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.
The Hanging Tree
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I brought with me a memory
And I seemed to hear the night winds cry
Go hang your dreams on the hanging tree
Your dreams of love that will never be
Hang your faded dreams on the hanging tree.
I searched for gold, and I found my gold
And I found a girl who loved just me
and I wished that I could love her, too
But I left my heart on the hanging tree,
Left my heart with a memory
And my faded dreams on the hanging tree.
Now there were men who craved my gold
And meant to take my gold from me
Where man is gone he needs no gold
So they carried me to the hanging tree
To join my dreams and a memory
Yes, they carried me to the hanging tree.
To really live you must almost die
And it happened just that way with me
They took my gold and set me free
And I walked away from the hanging tree
I walked away from the hanging tree
And my own true love, she walked with me.
That's when I knew that the hanging tree
Is the tree of life, new life for me
The tree of hope, new hope for me,
The tree of love, new love for me,
The hanging tree'the hanging tree'the hanging tree.
The lyrics to Marty Robbins's "The Hanging Tree" tell a story of a man who comes to town to search for gold and brings with him a memory. He hears the night winds cry to go hang his dreams on the hanging tree, dreams of love that will never be. Despite finding his gold and a girl who loves him, he is unable to love her back as his heart remains on the hanging tree, together with his faded dreams.
Following this, some men who desire his gold plan to take it from him and take him to the hanging tree. The man realizes that to truly live, one must almost die, and they take his gold and set him free. He walks away from the hanging tree with his true love, realizing that the hanging tree is the tree of life, hope, and new love.
The hanging tree symbolizes not just a place of death but also hope and new life. For the man, it represents a turning point in his life where he moves on from his past and is ready to embrace new beginnings.
Line by Line Meaning
I came to town to search for gold
I arrived in this town with the intention of finding gold.
And I brought with me a memory
I carried a memory with me as I arrived in search of gold.
And I seemed to hear the night winds cry
I heard the sound of the night winds as I arrived in this town.
Go hang your dreams on the hanging tree
Place your dreams on the hanging tree.
Your dreams of love that will never be
Your dreams of finding love that will never come true
Hang your faded dreams on the hanging tree.
Hang your old and worn-out dreams on the same tree.
I searched for gold, and I found my gold
I was successful in my search for gold.
And I found a girl who loved just me
I met a girl who loved me unconditionally.
and I wished that I could love her, too
Although she loved me, I wished that I could reciprocate her love.
But I left my heart on the hanging tree,
I left my heart and emotions behind on that same hanging tree.
Left my heart with a memory
Left my heart with the memory of the hanging tree.
And my faded dreams on the hanging tree.
I also left my faded dreams on the same hanging tree.
Now there were men who craved my gold
There were some men who were after my gold.
And meant to take my gold from me
They were determined to steal my gold from me.
Where man is gone he needs no gold
Once a person dies, they no longer have any need for material possessions like gold.
So they carried me to the hanging tree
They took me to the hanging tree with the intent to kill me.
To join my dreams and a memory
Where my current dreams could join the existing memories on that same tree.
Yes, they carried me to the hanging tree.
They did take me to the hanging tree for sure.
To really live you must almost die
To living life to the fullest, you have to come close to death at times.
And it happened just that way with me
That is precisely what happened with me.
They took my gold and set me free
They took my gold and decided to let me live.
And I walked away from the hanging tree
I walked away from the tree that nearly took my life.
I walked away from the hanging tree
I walked away with my life intact.
And my own true love, she walked with me.
My one true love also walked away with me from that tree.
That's when I knew that the hanging tree
I realised that the hanging tree had a more significant meaning to me.
Is the tree of life, new life for me
It symbolizes a new start in my life.
The tree of hope, new hope for me,
It means that I now have renewed hope in my life.
The tree of love, new love for me,
It also symbolizes new love in my life.
The hanging tree'the hanging tree'the hanging tree.
The Hanging Tree symbolizes multiple aspects of my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Mack David, Jerry Livingston
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!