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.
Prairie Fire
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Headin' east at Broken Bow one hot September day
Tryin' to get to Omaha we hoped to find a buyer
We never counted in the odds of a western prairie fire
A hot south wind was blowin' and the air was gettin' dry
Somethin' far away was spellin' trouble in the sky
Comin' closer was a sound that topped the devil's choir
When all at once a flame is seen a lickin' at the sky
And every heart is quicker and there's fear in every eye
We'd just one chance to get away for there's no place to hide
Gotta reach the river Platte one inch deep and one mile wide
The herd is gettin' tired but we've got no time to rest
I try to clear the red dust that is gatherin' in my chest
From ridin' tail on a thousand head with the weather gettin' dry
The black cloud in the west is warning ride ride ride
The roarin' heat is closer ashes fallin' by our side
And every breeze is burnin' singin' with its warnin' cry
We've got to reach the river but it's still ten miles or more
And close behind us we can hear that wind infernal roar
But fate had other plans for we lost that fatal race
We lost for neither man nor beast could long keep up the pace
The mighty Platte subdued its rage but none were there to rest
We did our best to get away but only I am left
Now on the blackened prairie far as the eye can see
The grim remains are there to show that God rules you and me
Just one he left to tell the tale just one was his desire
We lost our herd and thirty men to a raging prairie fire
The lyrics to Marty Robbins's song "Prairie Fire" tell the story of a cattle drive that is interrupted by a dangerous prairie fire. The singer, likely a cowboy or ranch hand, is driving a herd of cattle east towards Omaha, hoping to find a buyer. However, a hot south wind begins blowing and the air becomes dry. The cattle drive starts to feel the effects of a prairie fire that is approaching quickly. The narrative builds tension as the fire grows closer and the cowboys race to try and outrun it.
The lyrics are evocative of a Western spirit of determination and survival in the face of dangerous natural phenomena. The cowboys are depicted as having a deep knowledge and respect for the land, but they are ultimately at the mercy of its unpredictability. The imagery of the prairie fire is powerful, reflecting the power and danger inherent in nature.
Line by Line Meaning
While drivin' a herd of cattle out in old Nebraska way
While transporting a herd of cattle through Nebraska
Headin' east at Broken Bow one hot September day
Traveling east through Broken Bow on a hot day in September
Tryin' to get to Omaha we hoped to find a buyer
Attempting to reach Omaha to sell the cattle
We never counted in the odds of a western prairie fire
We did not anticipate the possibility of a prairie fire
A hot south wind was blowin' and the air was gettin' dry
A hot wind was blowing from the south, drying out the air
Somethin' far away was spellin' trouble in the sky
Something in the sky indicated trouble far away
Comin' closer was a sound that topped the devil's choir
A frightening sound was growing closer, surpassing even a devilish choir
Then we knew we had to race a raging prairie fire
We realized we had to outrun a destructive prairie fire
When all at once a flame is seen a lickin' at the sky
All of a sudden, a flame was spotted rising high in the sky
And every heart is quicker and there's fear in every eye
Everyone's heart was pounding, and fear was in their eyes
We'd just one chance to get away for there's no place to hide
We only had one opportunity to escape since there was nowhere to hide
Gotta reach the river Platte one inch deep and one mile wide
Our only hope was to reach the Platte River, which was one mile wide and had a depth of one inch
The herd is gettin' tired but we've got no time to rest
The cattle were exhausted, but we had no time to stop and rest
I try to clear the red dust that is gatherin' in my chest
I attempted to clear the red dust that was collecting in my chest
From ridin' tail on a thousand head with the weather gettin' dry
I was riding at the rear of 1,000 cattle as the weather was getting drier
The black cloud in the west is warning ride ride ride
The ominous black cloud in the west was a warning to ride as fast as we could
The roarin' heat is closer ashes fallin' by our side
The intense heat was drawing near, and ashes were falling all around us
And every breeze is burnin' singin' with its warnin' cry
Every gust of wind felt scorching and seemed to echo a warning sound
We've got to reach the river but it's still ten miles or more
Our goal was to reach the river, but it was still at least ten miles away
And close behind us we can hear that wind infernal roar
The terrible sound of the wind was following us closely
But fate had other plans for we lost that fatal race
Unfortunately, fate had different plans, and we lost the race against the fire
We lost for neither man nor beast could long keep up the pace
We lost because neither humans nor animals could keep up the pace required to outrun the fire
The mighty Platte subdued its rage but none were there to rest
The Platte River finally calmed down, but there was no rest for anyone
We did our best to get away but only I am left
Everyone did their best to escape, but only I survived
Now on the blackened prairie far as the eye can see
The once-green prairie is now black and charred as far as the eye can see
The grim remains are there to show that God rules you and me
The tragic remains remind us that God is in control of our lives
Just one he left to tell the tale just one was his desire
God spared only one person to share the story of what had happened
We lost our herd and thirty men to a raging prairie fire
We lost not only the cattle we were transporting but also thirty men in the destructive prairie fire
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOE T. BABCOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CroatianExTc
While drivin' a herd of cattle out in old Nebraska way
Headin' east at Broken Bow one hot September day
Tryin' to get to Omaha we hoped to find a buyer
We never counted in the odds of a western prairie fire
A hot south wind was blowin' and the air was gettin' dry
Somethin' far away was spellin' trouble in the sky
Comin' closer was a sound that topped the devil's choir
Then we knew we had to race a raging prairie fire
When all at once a flame is seen a lickin' at the sky
And every heart is quicker and there's fear in every eye
We'd just one chance to get away for there's no place to hide
Gotta reach the river Platte one inch deep and one mile wide
The herd is gettin' tired but we've got no time to rest
I try to clear the red dust that is gatherin' in my chest
From ridin' tail on a thousand head with the weather gettin' dry
The black cloud in the west is warning ride ride ride
The roarin' heat is closer ashes fallin' by our side
And every breeze is burnin' singin' with its warnin' cry
We've got to reach the river but it's still ten miles or more
And close behind us we can hear that wind infernal roar
But fate had other plans for we lost that fatal race
We lost for neither man nor beast could long keep up the pace
The mighty Platte subdued its rage but none were there to rest
We did our best to get away but only I am left
Now on the blackened prairie far as the eye can see
The grim remains are there to show that God rules you and me
Just one he left to tell the tale just one was his desire
We lost our herd and thirty men to a raging prairie fire
Curt Lewis
"Prairie Fire"
While drivin' a herd of cattle out in old Nebraska way
Headin' east at Broken Bow on a hot September day
Tryin' to get to Omaha we hoped to find a buyer
We never counted in the odds of a western prairie fire
A hot south wind was blowin' and the air was gettin' dry
Somethin' far away was spellin' trouble in the sky
Comin' closer was a sound that topped the devil's choir
Then we knew we'd have to race a raging prairie fire
When all at once a flame is seen a lickin' at the sky
And every heart is quickened and there's fear in every eye
We'd just one chance to get away for there's no place to hide
Gotta reach the river Platte one inch deep and one mile wide
The herd is gettin' tired but we've got no time to rest
I try to clear the red dust that is gatherin' in my chest
From ridin' tail on a thousand head with the weather gettin' dry
The black cloud in the west is warning ride ride ride
The roarin' heat is closer ashes fallin' by our side
And every beast and bird is fleein' with its warnin' cry
We've got to reach the river but it's still ten miles or more
And close behind us we can hear that wild infernal roar
But fate had other plans for we lost that fatal race
We lost for neither man nor beast could long keep up the pace
The mighty Platte subdued its rage but none were there to rest
We did our best to get away but only I am left
Now on the blackened prairie far as the eye can see
The grim remains are there to show that God rules you and me
Just one He left to tell the tale just one was His desire
We lost our herd and thirty men to a raging prairie fire
CroatianExTc
While drivin' a herd of cattle out in old Nebraska way
Headin' east at Broken Bow one hot September day
Tryin' to get to Omaha we hoped to find a buyer
We never counted in the odds of a western prairie fire
A hot south wind was blowin' and the air was gettin' dry
Somethin' far away was spellin' trouble in the sky
Comin' closer was a sound that topped the devil's choir
Then we knew we had to race a raging prairie fire
When all at once a flame is seen a lickin' at the sky
And every heart is quicker and there's fear in every eye
We'd just one chance to get away for there's no place to hide
Gotta reach the river Platte one inch deep and one mile wide
The herd is gettin' tired but we've got no time to rest
I try to clear the red dust that is gatherin' in my chest
From ridin' tail on a thousand head with the weather gettin' dry
The black cloud in the west is warning ride ride ride
The roarin' heat is closer ashes fallin' by our side
And every breeze is burnin' singin' with its warnin' cry
We've got to reach the river but it's still ten miles or more
And close behind us we can hear that wind infernal roar
But fate had other plans for we lost that fatal race
We lost for neither man nor beast could long keep up the pace
The mighty Platte subdued its rage but none were there to rest
We did our best to get away but only I am left
Now on the blackened prairie far as the eye can see
The grim remains are there to show that God rules you and me
Just one he left to tell the tale just one was his desire
We lost our herd and thirty men to a raging prairie fire
Killua Zoldyck
"Close behind us we can hear that wild inferno roar"
Curt Lewis
Viole Grace Wow! Good catch! That one slipped right past me
Brayden Wasserman
Hvala!
Curt Lewis
Good job with the lyrics! But just a couple of corrections, if I may. In the 5th verse, second line, it should read: "...and every beast and bird is fleeing with its warnin' cry..." And in the 3rd verse, the line is "...every heart is quickened..." In other words, their hearts are brought to life -- beating faster -- as the danger of the Cowboys' situation becomes clear
santiago Hernandez
CroatianExTc this dude got bars
Mr.Potato Head
the bass line matches the galloping of horses and that's all i picture when listening to this song
Emma Schulman
The beginning reminds of the song in cars 3 when they're racing on the dirt track when they met rusty
noaaah
@Fenix Macarius Cornett that's a bit rude dont you think?
Fenix Macarius Cornett
Thank you, Captain Obvious.... Oh excuse it’s Mr Potato Head. Sorry you look a lot like Captain Obvious.
Thank you, Mr Potato Head.