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.
Queen Of The Big Rodeo
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A story that's hard to be told
Of a trick ridin' cowgril we loved and we called
The queen of the big roder
Wherever she went she was always acclaimed
As the greatest of trick ridin' girls
Perfection and beauty were her's all alone
Cowboys and cowgirls remarked of her charm
And a smile that brightened the world
Admired and chosen by many a man
As the best of the trick ridin' girls
One night in Houston the crowd was so big
There was forty-five thousand or more
She had just about finished her act for the night
One more trick the crowd waited for
A dangerous trick at the horse's full speed
A trick that had never been tried
Cowboys and cowgirls both knew if she failed
If she fell she could easily die
The ride was perfection and almost complete
Suddenly somethin' went wrong
The sinch gave away and she lost control
And at full speed she fell to the ground
Not one muscle moved as she lay where she fell
She's unconscious, one bronc buster said
But the doctor removed any doubt from our minds
When he said, the young cowgirl was dead
Not one livin' soul in the crowd made a move
They all knew that somethin' was wrong
As they took her away from the place where she lay
They knew the young cowgirl was gone
Cowboys just stood there with hats in their hands
Their heads were bowed ever so low
Not one eye was dry as we whispered, goodbye
To the queen of the big rodeo
"Queen of the Big Rodeo" by Marty Robbins tells the story of an exceptional trick riding cowgirl who was admired and loved by all. The cowgirl was celebrated throughout America for her perfection and beauty. She was known by cowboys and cowgirls alike for her charm and smile that brightened the world. One day, during her performance, she attempted a dangerous trick at the horse's full speed, which had never been tried before. Unfortunately, something went wrong, the sinch gave away, and she fell off the horse at full speed. The fall was fatal, and she passed away on the spot.
The song is a tribute to this cowgirl who dared to attempt something new and risky. It also highlights the dangers that come with participating in rodeos and trick riding. Even the best and most skilled performers can fall and lose their lives.
In conclusion, "Queen of the Big Rodeo" is a song that honors a cowgirl whose talent was unmatched. The song highlights the perils of rodeo life and trick riding, where the risks involved are ever-present.
Line by Line Meaning
Gather 'round cowboys I'll tell you a tale
Listen up cowboys, I'm going to tell you a story
A story that's hard to be told
This is a heart-wrenching story
Of a trick ridin' cowgril we loved and we called
This is a story of a beloved trick-riding cowgirl
The queen of the big roder
She was hailed as the best of the best in rodeo
Wherever she went she was always acclaimed
She was always praised and celebrated wherever she went
As the greatest of trick ridin' girls
She was widely regarded as the best trick rider among all women
Perfection and beauty were her's all alone
She was a picture of perfection and beauty, unmatched by anyone else
She was strickly the best in the world
She was widely recognized as the absolute best in the world at trick riding
Cowboys and cowgirls remarked of her charm
Fellow cowboys and cowgirls noticed and admired her charm and personality
And a smile that brightened the world
She was known for her warm smile that brightened up everyone's day
Admired and chosen by many a man
She was admired by many and a lot of men wanted to be with her
As the best of the trick ridin' girls
She was considered the best among all the women who were trick riders
One night in Houston the crowd was so big
In one particular event in Houston, the crowd was huge
There was forty-five thousand or more
There were at least 45,000 people in attendance, if not more
She had just about finished her act for the night
The cowgirl's performance was about to conclude for the night
One more trick the crowd waited for
The audience was eagerly waiting for her to perform one last trick
A dangerous trick at the horse's full speed
The trick was highly dangerous and she attempted it while riding the horse at full speed
A trick that had never been tried
This particular trick had never been attempted before
Cowboys and cowgirls both knew if she failed
Everyone present knew that if she failed to perform the trick, there could be dire consequences
If she fell she could easily die
The likelihood of her dying if the trick didn't go as planned was extremely high
The ride was perfection and almost complete
She had almost completed the trick with perfection
Suddenly somethin' went wrong
Suddenly something went wrong.
The sinch gave away and she lost control
The strap of her saddle gave way and she lost her balance
And at full speed she fell to the ground
She fell from a great height, traveling at a high speed
Not one muscle moved as she lay where she fell
She was motionless and didn't move a muscle where she fell
She's unconscious, one bronc buster said
Someone who was skilled with bucking horses declared that she was unconscious
But the doctor removed any doubt from our minds
The doctor confirmed that she had passed away, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind
When he said, the young cowgirl was dead
The doctor stated that the young cowgirl had died
Not one livin' soul in the crowd made a move
The entire crowd was so shocked and stunned that nobody moved a muscle
They all knew that somethin' was wrong
The sudden silence in the air made it clear that something very bad had happened
As they took her away from the place where she lay
As the authorities moved in to take her away from the scene
They knew the young cowgirl was gone
Everyone knew that the young cowgirl had passed away
Cowboys just stood there with hats in their hands
The cowboys could only stand there, hands hanging down, unable to do anything
Their heads were bowed ever so low
They hung their heads low in grief and respect
Not one eye was dry as we whispered, goodbye
As they bid farewell to the queen of rodeo with a heavy heart, everyone was crying
To the queen of the big rodeo
A tribute to the cowgirl who was the queen of the biggest rodeo events of all
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!