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.
Tahitian Boy
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why did I board that sailing ship on Tahiti
I ask man in uniform which way your place
I show people picture of your pretty face
City girl with golden curl now where are you
Tahitian boy follow like you tell him to
Now I stand and call for many times your name
[ guitar ]
Why did you make island boy make mistake
Tomorrow morning sailing ship I must take
Island music and the beach made you talk wrong
I must return to island now where I belong
City girl with golden curl now where are you...
The song "Tahitian Boy" by Marty Robbins tells the story of a boy from the island of Tahiti who traveled to a big city, but has regrets about leaving his home. He doesn't like the city and feels out of place there, and misses a city girl with "golden curls" who he has a picture of. He asks for directions to her home, but she is nowhere to be found. He calls out her name, but realizes that time and distance may have changed her, and he may have made a mistake leaving his island home. He longs to return to the island, where he belongs and where the music and beach make sense to him.
The lyrics in this song illustrate the feelings of homesickness and longing for a familiar place. The boy regrets leaving the beauty of his island home and the simplicity of life there. The city is overwhelming and lonely for him, and despite his efforts to reconnect with the girl he misses, he realizes that he may have lost her forever. The use of guitar music in the song emphasizes the island influences on the boy's culture and shows the contrast between the city's noise and the calmness of the island.
Line by Line Meaning
This big city I don't like it don't like me
I feel uncomfortable and out of place in this urban environment.
Why did I board that sailing ship on Tahiti
I regret leaving Tahiti and wonder why I ever left in the first place.
I ask man in uniform which way your place
I inquire about the whereabouts of the person I am searching for to a uniformed official.
I show people picture of your pretty face
I display a picture of the beautiful person I am searching for to others.
City girl with golden curl now where are you
I am searching for a specific woman from the city who has golden curls.
Tahitian boy follow like you tell him to
I, as a Tahitian boy, am following the instructions of the person I am searching for.
Now I stand and call for many times your name
I repeatedly call out the name of the person I am searching for while standing in one place.
I guess maybe time and distance made you change
I speculate that the person I am searching for may have changed due to the passage of time and the physical distance between us.
Why did you make island boy make mistake
I wonder why the person I am searching for led me to make a mistake as an island boy.
Tomorrow morning sailing ship I must take
I have to depart on a sailing ship the next morning.
Island music and the beach made you talk wrong
I believe that the laid-back island lifestyle caused the person I am searching for to mislead me.
I must return to island now where I belong
I feel that I belong on the island and must return there immediately.
City girl with golden curl now where are you...
I continue to search for the woman from the city with golden curls.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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!