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.
San Angelo
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I rode one day to the cowtown of San Angelo
A hot sun was glowing, a hot breeze was blowing
Still not as warm as the lips that I waited to kiss
She sent a message a long time ago
Secora had promised to meet me in San Angelo
I was aware of the chance I was taking
I must be with her I can't stay away
Nights spent without her are lonely and so are the days
If it means death then I'll have to chance it
Only a few minutes more and she'll be at my side
At ten o' clock in the morning
I tied my horse and I started to walk down the street
Where was Secora, had she forgotten
This was the day and the hour that she wanted to meet
But something is wrong with our plans and I fear death awaits me
Here on this hot dusty street.
Up on a housetop but still I can see
There hides a man with a rifle, it's pointed at me
I might escape from the man with a rifle
But there are others just like him that I cannot see
Back of each window the click of a gun
Die if I stay and my love for her won't let me run
Where is Secora, will my eyes see her
Then in a moment she runs from a door down the street
"Up on your horse", she is crying
"Ride out of town it's a trap and they're waiting for you"
But if I ride out, she must ride with me
Then in a moment I know that our chances are gone
For a bullet is well on its way and it finds my Secora
She cries as she falls in my arms
Over and over her soft lips did say
"Now we're together, I won't let them take you away"
One little sigh, her little lips tremble
Then it was over, Secora had drifted away
Tears dim my vision but plainly I see
The ranger that killed her is standing there waiting for me
I rise to meet him, my one thought it beat him
He deserves death and I swear that this ranger will die
I beat his draw and I shot him
Shot him six times just as fast as the bullets could fly
My gun is empty or more I would shoot him
Now there are others just like him that want me to die
Their bullets are coming my way, how they hurt when they hit me
The pain makes me fall to the ground.
Gone is my strength, just the will left to fight
I hear the sound of the lead as it robs me of life
If I must die, let me find Secora
Let me hold on to her hand for the few moments left
Blindly I search and it isn't in vain
I touch the soft velvet hand and it eases the pain
Life is no more but we're together
Even in death she's my lover,
It's over,
Goodbye
The song San Angelo by Marty Robbins tells a tragic story of a cowboy, who is an outlaw and is in love with a girl named Secora. They have a plan to meet in the cowtown of San Angelo, but things don't work out as expected, and the cowboy finds himself in a trap set up by Rangers who want to capture him. As he roams the streets of San Angelo looking for Secora, he realizes that he is being watched, and there is a man with a rifle waiting to shoot him. He cannot escape as there are others who are ready to shoot him from the back of every window. Eventually, he finds Secora, but as they try to escape, a ranger shoots and kills her. The cowboy takes revenge by killing the ranger but is mortally wounded in the process. His search for Secora ends with him holding her hand, even in death.
The song's lyrics capture the desperation of the cowboy as he tries to find Secora while avoiding getting killed. He is willing to risk his life for his love but eventually loses everything to the Rangers. The tragic ending of the song leaves a poignant message about the price of love and the dangers of living outside the law. The lyrics also evoke the feeling of the wild west era, where life was uncertain and every step could lead to death or glory.
Line by Line Meaning
North of the border of Old Mexico
I set out on a journey towards San Angelo, located north of Mexico.
I rode one day to the cowtown of San Angelo
I arrived in San Angelo after a full day's ride.
A hot sun was glowing, a hot breeze was blowing
The atmosphere was warm, with the sun glowing and the breeze blowing.
Still not as warm as the lips that I waited to kiss
Despite the warm weather, I was eagerly waiting to kiss my beloved's lips.
She sent a message a long time ago
My beloved, Secora had sent me a message earlier.
Secora had promised to meet me in San Angelo
She promised to meet me in San Angelo.
I was aware of the chance I was taking
I knew the risks associated with my visit to San Angelo.
I was an outlaw but great was my love for this girl
I was an outlaw, but my love for Secora overpowered everything else.
I must be with her I can't stay away
I couldn't bear to stay away from Secora.
Nights spent without her are lonely and so are the days
Without her, both nights and days seemed lonely.
If it means death then I'll have to chance it
I was willing to risk my life to be together with Secora.
Only a few minutes more and she'll be at my side
Secora would join me in just a matter of minutes.
At ten o' clock in the morning
It was ten in the morning when I reached San Angelo.
I tied my horse and I started to walk down the street
I tied my horse and started walking down the street towards the meeting spot.
Where was Secora, had she forgotten
I wondered if Secora had forgotten about our meeting.
This was the day and the hour that she wanted to meet
This was the exact day and time when Secora had requested to meet me.
But something is wrong with our plans and I fear death awaits me
I sensed something was wrong with the plans and feared my life was in danger.
Here on this hot dusty street.
I was standing on the hot and dusty street, worried about Secora's absence.
Up on a housetop but still I can see
From a housetop, I saw someone aiming a rifle at me.
There hides a man with a rifle, it's pointed at me
There was a man hiding and aiming a rifle at me.
I might escape from the man with a rifle
I could flee from the man with a rifle.
But there are others just like him that I cannot see
However, there might be other assailants that I wasn't aware of.
Back of each window the click of a gun
I heard the sound of other gun-wielding assailants behind windows.
Die if I stay and my love for her won't let me run
I couldn't run away, even if it meant certain death, due to my love for Secora.
Where is Secora, will my eyes see her
I still hoped to spot Secora somewhere and find her.
Then in a moment she runs from a door down the street
I saw Secora running towards me from a door down the street.
"Up on your horse", she is crying
Secora was crying and urging me to mount my horse and leave town.
"Ride out of town it's a trap and they're waiting for you"
Secora convinced me that there's a trap and attackers were waiting for me in town.
But if I ride out, she must ride with me
Unfortunately, if I flee, I had to take Secora with me.
Then in a moment I know that our chances are gone
I realized our chances of survival were slim.
For a bullet is well on its way and it finds my Secora
Before we could flee, a bullet hit Secora.
She cries as she falls in my arms
As Secora fell into my arms, she was crying.
Over and over her soft lips did say
Secora's dying words were spoken repeatedly by her soft lips.
"Now we're together, I won't let them take you away"
Secora managed to say that we were united, and she wouldn't let anyone take me away.
One little sigh, her little lips tremble
In her final moments, Secora let out a sigh, and her lips trembled.
Then it was over, Secora had drifted away
Secora passed away as her final words echoed.
Tears dim my vision but plainly I see
Unable to bear the agony of Secora's passing, I had tears in my eyes, but I still saw everything clearly.
The ranger that killed her is standing there waiting for me
Soon enough, I saw the ranger who shot Secora, standing there, waiting for me.
I rise to meet him, my one thought it beat him
In a rage, I stood up to face the ranger, and my only thought was to avenge him.
He deserves death and I swear that this ranger will die
I was determined to make the responsible ranger pay the price of his actions.
I beat his draw and I shot him
I was quick to draw my gun and fired at the ranger.
Shot him six times just as fast as the bullets could fly
I kept firing six shots rapidly until the ranger fell dead.
My gun is empty or more I would shoot him
I would have shot the ranger more than six times if my gun wasn't out of bullets.
Now there are others just like him that want me to die
I was aware that other assailants like the ranger wanted me dead as well.
Their bullets are coming my way, how they hurt when they hit me
I could hear the bullets of the assailants approaching, and they hurt every time they hit me.
The pain makes me fall to the ground.
The pain was unbearable, and I fell to the ground.
Gone is my strength, just the will left to fight
I had lost my strength, and all that left was the will to keep fighting.
I hear the sound of the lead as it robs me of life
The sound of the bullets seemed closer than ever before and was taking my life away.
If I must die, let me find Secora
As I faced the prospect of death, I wished to find Secora.
Let me hold on to her hand for the few moments left
I hoped to hold her hand for a few final moments before death.
Blindly I search and it isn't in vain
I searched for Secora blindly, but it was worth it, for I found her.
I touch the soft velvet hand and it eases the pain
As I touched her hand, my pain eased.
Life is no more but we're together
Although we were both dead, we were together.
Even in death she's my lover
Even in death, Secora was my love.
It's over, Goodbye
As the song ends, I bid farewell to Secora and the world.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARTY ROBBINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
cheezychungus
This definitely deserves the zero dislikes, what a classic.
Modern Carlylean
I love marty's music even though I'm not American which goes to show how great his work was.
Broken Spear
Where country music is now is an honest shame. Marty Robbins is the man
Sara Keith
What a beautiful voice from Marty Robbins.
He’s the greatest storyteller/singer ever.
Every time I hear his voice from any song I instantly start to fall in love with his voice.
Especially Abilene Rose because I live in Abilene Texas.
I am a country girl.
Wackaz (Arthur)
This song really makes me feel like there's no need to worry. As long as I have myself, my family, people I love, I'll always be happy. Just like Marty, I'll be a happy ranger: on whatever path I take, I'm alive.
TooManyOnions
Same, it always puts me in a good mood. A great start to the album too
Consolidated Liberator
I will always love MARTY ROBBINS western songs and ballads.
RJ Thompson
Love Love Love that beautiful voice. Great song.
Patrick Ikeda
See a tie between "El Paso", "Feleena" and "El Paso City" in Marty's movie "Ballad of a Gunfighter"
Baying of Foxes
Still one of my favorites. Love the rhythm, the story he's telling...