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 Strawberry Roan
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out of a job, not earnin' a dime
A feller steps up and he said, "I suppose
You're a bronc fighter from looks of your clothes"
"you figures me right, I'm a good one" I claim
"do you happen to have any bad ones to tame?"
Said "he's got one, a bad one to buck
At throwin' good riders, he's had lots of luck"
I gets all het up and I ask what he pays
To ride this old nag for a couple of days
He offered me ten; I said, "I'm your man
A bronc never lived that I couldn't span"
He said: "get your saddle, I'll give you a chance"
In his buckboard we hopped and he drives to the ranch
I stayed 'til mornin' and right after chuck
I stepped out to see if this outlaw can buck
Down in the horse corral standin' alone
Is an old caballo, a strawberry roan
His legs are all spavined, he's got pigeon toes
Little pig eyes and a big roman nose
Little pin ears that touched at the tip
A big 44 brand was on his left hip
U-necked and old, with a long, lower jaw
I could see with one eye, he's a regular outlaw
I gets the blinds on 'im and it sure is a fright
Next comes the saddle and I screws it down tight
Then I steps on 'im and I raises the blinds
Get outta the way boys, he's gonna unwind
He sure is a frog-walker, he heaves a big sigh
He only lacks wings, for to be on the fly
He turns his old belly right up to the sun
He sure is a sun-fishin', son-of-a-gun
He's about the worst bucker I've seen on the range
He'll turn on a nickel and give you some change
He hits on all fours and goes up on high
Leaves me a spinnin' up there in the sky
I turns over twice and I comes back to earth
I lights in a cussin' the day of his birth
I know there are ponies that I cannot ride
There's some of them left, they haven't all died
I'll bet all my money, the man ain't alive
That'll stay with old strawberry
When he makes his high dive
Marty Robbins's song The Strawberry Roan tells the story of a skilled bronc fighter in search of work. He is approached by a man who offers him a job riding a notorious outlaw horse. The bronc fighter accepts the job and heads to the ranch with the man. When he arrives, he sees a strawberry roan horse standing in the corral that he is tasked to ride. The horse has an intimidating appearance, but the bronc fighter accepts the challenge. He manages to get the saddle on the horse and mounts it, but the horse proves to be extremely difficult to ride. The horse bucks and spins, finally throwing the bronc fighter off twice. Despite his failure, the bronc fighter is left in awe of the horse's abilities and promises to keep trying to ride it.
The lyrics of The Strawberry Roan are a metaphor for the human struggle to conquer the unconquerable. The horse represents life's difficulties and challenges, and the bronc fighter represents the human spirit. No matter how difficult the challenge, the human spirit will keep trying. The song highlights the resilience and determination of the human spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
I was hangin' 'round town, just spendin' my time
I was idle and without a job
Out of a job, not earnin' a dime
I was unemployed and not earning any money
A feller steps up and he said, "I suppose
You're a bronc fighter from looks of your clothes"
A man approaches me and assumes I am a rodeo performer based on my attire
"you figures me right, I'm a good one" I claim
"do you happen to have any bad ones to tame?"
I confirm his assumption and inquire about challenging tough horses to ride
Said "he's got one, a bad one to buck
At throwin' good riders, he's had lots of luck"
He informs me of a notorious horse that has successfully thrown off many skilled riders
I gets all het up and I ask what he pays
To ride this old nag for a couple of days
I become excited and ask about the pay for riding that difficult horse for a few days
He offered me ten; I said, "I'm your man
A bronc never lived that I couldn't span"
He offers me ten dollars, and I confidently accept the challenge saying that there is no horse I cannot ride
He said: "get your saddle, I'll give you a chance"
In his buckboard we hopped and he drives to the ranch
He instructs me to retrieve my saddle and takes me to the ranch in his wagon
I stayed 'til mornin' and right after chuck
I stepped out to see if this outlaw can buck
I spend the night at the ranch, and wake up the next morning to ride the horse that I had agreed to ride
Down in the horse corral standin' alone
Is an old caballo, a strawberry roan
In the corral, there is a lonely old horse, a strawberry roan
His legs are all spavined, he's got pigeon toes
Little pig eyes and a big roman nose
The horse has deformed legs, narrow and turned inward, small eyes, and a big prominent roman nose
Little pin ears that touched at the tip
A big 44 brand was on his left hip
The horse has small ears that are pointy on the tips and also bears a large branding of the number 44 on his left hip
U-necked and old, with a long, lower jaw
I could see with one eye, he's a regular outlaw
The horse had an old fashioned appearance, a long jaw, and a short neck. It was clear that he was a challenging horse to ride
I gets the blinds on 'im and it sure is a fright
Next comes the saddle and I screws it down tight
I blindfold the horse and then saddle it tightly
Then I steps on 'im and I raises the blinds
Get outta the way boys, he's gonna unwind
I prepare to ride the horse as I take off the blindfold, and warn others to be careful as he may buck
He sure is a frog-walker, he heaves a big sigh
He only lacks wings, for to be on the fly
The horse has an unusual gait and is breathing heavily like a frog. His bucking is almost like flying
He turns his old belly right up to the sun
He sure is a sun-fishin', son-of-a-gun
The horse bucks so hard that his belly is exposed to the sun loathing around trying to throw his rider
He's about the worst bucker I've seen on the range
He'll turn on a nickel and give you some change
The horse is one of the toughest ones to ride, as he can turn on a dime and kick even harder than expected
He hits on all fours and goes up on high
Leaves me a spinnin' up there in the sky
The horse bucks so fiercely that it throws me off and I go spinning high up in the air
I turns over twice and I comes back to earth
I lights in a cussin' the day of his birth
After the fall, I come back down to the ground and curse the day the horse was born for being so hard to tame
I know there are ponies that I cannot ride
There's some of them left, they haven't all died
I acknowledge that even I, a good rider, won't be able to ride every horse out there, confiding that there are still some difficult ones left unsaddled
I'll bet all my money, the man ain't alive
That'll stay with old strawberry
When he makes his high dive
I bet that no one has stayed on that horse, claiming them as the best bridle that never rode old strawberry.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CURLEY FLETCHER, FRED HOWARD, NATHANIEL H. VINCENT
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!