In the fifties after many failed attempts to sell his songs, he finally was signed up with Capitol Records and recorded a few rock and roll songs without much chart success. Just before he was drafted into the Army, he wrote a song called 'The All American Boy' and did a demo for his friend, Bill Parsons, to learn and record it. Instead of using the version Bill Parsons did later, the record company, Fraternity Records, decided to use the original demo done by Bobby Bare. The record reached number 2 on the Billboard Top 100, but it was wrongly credited to Bill Parsons.
His real big break came when RCA boss and guitarist Chet Atkins signed him to the RCA label. The first song he released on this label, 'Shame On Me', sold nearly a million copies and pushed Bobby Bare to fame overnight. His second RCA release, 'Detroit City' won him a Grammy for the best song of the year. Then a surge of hits followed, including '500 Miles Away From Home', 'Four Strong Winds' and others. He has also recorded two very successful albums with Skeeter Davis and has also dueted with Lacy J. Dalton and Rosanne Cash and additionally had a major hit as part of a trio with Norma Jean (singer) and Liz Anderson in 1967 titled 'The Game of Triangles'.
He moved to Mercury label in 1970 and had two big hits from early Kris Kristofferson compositions, 'Come Sundown' and 'Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends' before returning to RCA label where he produced his own records. Later Bare moved to CBS label and in 1979, he helped establish Rosanne Cash's career by singing with her on "No Memories Hangin' Round". Bare's singles for Columbia Records included 'The Jogger', 'Tequila Sheila', 'Gotta Get Rid Of This Band', 'When Hippies Get Older' and 'Numbers'. He later recorded for EMI with little success.
Bobby Bare is a versatile singer, and in the 70s started to release novelty songs recorded live with selected audiences. One of such songs, 'Marie Laveau' about a witch, reached the number one position on the country chart. This song was written by his friend, a very talented song writer, poet, author and cartoonist Shel Silverstein. He also penned many other songs for Bobby Bare including a Grammy nominated hit called 'Daddy What If' which he recorded with his five year old son, Bobby Bare Jr, who later became a star on his own. Bobby Bare later recorded a very successful album with his family and penned mainly by Shel called 'Singing in The Kitchen'. It was nominated for best group category in Grammy Awards but was declined by Bobby himself.
He later took chances recording strange, controversial material as 'Dropkick Me Jesus (Through The Goalposts Of Life)' (a 1976 Grammy nominee) and the expletive-driven 'Redneck Hippie Romance' with much success.
Bobby Bare is also the first to come up with a concept album called 'Bird Named Yesterday' which was very successful. His most successful concept album is 'Lullaby Legends and Lies'.
Bobby Bare was also given an opportunity to star in the movies. He did a Western with Troy Donahue called A Distant Trumpet, and a few episodes of a TV series called No Time for Sergeants. He turned his back on Hollywood to pursue his career in Country Music.
In 1998 he formed the band Old Dogs together with his friends Jerry Reed, Mel Tillis and Waylon Jennings.
In addition to the above, Bobby Bare is credited for introducing Waylon Jennings to RCA. He is also one of the first to record from many well known song writers such as Jack Clement, Harlan Howard, Billy Joe Shaver, Mickey Newberry, Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, and many others. He later had a TV series called 'Bobby Bare & Friends, A Song Writer Showcase'. Recently, he has recorded a new album after over 20 years called 'The Moon Was Blue' produced by his son. His son, Bobby Bare, Jr., is also a musician.
500 Miles Away from Home
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Teardrops fell on momma's note
When I read the things she wrote
She said we miss you son we love you come on home
Well I didn't have to pack
I had it all right on my back
Now I'm five hundred miles away from home
Away from home, away from home
Cold and tired and all alone
Yes, I'm five hundred miles away from home
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
I know this is the same road I took the day I left home (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
But it sure looks different now (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
And I guess I look different too (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
'Cause time changes everything (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
I wonder what they'll say (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
When they see their boy looking this bad (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
Oh I wonder what they'll say when I get home
Can't remember when I ate
It's just thumb and walk and wait
And I'm still five hundred miles away from home
If my luck had been just right (away from home)
I'd be with them all tonight (away from home)
But I'm five hundred miles away from home (away from home)
Away from home, away from home
Cold and tired and all alone
Yes, I'm five hundred miles away from home
Oh, I'm five hundred miles away from home
The song '500 Miles Away from Home' by Bobby Bare talks about the longing for home and family that a person feels when they are far away from them. The singer of the song reflects on how he is five hundred miles away from home, and how he came to be in this place. He learned from his mother's note that she misses and loves him and he should come home. However, he did not have much with him and just packed things on his back before leaving. He is now five hundred miles from home, and is feeling cold and tired, with no one to talk to, and is all alone.
The singer acknowledges that the route he took to leave home is the same, but everything feels different now. Time changes everything is what he comes to realize. He wonders how his family would react to the person he has become, as he can't remember the last time he ate, and his appearance is not the best. The singer talks about how he wishes he was with his family, but luck did not favor him. The decision to leave home was not the best, and the distance from home seems too far away for him to reconnect with his loved ones.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the longing for home and family that we all feel at some point in our lives. The distance and time can change a person, and when they return home, they may not be the same person they were before. The song emphasizes the importance of connections with loved ones and the safety and security they bring.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm five hundred miles away from home
I am currently five hundred miles away from my home
Teardrops fell on momma's note
My mother wrote a note with teardrops falling on it
When I read the things she wrote
I read the words written on the note with teardrops
She said we miss you son we love you come on home
My mother expressed in the note that she misses and loves me and wants me to come back home
Well I didn't have to pack
I did not have to pack my things before leaving
I had it all right on my back
I carried everything I needed on my back
Now I'm five hundred miles away from home
As a result, I am now five hundred miles away from my home
Away from home, away from home
I am away from my home, far away from my home
Cold and tired and all alone
I am cold, tired, and feeling lonely
Yes, I'm five hundred miles away from home
I repeat, I am five hundred miles away from my home
I know this is the same road I took the day I left home (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
I recognize that this is the same road I took the day I left home
But it sure looks different now (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
However, everything looks different now
And I guess I look different too (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
I also suppose that I look different now
'Cause time changes everything (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
I attribute these changes to the passing of time, which has altered everything
I wonder what they'll say (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
I wonder what people will say
When they see their boy looking this bad (doo, doo, doo, doo, doo)
When they see me in such bad condition
Oh I wonder what they'll say when I get home
I am curious about what people will say when I finally arrive back home
Can't remember when I ate
I cannot recall the last time I had a meal
It's just thumb and walk and wait
I am using my thumb to hitchhike while walking and waiting
And I'm still five hundred miles away from home
Despite my efforts, I am still five hundred miles away from my home
If my luck had been just right (away from home)
If things had gone according to plan
I'd be with them all tonight (away from home)
I would have been able to join them tonight
But I'm five hundred miles away from home (away from home)
However, I am still five hundred miles away from my home
Away from home, away from home
Once again, I am away from home
Cold and tired and all alone
I am feeling cold, tired, and alone
Yes, I'm five hundred miles away from home
To reiterate, I am still five hundred miles away from my home
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Bobby Bare, Hedy West, Charlie Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind