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.
Paso City
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A city with a legend, the West Texas city of El Paso
Where long ago I heard a song about a Texas cowboy and a girl
And a little place called Rosa's where he used to go and watch this beauty whirl
I don't recall who sang the song but I recall a story that I heard
And as I look down on this city I remember each and every word
The singer sang about a jealous cowboy and the way he used a gun
El Paso City
By the Rio Grande
The cowboy lived and rode away but love was strong he couldn't stay
He rode back just to die in that El Paso sand
El Paso City
By the Rio Grande
I try not to let you cross my mind but still I find
There's such a mystery in the song that I don't understand
My mind is down there somewhere as I fly above the badlands of New Mexico
I can't explain why I should know the very trail he rode back to El Paso
Can it be that man can disappear from life and live another time
And does the mystery deepen 'cause you think that you yourself lived in that other time
Somewhere in my deepest thoughts familiar scenes and memories unfold
These wild and unexplained emotions that I've had so long, but I have never told
Like everytime I fly up through the heavens and I see you there below
I get the feeling sometime in another world I lived in El Paso
El Paso City
By the Rio Grande
Could it be that I could be the cowboy in the mystery
That died there in that desert sand so long ago
El Paso City
By the Rio Grande
A voice tells me to go and seek, another voice keeps telling me
Maybe death awaits me in El Paso
El Paso City
Marty Robbins's song El Paso City is a nostalgic journey to the past, a tribute to the city of El Paso, Texas, and a classic tale of a cowboy's love and duty. The song opens with the singer describing his aerial view of the city, and how it reminds him of a song he once heard about a cowboy and a girl in a place called Rosa's. He then recalls the story from the song involving a jealous cowboy who kills another cowboy and is forced to flee El Paso. However, love brings him back to the city, where he dies in the desert sands. The singer is drawn to the enigmatic lyrics of the song, which evoke a sense of familiarity and a connection to the past, wondering if perhaps he was the cowboy in a previous life.
The song beautifully captures the spirit of the Old West and the romanticized notion of a cowboy's life. It highlights the enduring appeal of stories of love, tragedy, and adventure set in the vast expanse of the American frontier. The lyrics are heartfelt and evocative, conveying a sense of mystery and intrigue that draws the listener in. Marty Robbins's smooth delivery adds to the charm of the song, and the melody and instrumentation capture the essence of classic country music.
Line by Line Meaning
From thirty thousand feet above the desert floor I see it there below
From high up in the sky, I can see the city of El Paso below me.
A city with a legend, the West Texas city of El Paso
El Paso is a legendary city located in West Texas.
Where long ago I heard a song about a Texas cowboy and a girl
I heard a song about a Texas cowboy and a girl a long time ago in El Paso.
And a little place called Rosa's where he used to go and watch this beauty whirl
The cowboy used to go to Rosa's, a small place, to watch the girl dance.
I don't recall who sang the song but I recall a story that I heard
I can't remember who sang the song, but I remember the story.
And as I look down on this city I remember each and every word
Looking down on El Paso, I still remember every word of the song.
The singer sang about a jealous cowboy and the way he used a gun
The song was about a cowboy who was jealous and used a gun to kill another cowboy.
To kill another cowboy, then he had to leave El Paso on the run
After killing the other cowboy, he had to flee El Paso to escape punishment.
El Paso City
El Paso City
By the Rio Grande
El Paso City is located by the Rio Grande River.
The cowboy lived and rode away but love was strong he couldn't stay
The cowboy was in love, but he had to leave El Paso even though he didn't want to.
He rode back just to die in that El Paso sand
The cowboy returned to El Paso and died there in the sand.
I try not to let you cross my mind but still I find
I try not to think about El Paso, but I can't help it.
There's such a mystery in the song that I don't understand
The song has a mysterious quality that I can't quite comprehend.
My mind is down there somewhere as I fly above the badlands of New Mexico
My thoughts are still in El Paso as I fly over the badlands of New Mexico.
I can't explain why I should know the very trail he rode back to El Paso
I don't know how, but I remember the exact trail the cowboy took when he returned to El Paso.
Can it be that man can disappear from life and live another time
Is it possible for someone to disappear from one life and live another?
And does the mystery deepen 'cause you think that you yourself lived in that other time
Does the mystery become even more profound if you believe that you once lived in that other time?
Somewhere in my deepest thoughts familiar scenes and memories unfold
In my mind, I am experiencing familiar scenes and memories from the past.
These wild and unexplained emotions that I've had so long, but I have never told
I have experienced strong, inexplicable emotions for a long time, but I haven't shared them with anyone.
Like everytime I fly up through the heavens and I see you there below
Every time I fly over El Paso and see it from above, I feel a certain way.
I get the feeling sometime in another world I lived in El Paso
I have a feeling that I lived in El Paso in another life.
Could it be that I could be the cowboy in the mystery
Is it possible that I am the cowboy in the story?
That died there in that desert sand so long ago
The cowboy died in the desert sand a long time ago.
A voice tells me to go and seek, another voice keeps telling me
One voice is urging me to go and search for answers, while another voice is cautioning me against it.
Maybe death awaits me in El Paso
It's possible that something dangerous or deadly is waiting for me in El Paso.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Marty Robbins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@electroplate
From thirty thousand feet above
The desert floor, I see it there below
A city with a legend -
The west Texas city of El Paso
Where long ago I heard a song
About a Texas cowboy and a girl
And a little place called Rosa's
Where he used to go and watch this beauty whirl.
I don't recall who sang the song
But I recall the story that I heard
And as I look down on the city,
I remember each and ev'ry word
The singer sang about a jealous cowboy
And the way he used a gun
To kill another cowboy
Then he had to leave El Paso on the run.
El Paso City, by the Rio Grande
The cowboy lived and rode away
But love was strong he couldn't stay
He rode back just to die in that El Paso sand
El Paso City, by the Rio Grande
I try not to let you cross my mind
But still I find there's just a mystery
In the song that I don't understand.
My mind is down there somewhere
As I fly above the badlands of New Mexico
I can't explain why I should know
The very trail he rode back to El Paso
Can it be that man can disappear
From life and live another time
And does the mystery deepen 'cause you think
That you yourself lived in that other time.
Somewhere in my deepest thoughts
Familar scenes and memories unfold
These wild and unexplained emotions
That I've had so long but I have never told
Like every time I fly up thru the heavens
And I see you there below
I get the feeling sometime
In another world I lived in El Paso.
El Paso City, by the Rio Grande
Could it be that I could be
The cowboy in this mystery
That died there in that desert sand so long ago
El Paso City, by the Rio Grande
A voice tells me to go and see
Another voice keeps tellin' me
Maybe death awaits me in El Paso
@jetsfan7917
This is the most genius thing Ive ever heard. He writes a song about his previous song El Paso 16 years later through the eyes of someone who upon flying over el paso recalls the song but not the singer 😂 and slowly realizes that he is the reincarnation of the protagonist of the original song being called back to el paso to meet his fate once again = mind blown. Much respect for this man's song writing capabilities.
@BenWillock
It's a shame we never got a part 4 to this story 😞
@jamesbuchi6718
it wasnt a coincidence that he wrote a sequel. he believed in his past life he himself was the elpaso cowboy he sung about.
@TheDarthMasterChief
@@jamesbuchi6718 really?
@rickmemmer5625
Very nicely put‼️😀
@jetsfan7917
@@BenWillock About a guy flying over El Paso chatting it up with the Mexican cutie name Felina seated next to him about a plane crash they recall seeing on TV years ago
@williamringo3850
Most of the time when a popular song becomes so popular that another is made of it, and never good as the original, But this is Marty Robbins, and this song is so much better than the original El Paso. I never get tired of hearing it. M. Robbins was the best ever.
@harrywinslow3946
Wait until you hear Faleena!
@fayekicklighter3004
At seventy seven years old l have been a fan for many years. All of Marty's songs touch a special place in my heart. He was a jewel and the best of the best. A pity he is gone. Marty l pray you are singing in heaven now. You are missed. But-we have your lovely music and songs.
@scrateshooter
The guy sang a song about his own song.
Who else can do that?