia when will these dreams that I dream of you stop maybe never
How many times when your vision appears
I've tried to hold you and you disappeared
And I find the arms that once held you are empty Virginia
The lyrics of the song Oh Virginia by Marty Robbins convey the emotional struggle of a man who is plagued by memories of his lost love. The opening lines ask how many roses have faded and died since their separation, and also how many tears have been shed since he last walked beside Virginia. The lines that follow, “Too many moonlights have come and gone, too many sunups and too many sundowns, too many teardrops and too many roses have died” suggest that a considerable amount of time has elapsed since their separation, and that the man has experienced a lot of heartache in this time.
The next lines reflect on the current state of the man's emotional condition. He states that he is still sad and broken hearted, and that nothing has changed since their parting. Despite the passage of time, he still loves Virginia with the same passion as before. He concedes that life has been empty without her, but he has learned to live it. The chorus poses two questions to Virginia that reflect the man's uncertainty about whether he will ever stop loving her or whether he will ever stop dreaming about her. In the final lines, the man reaches out for Virginia, only to find that the arms that were once filled by her presence are now empty.
Line by Line Meaning
How many roses have faded and died Virginia
I'm wondering how many beautiful moments of our love have ended and gone, Virginia.
How many tears since I've walked by your side Virginia
My eyes have shed an ocean of tears since the day we parted, Virginia.
Too many moonlights have come and gone
Several full moons have passed since our days together, Virginia.
Too many sunups and too many sundowns
Several sunrises and sunsets have gone by without you, Virginia.
Too many teardrops and too many roses have died
My tears and the flowers I gave you have faded away, Virginia.
I'm like I was sad like the day we parted
I'm as sad today as I was during that heartbreaking day we separated, Virginia.
I'm just the same lonely and still broken hearted
I still feel an intense sense of loneliness and I'm still suffering from a shattered heart, Virginia.
Maybe I'm older but nothing's changed
I may have aged but my love and yearning for you have remained unaltered, Virginia.
Love grows no colder I still feel the same
My love for you hasn't cooled down at all, and I still feel as strongly about you as I did before, Virginia.
Life has been empty but I've learned to live it Virginia
My life has been lacking and devoid of happiness without you, but I've learned to cope with it, Virginia.
Oh Virginia when will I stop loving you will it go on forever
Oh Virginia, when will I let go of this love for you? Will it ever come to an end?
Oh Virginia when will these dreams that I dream of you stop maybe never
Oh Virginia, when will I stop dreaming of you? Perhaps never.
How many times when your vision appears
How many times have I seen you in visions or dreams, Virginia?
I've tried to hold you and you disappeared
Every time I've tried to embrace you, you vanished, Virginia.
And I find the arms that once held you are empty Virginia
The arms that used to hold you now hold nothing but emptiness, Virginia.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARTY ROBBINS
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!