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.
How I Got to Memphis
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll follow wherever they go
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
If you love somebody enough
You'll go where your heart wants to go
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
I know if you'd seen her you'd tell me cause you are my friend
I've got to find her and find out the trouble she's in
And if you tell me she's not here
You can follow the trail of my tears
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
She'd get mad and she used to say
She'd come back to Memphis someday
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
I haven't eaten a bite
Or slept for three days and nights
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
I've got to find her and tell her that I love her so
I'll never rest til I find out why she had to go
So thank you for your precious time
Forgive me if I start to cry
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
The song "How I Got to Memphis" by Bobby Bare is a ballad that speaks about a man's urgent need to find a lost love. The singer is searching for a woman he loves and he is willing to follow her to any place just to find her. The song suggests that love is so strong that it can move mountains, break barriers, and find a way to reach the end of the earth just to be with the person who matters.
The lyrics of the song are touching and straightforward. The singer is pleading with his friend to help him find his lover, whom he believes is in Memphis. Along the way, he tells his friend that he has been crying and has not slept or eaten in three days, so desperate he is to find his love. Nonetheless, he pledges to keep searching until he discovers why his lover had to go.
Through the song, Bobby Bare shows the determination of the human heart, the depths of love, and what people can do when they are ready to do anything for their loved ones. The track speaks to the heart of the listener and creates an emotional response as it evokes empathy for the singer's struggles to find love.
Line by Line Meaning
If you love somebody enough
One will go wherever their loved ones go
You'll follow wherever they go
One will be with their loved ones wherever they may be
That's how I got to Memphis
I went to Memphis because my loved one is there
That's how I got to Memphis
I went to Memphis because my loved one is there
I know if you'd seen her you'd tell me cause you are my friend
If you saw my loved one, you would inform me since we are friends
I've got to find her and find out the trouble she's in
I need to locate her and find out what kind of difficulties she's facing
And if you tell me she's not here
If you tell me she's not in Memphis
You can follow the trail of my tears
You'll be able to follow my tears that I shed for her
That's how I got to Memphis
I came to Memphis while crying for her
That's how I got to Memphis
I arrived in Memphis while crying for her
She'd get mad and she used to say
She'd become annoyed and say
She'd come back to Memphis someday
She promised she would come back to Memphis someday
That's how I got to Memphis
I came to Memphis because she promised to return here
That's how I got to Memphis
I arrived in Memphis because she promised to come back here
I haven't eaten a bite
I have not had anything to eat
Or slept for three days and nights
I have not slept for three days and three nights
That's how I got to Memphis
The reason why I arrived in Memphis without rest and food
That's how I got to Memphis
The reason for my arrival in Memphis without rest or food
I've got to find her and tell her that I love her so
I must find her and express my love to her
I'll never rest til I find out why she had to go
I won't rest until I discover why she left me
So thank you for your precious time
Thank you for giving me your valuable time
Forgive me if I start to cry
Please excuse me if I begin to weep
That's how I got to Memphis
The reason I arrived in Memphis while crying
That's how I got to Memphis
Reason I reached Memphis weeping for my loved one
Contributed by Chase C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.