Big Iron

"Big Iron"
"Big Iron"
	"Big Iron" and "Saddle Tramp" by Marty Robbins
Single by Marty Robbins
from the album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
B-side	"Saddle Tramp"
Released	February 22, 1960
Recorded	April 7, 1959
Studio	Bradley Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Country; Western; Tex-Mex;
Length	3:57
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Marty Robbins
Producer(s)	Don Law
Marty Robbins singles chronology

"Big Iron" is a country ballad song written and performed by Marty Robbins. Originally released as an album track on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959, it was released as a single in February 1960 with the song "Saddle Tramp" as the B-side single.^[2] In 2010, members of the Western Writers of America chose it as the 11th best Western song of all time.^[3]

The song follows the story of an Arizona Ranger's duel with a 24-year-old outlaw named Texas Red. Taking place in the "town of Agua Fria",^[a] the townspeople predict the death of the ranger. Texas Red having already killed 20 men, is beaten in a duel due to the speed of the ranger, and the titular "big iron" gun.

The song reached number 5 on the Billboard Country chart and number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1960.^[4] The B-side, "Saddle Tramp" was not included on Gunfighter Ballads,^[2] but was later placed on Robbins' 1966 LP The Drifter.^[5]

"Big Iron" is featured in the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas on the in-game radio station. The success of the game helped spur a revival of interest in Robbins' music in the 21st century. In the decade following Fallout: New Vegas's release, "Big Iron" became an Internet meme, gaining popularity through remixes and parodies.^[6]

Personnel[edit]

Marty Robbins - lead vocals
The Glaser Brothers - backing vocals
Bob Moore - bass
Grady Martin - lead guitar
Jack H. Pruett - guitar
Louis Dunn - drums
Don Law - production
M.C. Rather - sound mastering
Hollis Flatt - sound mastering

Charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Big Iron"
Chart (1960-1961)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[7]	67
US Billboard Hot 100^[8]	26
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[9]	5

In albums[edit]

Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (September 1959), a compilation, CL 1349 - mono, CS 8158 - stereo, PC 8158
More Greatest Hits (April 1961), CL 1635 - mono, CS 8435 - stereo, PC 8435
Bend in the River (1968), D 445 - mono (Columbia Musical Treasuries), DS 445 - stereo
The Heart of Marty Robbins (1969), STS 2016 (Columbia Star Series)
All Time Greatest Hits (August 1972), CG 31361, KG 31361, C 31361
Marty! (1972 - 5 record set), P5S 5812 (Columbia Musical Treasury)
Streets of Laredo, KH 32286 (Harmony, August 1973), LE 10576 (Columbia, December 1973)
Marty Robbins' Own Favorites (1974), P 12416 (Columbia Special Products)
Marty Robbins Gold (1975), NU 9060 (K-Tel)
All Around Cowboy (1980) P 15594
No. 1 Cowboy (1980), P 15594 (re-release of "All Around Cowboy")
Marty Robbins (1981), GS 4003 (History of Country Music, Sunrise Media)
A Lifetime of Song 1951 - 1982 (August 1983), C2 38870
Memories in Song (1983 - 2 record set), P2 19162 (Columbia Special Product)
The Best Of Marty Robbins (1984), RB4-214-1
The Essential Marty Robbins:1951-1982 (1991), Sony Music Entertainment Inc C2T 48537 CT48538 CT 48539
Marty Robbins Lost and found (1994), Sony Music Entertainment Inc CT 57695
Marty Robbins Memories in Song (1994), Sony Music Special Products Compact Disc A 19163
Marty Robbins Live Concert Versions Of His Greatest Hits (1995), Pickwick Group Ltd London England 300382
Under Western Skies (Oct 1995), Bear Family Records, West Germany 4-CD Box Set BCD 15646
Marty Robbins Legendary Country Singers (1995), Sony Music Special Products R989-06 PT-25142
Story of My Life: Best of Marty Robbins (Mar 1996), Sony Music Entertainment Inc Sony CK 64763

Cover versions[edit]

Michael Martin Murphey covered the song on his 1993 album Cowboy Songs III. With the Robbins family's blessing, the song was recorded as a duet with Robbins. It was released as a single and peaked at number 62 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.^[10]

Other covers of the song include:

Kingfish (1976) by Kingfish
Gun Shot a Cry (1983) by Eek-A-Mouse
Under the Influences (1999) by Mike Ness
Big Iron (2001) by Carol Noonan
Johnny Cash, in American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002). Also included in Unearthed (2003).^[11]
Boltgun (2017) by TheAnarchistMuffin, a parody based on Warhammer 40,000^[12]
Colter Wall in Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs (2020)
Big Mandalorian Iron (2021) by Kirt Connor, a parody based on The Mandalorian^[13]
Big Iron (2023) by The Longest Johns

Notes[edit]

^ It is suggested that the "town of Agua Fria" is Agua Fria, New Mexico; see "Research - Big Iron The Book". Archived from the original on 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2015-05-21.

References[edit]

^ "Marty Robbins – Big Iron". Discogs.com. 22 February 1960. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
^ ^a ^b "Marty Robbins - Big Iron". 45cat.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 533.
^ "The Drifter - Marty Robbins | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
^ Feldman, Brian (2019-02-13). "How the 60-Year-Old Country Song 'Big Iron' Became an Enduring Meme". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
^ "Marty Robbins – {{{song}}}". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
^ "Marty Robbins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
^ "Marty Robbins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
^ "RPM Country Tracks". RPM. December 25, 1993. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
^ "Cover versions of Big Iron by Johnny Cash". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFRa0KZsGhc
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iavdy2qQCrs

[4] It is suggested that the "town of Agua Fria" is Agua Fria, New Mexico; see "Research - Big Iron The Book". Archived from the original on 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2015-05-21.

[1] "Marty Robbins – Big Iron". Discogs.com. 22 February 1960. Retrieved 2017-12-05.

[auto-2] "Marty Robbins - Big Iron". 45cat.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.

[Top100-3] Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.

[5] Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 533.

[6] "The Drifter - Marty Robbins | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 May 2021.

[7] Feldman, Brian (2019-02-13). "How the 60-Year-Old Country Song 'Big Iron' Became an Enduring Meme". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2019-12-27.

[sc_Australia_Marty_Robbins-8] "Marty Robbins – {{{song}}}". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2017-12-05.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Marty_Robbins-9] "Marty Robbins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-05.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Marty_Robbins-10] "Marty Robbins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-05.

[11] "RPM Country Tracks". RPM. December 25, 1993. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2013.

[12] "Cover versions of Big Iron by Johnny Cash". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 26 April 2021.

[13] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFRa0KZsGhc

[14] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iavdy2qQCrs

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v t e Marty Robbins
Albums	The Song of Robbins (1957) Song of the Islands (1958) Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959) More Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1960) Return of the Gunfighter (1963) R.F.D. (1964) The Drifter (1966) Tonight Carmen (1967) I Walk Alone (1968) It's a Sin (1969) My Woman, My Woman, My Wife (1970) Today (1972) This Much a Man (1972) El Paso City (1976) Adios Amigo (1977) The Performer (1979)
Notable singles	"Stairway of Love" "I'll Go On Alone" "I Couldn't Keep from Crying" "That's All Right" "Maybellene" "Singing the Blues" "Knee Deep in the Blues" "A White Sport Coat" "Ain't I Right" "The Story of My Life" "Just Married" "She Was Only Seventeen"* "The Hanging Tree" "El Paso" "Big Iron" "Don't Worry" "Devil Woman" "Ruby Ann" "Begging to You" "Ribbon of Darkness" "Tonight Carmen" "I Walk Alone" "It's a Sin" "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife" "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" "El Paso City" "Among My Souvenirs" "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" "Return to Me" "Some Memories Just Won't Die" "Tie Your Dream to Mine"
Related articles	Discography Jeanne Pruett

v t e Michael Martin Murphey
1970s albums	Geronimo's Cadillac (1972) Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir (1973) Michael Murphey (1974) Blue Sky – Night Thunder (1975) Swans Against the Sun (1976) Flowing Free Forever (1976) Lone Wolf (1978) Peaks, Valleys, Honky Tonks & Alleys (1979)
1980s albums	Hard Country (1981) Michael Martin Murphey (1982) The Heart Never Lies (1983) The Best of Michael Martin Murphey (1984) Tonight We Ride (1986) Americana (1987) River of Time (1988) Land of Enchantment (1989)
1990s albums	Cowboy Songs (1990) Cowboy Christmas: Cowboy Songs II (1991) Cowboy Songs III (1993) Sagebrush Symphony (1995) The Horse Legends (1997) Cowboy Songs Four (1998) Acoustic Christmas Carols: Cowboy Christmas II (1999)
2000s albums	Playing Favorites (2001) Cowboy Classics: Playing Favorites II (2002) Cowboy Christmas III (2002) Live at Billy Bob's Texas (2004) Heartland Cowboy: Cowboy Songs, Vol. 5 (2006) Buckaroo Blue Grass (2009)
2010s albums	Lone Cowboy (2010) Buckaroo Blue Grass II (2010) Tall Grass & Cool Water (2011) Campfire on the Road (2012) Red River Drifter (2013) High Stakes (2016)
Notable singles	"Geronimo's Cadillac" "Wildfire" "Mansion on the Hill" "Cherokee Fiddle" "What's Forever For" "Still Taking Chances" "Love Affairs" "Don't Count the Rainy Days" "Will It Be Love by Morning" "Disenchanted" "Radio Land" "What She Wants" "Carolina in the Pines" "Rollin' Nowhere" "Fiddlin' Man" "A Face in the Crowd" (with Holly Dunn) "A Long Line of Love" "I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl" "Talkin' to the Wrong Man" (with Ryan Murphey) "Pilgrims on the Way (Matthew's Song)" "From the Word Go" "Never Givin' Up on Love" "Route 66" "Big Iron"
Related articles	Discography Ryan Murphey Rio Grande Band Pat Flynn