Marty Robbins – Jamaica Farewell: A Sun-Drenched Sojourn into the Bittersweet Beauty of the Islands
In the late 1950s and early 60s, Marty Robbins was an artist whose curiosity knew no borders. He was as comfortable in the saddle of a Western horse as he was in the rhythm of a Caribbean tide. Released in 1962 on the album Portrait of Marty, his rendition of “Jamaica Farewell” is a lush, tropical masterpiece. While the song had been made a global phenomenon by Harry Belafonte a few years prior, Marty’s version brought a unique, “Gentle Balladeer” intimacy to the track, helping the album reach No. 10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It is a song for the traveler of the heart—one who knows that the most beautiful places are often the ones we have to leave behind.
For the reader who has lived through the decades when the world seemed to get a little smaller and more connected, this song carries a warm, salt-aired nostalgia. Marty Robbins, with a voice as clear and inviting as a blue lagoon, captures the essence of the “calypso” craze with a respectful, melodic grace. For the mature listener, it evokes memories of a time when the “islands” represented a pure, uncomplicated paradise. It is a song for the quiet hours of a summer evening, reminding us of the people and the shores that once held our hearts, even as the “ship” of our lives carried us toward different horizons.
The story behind the song is a fascinating blend of cultures. While often attributed to Lord Burgess (Irving Burgie), the song is built upon various traditional folk melodies of the West Indies. When Marty recorded it in the early sixties, he was participating in a grand tradition of American singers exploring “exotic” sounds. He didn’t try to mimic a Caribbean accent; instead, he used his signature velvet tenor to focus on the universal emotion of the lyrics—the “sadness to say I’m on my way.” In 1962, as the Nashville Sound was becoming more sophisticated, Marty showed that a great country voice could inhabit any landscape, from the desert of El Paso to the markets of Kingston.
The lyrical meaning of “Jamaica Farewell” lies in its celebration of the sensory details of a life well-lived. Marty sings of “ackee rice, saltfish are nice,” and the “market square” where the “ladies trip on their heads.” For the mature reader, these details represent the richness of experience that we gather as we grow older. The “farewell” of the title isn’t a bitter one; it is a grateful acknowledgement of a beautiful time and a beautiful person. When Marty sings the chorus, there is a gentle, rhythmic longing that captures the exact feeling of looking back at a distant shore with a smile and a heavy heart.
Musically, the track is a masterclass in atmospheric production. It features a soft, swaying rhythm, crystalline acoustic guitars, and a subtle percussion that mimics the sound of the surf. Marty’s phrasing is effortlessly fluid, capturing the lilt of the melody without ever forcing the emotion. To listen to this track today is to take a momentary vacation from the present. Marty Robbins reminds us that while we all eventually have to leave “Jamaica”—whatever that place of peace and beauty may be in our own lives—the music allows us to carry the warmth of its sun within us forever.