Big Iron

[redlevel]

Was driving home from work tonite, listening to my favorite
classic country station. Just before I got home, they played
Marty Robbins' "Big Iron," one of my top ten all-time favorites
of any genre. I had a weird thought: suppose that song was
recorded today. Would the line "Texas Red had not cleared
leather . . . . . " be sung as "Texas Red had not cleared Kydex,"
or "Texas Red had not cleared nylon" . . . . . ?

 

[Lee Barner]

one of my favorites too. hear it time to time on Willie's Roadhouse on XM radio channel 58. lee

 

[carpriver]

WHAT?????.

 

[amazingflapjack]

I saw a broadcast of Marty and Merle Haggard together. Merle could sing Marty Robbins, and you couldn't tell them apart!

 

[RobertJ.]

And the title might have been, "Big Nine"!

It's been one of my favorites since I was little.

 

[Birdgun]

...and what would be said about "a bullet fairly ripped"???

 

[snuffy51]

He darn sure didn't sing "Big Plastic on my hip". I had a '62 Impala SS with a 45 record player mounted under the dash and a bunch of good records. They were all country cause in 65 years I've never been accused of being cool. Totaled it out in early '70 and had "Waitin' In Your Welfare Line" playing on it. Buck Owens- His tenth #1 single-1966.

 

[Bajadoc]

Now a days, Texas Red would be back on the street before the brave Ranger finished the paperwork. His crimes would be plea bargained to misdemeanors with time served. And he would file a complaint. Sad but almost true.

 

[jag312]

We needed to have this posted.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGmUsJvRv7U[/ame]

 

[DoubleAdobe]

A real neat thing about this is the Ranger was an Arizona Ranger. They were a serious bunch of lawmen, and some had previously been Texas Rangers.

 

[shouldazagged]

...I had a weird thought: suppose that song was
recorded today. Would the line "Texas Red had not cleared
leather . . . . . " be sung as "Texas Red had not cleared Kydex,"
or "Texas Red had not cleared nylon" . . . . . ?

Redlevel, you have a strange mind. I admire that in a person.

 

[Lt JL]

slight drift.... one of Buck Owens" greatest lyrics may have been "I've got the hongries for yer love, an' Ah'm waitin' in yer welfare line"

 

[Tom S.]

What? A pig iron on his lip?


Darn hearing aid batteries go out at the darnedest times!

 

[tops]

Would the line "Texas Red had not cleared
leather . . . . . " be sung as "Texas Red had not cleared Kydex,"
or "Texas Red had not cleared nylon" . . . . . ?

Not unless he was carrying a plastic wondernine. Larry

 

[ldausmc1369]

Inspired me to buy my first "Big Iron", a 44 mag Ruger SB. Call it "Big Iron to this day! Marty was a hell of a NASCAR driver as well as Western Balladeer!

 

[thomasinaz]

One of my favorites. I'll sit in the car and listen till the end if I arrive somewhere before it's finished. Since Texas Red was the bad guy his gun would be in a cheap soft nylon holster with several different types of ammunition loaded in it.

 

[i1afli]

one of my favorites too. hear it time to time on Willie's Roadhouse on XM radio channel 58. lee

Same here...XM and all!

 

[i1afli]

A real neat thing about this is the Ranger was an Arizona Ranger. They were a serious bunch of lawmen, and some had previously been Texas Rangers.

I've often wondered what would have been "big iron" in the day of a Arizon Ranger on horseback...any ideas?

 

[DoubleAdobe]

I've often wondered what would have been "big iron" in the day of a Arizon Ranger on horseback...any ideas?

I suspect primarily Colt's .45, probably a fair amount of longer barrels among them.

 

[DoubleAdobe]

Here is a video with a little shirttail history of the Arizona Rangers.
The original headquarters was in Douglas, later moved to Bisbee.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEjKlDrJ_zU[/ame]