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.
Old Red
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've seen at the big rodeo
He'd bite you and kick you and stomp out your life
Old Red had never been rode
Meaner than sin, wild as the wind
That blew on the Montana plain
Old Red was one of the last of his breed
From Idaho a young cowboy came
To ride in the big rodeo
The young cowboy's name was Billy McClain
And Billy had never been thrown
The greatest desire filling young Billy's heart
To ride this old outlaw called Red
He drew him one day and I heard Billy say
"I'll ride him or drop over dead"
Old Red was wicked down there in the chute
He was kicking and stomping about
Billy climbed in to the saddle with ease
Then yelled "Turn him loose, let us out"
Old Red came out with his head on the ground
His back hooves were touching his nose
Tryin' to get rid of the man on his back
But the man went wherever he'd go
Billy was rakin' Old Red with his spurs
From his tail to the tip of his chin
He was doin' right well, but Billy could tell
This outlaw would never give in
Old Red was runnin' straight for the fence
Suddenly stoppin' and then
He reared on his hind legs and fell on his back
Takin' poor Billy with him
There was a hush in the crowd and they knew
This would be Billy's last ride
The saddle horn crushed Billy's chest when they fell
And under Old Red Billy died
Old Red lay still, no more would he move
The cowboys that seen it could tell
In tryin' to throw Billy off of his back
Old Red broke his neck when he fell
Out in the West is the place where they rest
This cowboy that never was thrown
And one foot away restin' there 'neath the clay
Is the outlaw that never was rode
The song "Old Red" by Marty Robbins tells the story of a feisty and hard to handle rodeo bull named Old Red. The singer describes Old Red as one of the last of his breed and completely untamed. A young cowboy by the name of Billy McClain comes all the way from Idaho to participate in the big rodeo and fulfill his desire to ride Old Red, the most difficult bull around. Despite the danger, Billy is determined to ride Old Red or die trying. In the end, Billy's determination leads to his own demise, as Old Red throws him off his back and crushes him with his own saddle horn.
The song captures the thrill and danger of the rodeo, as well as the intense rivalry between cowboys and bulls. The lyrics also convey the contrast between the wild, untamed nature of the bulls and the determination and fearlessness of the cowboys who try to ride them. The tragic ending of the song underscores the danger inherent in the sport of rodeo, as well as the reverence and respect that is often shown to the brave individuals who participate in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Old Red was one of the orneriest yet
Old Red was an extremely ill-tempered bull, unlike any other
I've seen at the big rodeo
I personally witnessed Old Red's behavior at the rodeo
He'd bite you and kick you and stomp out your life
Old Red was known to viciously attack and kill anyone who tried to ride him
Old Red had never been rode
Despite many attempts, no one had ever successfully ridden Old Red
Meaner than sin, wild as the wind
Old Red was an incredibly nasty bull, as unpredictable as the wind on the Montana plain
That blew on the Montana plain
This is a reference to the harsh, unpredictable weather conditions of Montana
Old Red was one of the last of his breed
Old Red was one of the few remaining bulls of his kind at the time
And wasn't about to be tamed
Old Red was considered un-rideable and impossible to train, and he wasn't going to be changed any time soon
From Idaho a young cowboy came
A young cowboy named Billy McClain came from Idaho to try to ride Old Red
To ride in the big rodeo
Billy came to participate in the big rodeo where Old Red was being featured
The young cowboy's name was Billy McClain
This line simply states the name of the young cowboy who was going to try to ride Old Red
And Billy had never been thrown
Billy had never been bucked off of a bull before
The greatest desire filling young Billy's heart
Billy's ultimate goal was to ride Old Red
To ride this old outlaw called Red
Old Red was considered an outlaw, and Billy was determined to be the one who finally rode him
He drew him one day and I heard Billy say
Billy drew Old Red as his bull and said aloud that he would ride him
"I'll ride him or drop over dead"
Billy was so determined to ride Old Red that he was willing to die trying
Old Red was wicked down there in the chute
Old Red was acting aggressively even before Billy got on him
He was kicking and stomping about
Old Red was trying to get rid of Billy even before the ride started
Billy climbed in to the saddle with ease
Billy climbed onto Old Red's back with little difficulty
Then yelled "Turn him loose, let us out"
Billy gave the signal to start the ride
Old Red came out with his head on the ground
Old Red started the ride with his head down, as he tried to buck Billy off
His back hooves were touching his nose
Old Red was bucking so hard that his hooves were almost touching his nose
Tryin' to get rid of the man on his back
Old Red was trying his hardest to buck Billy off
But the man went wherever he'd go
Despite Old Red's best efforts, Billy managed to stay on his back
Billy was rakin' Old Red with his spurs
Billy was using his spurs to try to stay on Old Red's back
From his tail to the tip of his chin
Billy was using his spurs to stay on Old Red's back, from his tail to the tip of his chin
He was doin' right well, but Billy could tell
Although he was doing his best, Billy knew that he couldn't last much longer
This outlaw would never give in
Despite Billy's best efforts, Old Red was still fighting to get him off his back
Old Red was runnin' straight for the fence
Old Red was charging straight at the fence of the rodeo arena
Suddenly stoppin' and then
Old Red came to a sudden stop just before the fence
He reared on his hind legs and fell on his back
Old Red bucked so hard that he reared up on his hind legs and fell backwards, crushing Billy under him
Takin' poor Billy with him
Billy was trapped under Old Red when he fell, and was killed instantly
There was a hush in the crowd and they knew
The crowd at the rodeo knew that something terrible had happened
This would be Billy's last ride
Billy had died during the ride, and this would be his last time participating in a rodeo
The saddle horn crushed Billy's chest when they fell
The saddle horn of Billy's riding saddle crushed his chest when he was thrown from Old Red
And under Old Red Billy died
Billy was killed by Old Red when he fell on top of him
Old Red lay still, no more would he move
Old Red was also dead, having broken his neck when he fell on top of Billy
The cowboys that seen it could tell
The other cowboys at the rodeo could see that both Billy and Old Red were dead
In tryin' to throw Billy off of his back
Old Red had died while trying to buck Billy off his back
Old Red broke his neck when he fell
Old Red had died of a broken neck when he fell backwards onto Billy
Out in the West is the place where they rest
In the Western United States is where cowboys are usually buried after they die
This cowboy that never was thrown
Billy was known for never being bucked off of a bull before, until he rode Old Red
And one foot away restin' there 'neath the clay
Old Red was buried one foot away from Billy, both of them under the dirt
Is the outlaw that never was rode
Old Red had never been successfully ridden before Billy tried to ride him
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!