About The Song
“My Woman, My Woman, My Wife” is a tender country ballad by Marty Robbins, released in January 1970 as the title track and lead single from his Columbia Records album. Written by Robbins for his wife, Marizona, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for one week in April 1970, his ninth country chart-topper, and peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 3:31 song, with its heartfelt devotion—“Hands that are strong but wrinkled / Doing work that never gets done”—paints a portrait of enduring love, inspired by Marizona’s strength during Robbins’ health struggles, including a 1969 heart attack. It won the 1970 Grammy for Best Country Song and a CMA nomination for Single of the Year. Robbins told Billboard in 1970, “I wrote it for Marizona because she’s been my rock through everything—sickness, tours, all of it.” Rolling Stone calls it “a love letter that feels like a sacred vow.”
Recorded in November 1969 at Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, the track was produced by Bob Johnston, known for work with Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. The arrangement features uncredited Nashville A-Team players, likely including Grady Martin on guitar and Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano, per Discogs, with lush strings and subtle percussion framing Robbins’ warm, emotive vocals. AllMusic praises its “elegant simplicity,” noting how the orchestration enhances the song’s intimacy without overpowering it. The album hit No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The C-G-Am chord progression and “Lord, give her strength to live through this day” refrain, per Genius, resonate with universal gratitude, making it a wedding and anniversary favorite, per Spotify playlists.
Marty Robbins, born September 26, 1925, in Glendale, Arizona, was a country music legend, blending Western, pop, and rockabilly in hits like “El Paso” (No. 1, 1959) and “A White Sport Coat” (No. 2 Country, 1957). A Grand Ole Opry star since 1953, he survived three heart attacks and a 1982 quadruple bypass before dying December 8, 1982. Wikipedia highlights his versatility, from gunfighter ballads to Hawaiian tunes. “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife” was a live staple, performed at his 1970 Opry shows and a 1980 Austin City Limits set, with a YouTube clip showing his tender delivery. Covers include a 1996 version by The Statler Brothers and a 2006 take by The Jordanaires, per SecondHandSongs. Reddit fans on r/country share its use in family tributes, calling it “Marty at his most sincere.”
The song appeared in no major films but is a staple on country radio and streaming, with Shazam users tagging it for its emotional pull. No controversies surround it—just Robbins’ pure love for Marizona, who outlived him until 2001. CMT quoted Robbins in 1980: “Every note was for her; she’s why I kept going.” Its Grammy win and timeless message cement its place as one of Robbins’ most personal works, a love song that feels eternal.
Video
Lyric
Hands that are strong but wrinkled
Doing work that never gets done
Hair that’s lost some of the beauty
By the light of the morning sunLips that just know how to comfort
When my world’s come tumbling down
Arms that can carry a baby
Yet can carry a load for meMy woman, my woman, my wife
Lord, give her strength to live through this day
My woman, my woman, my wife
Lord, don’t take her love awayEyes that have seen many heartaches
And too many dreams that don’t come true
A heart that’s been broken so often
Yet keeps loving me like she doShoulders that carry a burden
That would break an ordinary soul
And a smile that can hide all the heartache
And make me believe life’s worthwhileMy woman, my woman, my wife
Lord, give her strength to live through this day
My woman, my woman, my wife
Lord, don’t take her love away
yenhu