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Big Iron Lyrics
To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day
Hardly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say,
No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip
The stranger there among them had a big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
It was early in the morning when he rode into the town
He came riding from the south side, slowly lookin' all around
"He's an outlaw loose and runnin'", came a whisper from each lip
"And he's here to do some business with a big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip"
In this town there lived an outlaw by the name of Texas Red
Many men had tried to take him and that many men were dead
He was vicious and a killer, though a youth of twenty four
And the notches on his pistol numbered one and nineteen more,
One and nineteen more
Now the stranger started talkin' made it plain to folks around
Was an Arizonia ranger, wouldn't be too long in town
He was here to take an outlaw back alive or maybe dead
And he said it didn't matter that he was after Texas Red,
After Texas Red
Wasn't long before this story was relayed to Texas Red
But the outlaw didn't worry, men who tried before were dead
Twenty men had tried to take him, twenty men had made a slip,
Twenty one would be the ranger with the big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
The morning passed so quickly, it was time for them to meet
It was twenty past eleven when they walked out in the street
Folks were watchin' from their windows,
Every body held their breath,
They knew this handsome ranger was about to meet his death,
About to meet his death
There was forty feet between them
When they stopped to make their play
And the swiftness of the Ranger still talked about today
Texas Red had not cleared leather when a bullet fairly ripped
And the ranger's aim was deadly, with the big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
It was over in a moment and the folks had gathered 'round
There before them lay the body of the outlaw on the ground
Oh, he might have went on livin' but he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
Big iron, big iron,
When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
Hardly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say,
No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip
The stranger there among them had a big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
He came riding from the south side, slowly lookin' all around
"He's an outlaw loose and runnin'", came a whisper from each lip
"And he's here to do some business with a big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip"
Many men had tried to take him and that many men were dead
He was vicious and a killer, though a youth of twenty four
And the notches on his pistol numbered one and nineteen more,
One and nineteen more
Was an Arizonia ranger, wouldn't be too long in town
He was here to take an outlaw back alive or maybe dead
And he said it didn't matter that he was after Texas Red,
After Texas Red
But the outlaw didn't worry, men who tried before were dead
Twenty men had tried to take him, twenty men had made a slip,
Twenty one would be the ranger with the big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
It was twenty past eleven when they walked out in the street
Folks were watchin' from their windows,
Every body held their breath,
They knew this handsome ranger was about to meet his death,
About to meet his death
When they stopped to make their play
And the swiftness of the Ranger still talked about today
Texas Red had not cleared leather when a bullet fairly ripped
And the ranger's aim was deadly, with the big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
There before them lay the body of the outlaw on the ground
Oh, he might have went on livin' but he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip,
Big iron on his hip
Song Info
Copyright
Lyrics © Bmg Rights Management
Writer
Martin Robinson
Producer
Don Law, Frank Jones
Release date
Sep 15, 1959
Sentiment
Positive
Submitted by
annazoff On Jul 30, 2008
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Is a wonderfully evocative piece of widescreen Western myth-spinning,informed by tales told to the young Robbins by his Texas ranger grandfather.
@annazoff , didn't know his granddad was a Texas Ranger... Thank you for the very interesting piece of information. No wonder Marty was on the right side of things.
@annazoff , didn't know his granddad was a Texas Ranger... Thank you for the very interesting piece of information. No wonder Marty was on the right side of things.
Awesome song, heard it on Fallout: New Vegas. It's really sad that music has gone from songs about justice and pride in officers of the law to what "music" is now- all about "killin' niggas, smackin' hos, and dealing drugs." Paradigm shifts like this happen and people still wonder why America, even more the world at large, is going down the toilet.
@taurip90 that's not what music in 2010 was like at all
@taurip90 that's not what music in 2010 was like at all
@taurip90 , AMEN ! ! !
@taurip90 , AMEN ! ! !
Of all the story songs there are, this one ranks as one of the best. What great lyrics! One of my favorite lines in this song is when he totally describes the gun fight by saying "There was 40 feet between them when they stopped to make their play. And the swiftness of the Ranger is still talked about today." In a million years, I couldn't have come up with something so perfect, so simple, so descriptive, so cool...They are still talking about the Ranger....He uses three main characters in the song...THe Ranger, Texas Red and the townspeople...They are such a part of this song...ANd they are still talking about it today. I think this is one of the best crafted songs EVER!
@bluegrassdude , LOVED your comment, and I totally agree; I couldn't say it better if given 1000 chances.
@bluegrassdude , LOVED your comment, and I totally agree; I couldn't say it better if given 1000 chances.
Check out the cover of this song done by Mike Ness of the band Social Distortion.
I hate Country and Western, but I adore this song.
It's probably because Marty Robbins tends to verge more towards folk than most popular country acts like The Louvin Brothers. I love folk.
Does this song have anything to do with an old west bounty hunter I forgot his name but I know he was a black guy and he was after an escapee (outlaw) who has notches on his gun belt and one day the hunter went into town and his friend saw the guy going into a store,but the outlaw ran out and tried to kill the hunter and the hunter chased him down and lept off his horse and pulled a winchester rifle (a big iron?) and shot the outlaw,and as he approached the outlaw he leaned down and the outlaw gave him his guns and belt.This song sort of reminded me of this story and I'm wondering if the song is related to this event.
@MickeyN1 i do not think so as a big iron is a type of revolver i think and it was a standoff your story is a chase. and the song is fiction so no
@MickeyN1 i do not think so as a big iron is a type of revolver i think and it was a standoff your story is a chase. and the song is fiction so no
@MickeyN1 , you may be thinking of Bass Reeves, but he was a lawman.
@MickeyN1 , you may be thinking of Bass Reeves, but he was a lawman.
i do not know if it is true but many source say his mother was a native and others say she isnt it truly does not matter i am just interested could someone tell me if she was