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.
You Gave Me A Mountain
Marty Robbins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My mother died giving me life
Despised and disliked by my father
Blamed for the loss of his wife
You know Lord I've been to a prison
For something that I'd never done
It's been one hill after another
And I've climbed them Lord, one by one
But this time you gave me a mountain
A mountain I may never climb
It isn't a hill any longer
You gave me a mountain this time
My woman got tired of the hardships
Tired of the grief and the strife
Tired of working for nothing
Tired of being my wife
She took my one ray of sunshine
She took my pride and my joy
She took my reason for living
She took my small baby boy
And this time you gave me a mountain
A mountain I may never climb
It isn't a hill any longer
You gave me a mountain this time
Marty Robbins's song You Gave Me a Mountain is a poignant portrayal of a man's continual struggles and heartache. The song tells the story of an individual born in the harsh desert land, who has faced a lifetime of uphill battles. From the loss of his mother, who died during his birth, to being disliked by his father and blamed for his mother's death, his life has been nothing short of a series of tragedies. The man has even been to prison for something he hadn't done. Despite all this, he has managed to bravely climb each hill, one by one. However, when he thought he couldn't handle anything worse, life throws another challenge his way. His wife gets tired of the hardships, and takes away his baby boy, the one thing that brought him joy and purpose in life. This time, the challenge is too much, as he finds himself staring at a mountain that may never be climbed.
The song speaks to the human condition and the struggles that all of us face at various points in our lives. It highlights the importance of perseverance and hope in the face of adversity, even if what lies ahead seems insurmountable. The lyrics reflect the difficulty and the feelings of despair that come when a person feels they have reached their limit, and yet life still has more challenges to offer. The song speaks to the universal human experience of loss, pain, and the desire to keep going in the hope of finding happiness once again.
Line by Line Meaning
Born in the heat of the desert
I was born in a harsh and challenging place.
My mother died giving me life
Although I was given life, my mother passed away in the process.
Despised and disliked by my father
My father harbored negative feelings towards me and did not show me love and care.
Blamed for the loss of his wife
My father held me responsible for my mother's death.
You know Lord I've been to a prison
I have been wrongly convicted and punished in the past.
For something that I'd never done
I was punished for a crime I did not commit.
It's been one hill after another
My life has been full of challenges and struggles, one after the other.
And I've climbed them Lord, one by one
Despite the difficulties, I persevered and overcame each one with the help of God.
But this time you gave me a mountain
This challenge is much greater and more daunting than anything I have faced before.
A mountain I may never climb
This struggle may be too great for me to overcome.
It isn't a hill any longer
This is not just another minor obstacle in my life.
You gave me a mountain this time
God has given me a difficult challenge that I may not be able to conquer on my own.
My woman got tired of the hardships
My wife became exhausted with the difficulties we were facing.
Tired of the grief and the strife
She was worn out from the pain and struggles that had become a constant part of our lives.
Tired of working for nothing
She was fatigued from the lack of progress and reward despite her hard work.
Tired of being my wife
She could no longer continue to be my partner and share in the difficulties that we faced.
She took my one ray of sunshine
She took away the one thing that brought me joy and light in my life.
She took my pride and my joy
She took away my sense of self-worth and happiness.
She took my reason for living
She took away the very thing that gave meaning and purpose to my life.
She took my small baby boy
She took away my child, the only family and love left for me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Marty Robbins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
emmett smith
One of the purest voices ever, I never get tired of listening to him sing.
Gene Kline
Marty Robbins will always be known as a classic. Great voice that could move a room to think of better things. RIP Marty you have climbed that mountain this time
1951RKP
Talent like Marty's is unmatched in today's so called country music.
Claire Derickson
*see a couple of my comment above. ALL of you are soooo right !
Doc Holiday
There will never be another
Richard Leath
Never been a better soul singer , Marty was real ,he felt every that he sung, and millions of folks loved it
Claire Derickson
YES he sure did. You can hear it in his songs, he may not os actually exprencied everything he sang about, but his voice, and his personal touch made you feel like he did.
Carolyn J Clark
I'm 81 years old and didn't think music could send chills over me any more! Listening to this did!
Pamela Jordan
70, remember El Paso? Heard it on my radio fell madly in love.❤️❤️
wayne lockwood
These great Singer's knew how to put true feelings in their Songs big time and sound so real too, Amen.