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.
Rainbow at Midnight
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw a rainbow at midnight out on the ocean blue
The stars in heaven were shining the moon gave its light from above
I saw your face in this rainbow and it made me think of our love
We'll build our home in the country and make all our dreams come true
There we will make a heaven sweetheart just for we two
[Steel]
Here we will live so happy and have a baby or two
We'll name them after the rainbow because it reminds me of you
After this life is over and our journey here is through
We'll move to the land of the rainbow and live in the stary blue
In "Rainbow at Midnight," a song by Marty Robbins, the singer returns home from war to his sweetheart. On his journey home, he sees a rainbow at midnight while out on the ocean, which reminds him of his love. He envisions building a home in the country with his sweetheart and living a happy life together. They plan to start a family and name their children after the rainbow as a reminder of their love. When their time comes to leave this world, they will move to the land of the rainbow and live happily ever after in the stary blue.
The imagery of a rainbow at midnight seems to be a representation of hope and beauty in dark times. The singer is coming home from war, which would have been a difficult and trying time for him. The rainbow at midnight represents a beacon of hope and a reminder that even in the darkness, there can still be light and beauty. The lyrics also speak to the power of love to bring joy and meaning to life.
Line by Line Meaning
After the war was over I was coming home to you
When the war ended, I was returning to you
I saw a rainbow at midnight out on the ocean blue
I spotted a rainbow at midnight on the blue ocean
The stars in heaven were shining the moon gave its light from above
The stars were twinkling in the sky while the moon illuminated from above
I saw your face in this rainbow and it made me think of our love
As I looked at the rainbow, I saw your face and it reminded me of our love
We'll build our home in the country and make all our dreams come true
We'll construct our abode in the countryside and fulfill all our aspirations
There we will make a heaven sweetheart just for we two
That is where we will make our own paradise, my dear, just for the two of us
Here we will live so happy and have a baby or two
We'll live joyfully here and have one or two babies
We'll name them after the rainbow because it reminds me of you
We'll name them after the rainbow since it brings thoughts of you to mind
After this life is over and our journey here is through
When we leave this life and our journey is through
We'll move to the land of the rainbow and live in the stary blue
We'll relocate to the land of the rainbow and dwell in the starry blue
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: LOST JOHN MILLER
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!