A haunting lament of the outlaw’s heart: “Running Gun” by Marty Robbins
“Running Gun” is not just a song—it is a soul-stirring confession from a life lived on the run, shot through with longing, regret, and the endless desert dust of the American West. Recorded by Marty Robbins, it first appeared on his landmark 1959 album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, a collection that remains one of his most celebrated works.
Though “Running Gun” was originally released as the B-side to the single “El Paso” on October 26, 1959, its power resonates far beyond its status on the 45-rpm. The album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart. While “Running Gun” itself did not chart on its own as a single in the way “El Paso” did, its presence as part of this iconic album secures its place in country-western history.
The back-story behind “Running Gun” is rich and deeply poignant. The song was written by Jim Glaser and Tompall Glaser, and Robbins recorded it during the same sessions as the rest of his Gunfighter Ballads album on April 7, 1959. The album itself was produced by Don Law, featuring a sparse but evocative arrangement: Marty’s voice, two guitars (Grady Martin leading), bass, drums, and backing vocals from the Glaser Brothers.
At its heart, “Running Gun” tells the story of an outlaw, a man burdened by his infamous past—a gunslinger with “twenty notches on my six-gun” (a vivid symbol of his violent history). He leaves Kansas City behind, drawn into a life of constant movement and danger, constantly “dodging danger” and haunted by the men he has killed. In his loneliness, he says goodbye to Jeannie, the woman he loves, and dreams of a future together in Mexico, telling her he will send for her.
Yet fate is cruel. Upon arriving in Amarillo as the sun sets, he lowers his guard—and is confronted by a bounty hunter who knows his reputation. In the duel that follows, the outlaw draws too late; his strength fails him, and as he lies dying, he watches his killer walk away. His final thoughts are for Jeannie and the life he hoped they could share—but he mournfully realizes: “a woman’s love is wasted when she loves a running gun.”
The meaning of this song goes deeper than a simple Western tale. It is a meditation on regret, penance, and the loneliness of a man condemned by his own past. The “running gun” is not merely a fast-draw pistol—it is his identity, his burden, and his curse. He longs for redemption, for peace, for love, yet his life choices trap him in a cycle he cannot escape. The emotional weight of the lyrics is carried by Robbins’s warm, steady voice, which makes the listener feel not just the fear and danger, but also the sorrow and weary resignation in the outlaw’s heart.
In terms of its place in Robbins’s career, “Running Gun” contributes significantly to the mythos of Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, an album that became Robbins’s signature in many people’s minds. This record is widely praised for its storytelling — each track reads like a short Western saga — and “Running Gun” is often singled out for its haunting, introspective quality.
Critically, Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs was reissued in later decades with new liner notes and remastering, underlining its cultural significance. Robbins’s performance in this song reflects his remarkable ability to blend country music with literary storytelling. His voice does not shout across wide-open plains; instead, it confides in us, as though around a campfire, recalling a life both dangerous and deeply human.
For a listener steeped in memories of the golden-age country radio, “Running Gun” feels like an old friend telling a bittersweet tale under a star-filled sky. The song is not just about guns and outlaws—it is about longing for love, the price of violence, and the truth that even the fastest gun can’t outrun his own conscience.
Truly, “Running Gun” remains one of Marty Robbins’s most emotionally profound ballads—a reminder that behind every legend lies a man, carrying memories and regrets, riding into the sunset with a heavy heart.
Oldies Songs