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.
Tall Handsome Stranger
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With fire in his eyes burning red as sundown
His boots were all dusty, his coat open wide
Six ways of dying hung low on his side
He went in the town hall asking for me
They told him that I was still town deputy
I sent him to prison to pay for his crime
He spread word around town that my time had come
My notch was already carved on his gun
He's laughing and braggin and having his fun
It's all a show for he knows I won't run
That night in silence the town was asleep
I sat by my window and looked down the street
I wished in my heart that he would just ride away
I hated to face him next sunup that day
I met him at sunup, the crowd gathered round
Waitin and watching for one to go down
He grabbed for his six gun, tryin his best
He cursed as my bullet went deep in his chest
He stood there a moment and looked all around
Slowly and lifeless he fell to the ground
The stranger's my brother, born an outlaw
He must have forgotton I taught him to draw
The whole town was waiting and I was alone
The blood that I spilled was just like my own
When she hears this story, how Mother will cry
Brother 'gainst brother and one had to die
To die
To die
The song "Tall Handsome Stranger" by Marty Robbins tells the story of a lawman, who is confronted by his own brother, who is an outlaw. A tall stranger enters town with a menacing look, and everyone knew something was going to happen. The stranger had a vendetta against the lawman, and the lawman knew it too, so he put his brother in jail, for killing a man. The stranger was angry and wanted to get even, so he pursued a plan of revenge. The stranger spread rumors that he was going to kill the lawman and tells everyone that the lawman's name is already carved on his gun. But the lawman is no coward, and he knows he can't back down.
When the sun comes up, the lawman and the tall stranger face each other in the middle of the street, and the crowd gathers around them. The stranger makes a grab for his gun and tries his best to kill the lawman. The two men have a showdown, and the lawman shoots him first, and his brother falls to the ground. The lawman learns that the tall stranger was his brother, who he had taught to fire a gun. The whole town watches as a brother kills a brother, and the lawman is left alone with the guilt and regret of what he has just done.
In short, "Tall Handsome Stranger" by Marty Robbins tackles the themes of family bonds, betrayal, and revenge. The song depicts the consequences of a life of crime and the painful choice that ultimately led to fratricide.
Line by Line Meaning
A tall handsome stranger rode into town
A good-looking stranger came into town
With fire in his eyes burning red as sundown
He had a fierce look on his face
His boots were all dusty, his coat open wide
His clothes were worn and open
Six ways of dying hung low on his side
He had six guns on his belt
He went in the town hall asking for me
He asked for me in the town hall
They told him that I was still town deputy
They said I was still the deputy
I sent him to prison to pay for his crime
I put him in jail for killing someone
He killed a guard on the Sante Fe line
He killed a guard on a train
He spread word around town that my time had come
He told everyone that he was going to kill me
My notch was already carved on his gun
He already marked his gun with my name
He's laughing and braggin and having his fun
He was joking and boasting
It's all a show for he knows I won't run
He was putting on an act because he knew I wouldn't run away
That night in silence the town was asleep
The town was quiet and asleep that night
I sat by my window and looked down the street
I sat by my window and looked out at the street
I wished in my heart that he would just ride away
I wished he would leave town
I hated to face him next sunup that day
I didn't want to fight him the next day
I met him at sunup, the crowd gathered round
I met him the next day with a crowd watching
Waitin and watching for one to go down
Everyone was waiting to see who would die
He grabbed for his six gun, tryin his best
He tried to grab his gun quickly
He cursed as my bullet went deep in his chest
He swore as I shot him in the chest
He stood there a moment and looked all around
He paused and looked around
Slowly and lifeless he fell to the ground
He fell to the ground and died
The stranger's my brother, born an outlaw
The stranger was my outlaw brother
He must have forgotton I taught him to draw
He must have forgotten that I taught him how to use a gun
The whole town was waiting and I was alone
Everyone was watching, but I was alone in my thoughts
The blood that I spilled was just like my own
The blood I shed was the same as my brother's
When she hears this story, how Mother will cry
My mother will be sad when she hears about this
Brother 'gainst brother and one had to die
Two brothers fought and one died
To die
To die
To die
To die
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HENRY DORROUGH
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!