The Greatest Oldies Music

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Marty Robbins – El Paso

Marty Robbins - Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

About the Song

In the realm of country music, Marty Robbins stands as a true legend, his deep, resonant voice and captivating storytelling weaving tales of love, loss, and the American frontier. Among his many enduring hits, “El Paso” holds a special place, a hauntingly beautiful ballad that encapsulates the essence of the Wild West and the complexities of human emotion.

Released in 1959, “El Paso” transports listeners to the dusty streets of a West Texas town, where a love story unfolds amidst a backdrop of danger and regret. The song’s opening lines, “Out in the West Texas town of El Paso,” set the stage for a tale of star-crossed lovers, a cowboy and a Mexican maiden named Feleena.

Robbins’ storytelling prowess shines through as he narrates the cowboy’s infatuation with Feleena, their stolen moments amidst the lively cantina, and the growing tension that simmers beneath the surface. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a world where love and danger intertwine, where passion can lead to both joy and heartbreak.

The song takes a dramatic turn with the arrival of a “wild young cowboy,” a stranger who captures Feleena’s attention. In a fit of jealousy and anger, the protagonist challenges the stranger, a confrontation that ends in a tragic duel. The haunting line, “Just for a moment I stood there in silence,” captures the shock and remorse that grip the cowboy as he realizes the gravity of his actions.

“El Paso” is more than just a love story; it’s a meditation on the consequences of our actions and the power of redemption. The cowboy, haunted by his guilt, flees El Paso, seeking solace in the vast expanse of the desert. The lyrics, “Back in El Paso my life would be worthless,” reflect his realization that he can never escape the weight of his past.

Years pass, and the cowboy’s longing for Feleena draws him back to El Paso. Despite the danger, he returns, driven by an irresistible need for closure. He finds Feleena still at Rosa’s Cantina, and their reunion is filled with a mixture of love and regret.

The song’s climax arrives as the cowboy makes his final decision. He chooses to face his past, accepting the consequences of his actions. The final lines, “And at last here I am on the hill over overlooking El Paso,” convey a sense of acceptance and peace, as the cowboy prepares to meet his fate.

“El Paso” is a timeless classic, a song that has captivated listeners for generations. Its enduring popularity lies in its ability to capture the universal themes of love, loss, redemption, and the human desire for connection. Robbins’ masterful storytelling and poignant lyrics transport listeners to a bygone era, while the song’s emotional resonance remains as relevant today as ever.Marty Robbins CD: Marty Robbins - Rocks (CD) - Bear Family Records

Video 

Lyrics: El Paso 

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl
Nighttime would find me in Rosa’s cantina
Music would play and Felina would whirlBlacker than night were the eyes of Felina
Wicked and evil while casting a spell
My love was deep for this Mexican maiden
I was in love but in vain, I could tellOne night a wild young cowboy came in
Wild as the West Texas wind
Dashing and daring, a drink he was sharing
With wicked Felina, the girl that I lovedSo in anger I
Challenged his right for the love of this maiden
Down went his hand for the gun that he wore
My challenge was answered in less than a heartbeat
The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floorJust for a moment I stood there in silence
Shocked by the foul evil deed I had done
Many thoughts raced through my mind as I stood there
I had but one chance and that was to run

Out through the back door of Rosa’s I ran
Out where the horses were tied
I caught a good one, it looked like it could run
Up on its back and away I did ride

Just as fast as I
Could from the West Texas town of El Paso
Out to the badlands of New Mexico

Back in El Paso my life would be worthless
Everything’s gone in life; nothing is left
It’s been so long since I’ve seen the young maiden
My love is stronger than my fear of death

I saddled up and away I did go
Riding alone in the dark
Maybe tomorrow, a bullet may find me
Tonight nothing’s worse than this pain in my heart

And at last here I
Am on the hill overlooking El Paso
I can see Rosa’s cantina below
My love is strong and it pushes me onward
Down off the hill to Felina I go

Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys
Off to my left ride a dozen or more
Shouting and shooting, I can’t let them catch me
I have to make it to Rosa’s back door

Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel
A deep burning pain in my side
Though I am trying to stay in the saddle
I’m getting weary, unable to ride

But my love for
Felina is strong and I rise where I’ve fallen
Though I am weary I can’t stop to rest
I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle
I feel the bullet go deep in my chest

From out of nowhere Felina has found me
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side
Cradled by two loving arms that I’ll die for
One little kiss and Felina, goodbye

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HE WAS 70, STRUGGLING TO STAND, AND THE INDUSTRY HAD ALREADY WRITTEN HIM OFF — UNTIL HE COVERED A TRACK BY A ROCK STAR HALF HIS AGE AND BROKE THE WORLD’S HEART. By 2002, Johnny Cash was a man surviving on memories. He had outlived most of his peers. His record label of nearly three decades had abandoned him. His health was a wreckage of diabetes, pneumonia, and failing nerves. There were moments in the recording booth when his producer, Rick Rubin, could hear the literal sound of a voice breaking. Then Rubin presented him with a raw, industrial rock song about the depths of depression and self-harm. Cash made one simple change — replacing a profane lyric with “crown of thorns” — and transformed a young man’s angst into his own final testament. The music video was shot inside his shuttered museum in Nashville, a place crumbling under the weight of dust and silence. June Carter was there, looking at him with an expression of profound, tragic realization. She would be gone in three months. He would follow her just four months later. When the original songwriter finally saw the footage alone one morning, he broke down. He later admitted that the song no longer belonged to him. The video went on to win a Grammy and was hailed by critics as the greatest music video ever filmed. It has been streamed hundreds of millions of times since. But its true power isn’t in the numbers or the awards. It continues to haunt us two decades later because it is the sound of a man who has stopped running from the end — a man who sat down in the fading light and finally told the absolute truth.

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THEY CLAIMED HE WAS KILLING COUNTRY MUSIC… Throughout the 1970s, the Nashville establishment treated Waylon Jennings like an outcast. Radio programmers blacklisted his tracks. Studio executives labeled him “unmanageable.” The word on Music Row was unanimous: “His career is finished.” He refused to conform. He traded the traditional rhinestones for worn leather and let his hair grow wild. He looked the industry giants in the eye and rejected their polished, manufactured sound. Even his inner circle was terrified, telling him: “You’re committing professional suicide.” His contract was on the line. The press had already drafted his career’s obituary. But the reality was far different… Waylon wasn’t the enemy of country music. He was its savior. He demanded the impossible: the right to pick his own music, his own musicians, and his own production—a level of control no artist had ever achieved. That defiance sparked the Outlaw Movement and redefined the soul of the genre. Against all odds, “Wanted! The Outlaws” became the first album in country history to ever go platinum. Sometimes the man they brand a traitor… is the only one brave enough to lead the way. Would you have the courage to gamble everything just to stay true to yourself?

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HE WAS 70, STRUGGLING TO STAND, AND THE INDUSTRY HAD ALREADY WRITTEN HIM OFF — UNTIL HE COVERED A TRACK BY A ROCK STAR HALF HIS AGE AND BROKE THE WORLD’S HEART. By 2002, Johnny Cash was a man surviving on memories. He had outlived most of his peers. His record label of nearly three decades had abandoned him. His health was a wreckage of diabetes, pneumonia, and failing nerves. There were moments in the recording booth when his producer, Rick Rubin, could hear the literal sound of a voice breaking. Then Rubin presented him with a raw, industrial rock song about the depths of depression and self-harm. Cash made one simple change — replacing a profane lyric with “crown of thorns” — and transformed a young man’s angst into his own final testament. The music video was shot inside his shuttered museum in Nashville, a place crumbling under the weight of dust and silence. June Carter was there, looking at him with an expression of profound, tragic realization. She would be gone in three months. He would follow her just four months later. When the original songwriter finally saw the footage alone one morning, he broke down. He later admitted that the song no longer belonged to him. The video went on to win a Grammy and was hailed by critics as the greatest music video ever filmed. It has been streamed hundreds of millions of times since. But its true power isn’t in the numbers or the awards. It continues to haunt us two decades later because it is the sound of a man who has stopped running from the end — a man who sat down in the fading light and finally told the absolute truth.

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