Favorite Big Songs: Big Iron (#3)

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Here's hoping we don't end up in Kansas after the severe weather predictions for today. Just in case, I'll go ahead and give you my next song on the list of favorites with "big" in the title. Here's today's song. #3: Big Iron - Marty Robbins Earlier in his "Where Am I" series @JohnRoberts used Marty Robbins' classic "El Paso" and said that it "plays like a B movie western story told in dramatic fashion." Well, welcome to the next reel of the B movie. In fact, when Steve Goodman performed this on WNEW (a show that was released as The Easter Tapes), he said, "You can hear the (movie) credits on this one if you listen closely." Okay, so Marty Robbins had a flair for the dramatic western movie theme in his songs. But it may be mocked today because you just don't hear songs this finely detailed anymore. Keeping with the theme of the album, Robbins told of a showdown between an Arizona ranger and an outlaw named Texas Red. And, given that this is from "the old days," you know the lawman is going to win and the bad guy is going to lose. The video linked below shows Clint Eastwood, but seriously, you see John Wayne as you listen to this song. And a magnificent song it is. Big Iron Written by Marty Robbins Recorded by Marty Robbins From Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, 1959 The swiftness of the ranger is still talked about today: