Big Iron by Marty Robbins

Album: Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959)

Charted: 48 26

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Songfacts®:

This was one of a quartet of tunes penned by Robbins for his homage album to the Old West, Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. They were informed by tales told to the young Robbins by his Texas ranger grandfather. This evocative slice of Western myth-spinning tells the story of an Arizona Ranger's duel with an outlaw named Texas Red. This song title refers to the gun the Ranger carried and was inspired by one Robbins saw in Andy Anderson's famed North Hollywood gun shop in the late 1950s.

Comments: 6

Aaron from Austin TexasWant to see Big Iron turned into a short film? Check out our Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bigironmovie/big-iron-short-film
Benny from Mojave WastlandTruth is the game was rigged from the start
Dirtman216 from Arizonathis song is about Joseph pearce who was an arizona ranger. I have personally heard the tape of Marty Robbins interviewing him and his wife so he could write the song
Alan from Imperial Beach, Cahonestly surprised at the lack of New Vegas references on this page. I know I certainly am not old enough to have heard the song when it first came out, so Fallout New Vegas was really the first place I heard it. Really great song.
Jack Jeremy Running gun and big iron are the same song from different perspectives running gun says “20 notches on my six gun marked the lessons I have learned” big iron said “the notches on his pistol numbered one to nineteen more” and both songs state that his gun was still in leather as the bullet entered Texas red
Jennifur Sun from RamonaAm curious if Mary knew how to handle a gun. Also where he got that outfit he wore on the cover of this LP.

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