Big Iron
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About
Big Iron is a Wild West-themed song by Marty Robbins, released in 1959 as part of the album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. The song was featured in the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas and thus became a meme.
Origin
The lyrics of Big Iron tells the story of an Arizona Ranger with a big iron (i.e. a large revolver) who arrives to a town called Agua Fria (Spanish for "cold water") to arrest or kill an outlaw named Texas Red. The two men then duel, and the Ranger shoots Texas Red to death before he can even clear leather (i.e. take his gun out of his holster).
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 looking all around
"He's an outlaw loose and running" came the whisper from each lip
"And he's here to do some business with the 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 talking, made it plain to folks around
Was an Arizona Ranger, wouldn't be too long in town
He came here to take an outlaw back alive, or maybe dead
And he said it didn't matter, he was after Texas Red
After Texas Red
Wasn't long before the story was relayed to Texas Red
But the outlaw didn't worry, men that 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 watching from the windows, everybody held their breath
They knew this handsome Ranger was about to meet his death
'Bout to meet his death
There was forty feet between them when they stopped to make their play
And the swiftness of the Ranger is still talked about today
Texas Red had not cleared leather 'fore 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
It was early in the morning when he rode into the town
He came riding from the south side, slowly looking all around
"He's an outlaw loose and running" came the whisper from each lip
"And he's here to do some business with the 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 talking, made it plain to folks around
Was an Arizona Ranger, wouldn't be too long in town
He came here to take an outlaw back alive, or maybe dead
And he said it didn't matter, he was after Texas Red
After Texas Red
Wasn't long before the story was relayed to Texas Red
But the outlaw didn't worry, men that 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 watching from the windows, everybody held their breath
They knew this handsome Ranger was about to meet his death
'Bout to meet his death
There was forty feet between them when they stopped to make their play
And the swiftness of the Ranger is still talked about today
Texas Red had not cleared leather 'fore 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
Examples
Search interest
western cowboy outlaw duel cowboys western music western song marty robbins fallout new vegas fallout: new vegas ballad
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