Early years
Gentry spent her childhood living with her father in Greenwood, Mississippi, where she attended elementary school and began teaching herself to play the guitar, the bass guitar, and the banjo. In her early teens, she moved to Palm Springs, California, to live with her mother, Ruby Bullington Streeter, graduating from Palm Springs High School in 1962. It was during this time that the teenage Roberta settled on the stage name "Bobbie Gentry," and began performing at local country clubs, encouraged by no less a Palm Springs celebrity than Bob Hope.
After a short career as a Las Vegas showgirl, Gentry moved to Los Angeles, attended UCLA (where she was a philosophy major) and worked clerical jobs while occasionally performing in local nightclubs. She later transferred to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music to hone her composition and performing skills.
Rise to fame
In 1967, Gentry recorded a demo and submitted it to Capitol Records executive Kelly Gordon, who quickly signed her to a recording contract and produced her first album. A 45 rpm "single" of two of her songs—"Mississippi Delta" and "Ode to Billie Joe"—was the first issue from this first effort, and even though "Mississippi Delta" was chosen for the "A" side, radio stations were quickly enamored with the quirky tale of Billie Joe McAllister and the mystery of his fate, as hauntingly performed and recorded on the "B" side. Bobbie Gentry had a monster hit on her hands, and Capitol Records had its newest superstar. Gentry went on to win three Grammy Awards that year, including "Best Vocal Performance by a Female", and "Best New Artist."
Gentry's follow-up albums, The Delta Sweete and Local Gentry, both produced by Gordon, were issued in 1968. Though critically acclaimed, neither album garnered the kinds of sales figures that were realized with Gentry's debut effort. The year 1968 also saw the release of an album of duets that paired Gentry with fellow Capitol alumnus Glen Campbell. Gentry and Campbell's harmonies resulted in a gold record and three hit singles, including a cover of the Everly Brothers hit "All I Have to Do Is Dream", which rose to No. 6 on the country charts in the winter of 1969.
Gentry toured briefly with Campbell and performed on a number of U.S. television programs and specials in the late 1960s. Her other notable singles include Doug Kershaw's composition "Louisiana Man" as well as a mellow version of a Burt Bacharach-Hal David song, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again". The latter went to No. 1 in Great Britain in 1970, a year after Dionne Warwick had a hit with it in the United States. 1970 also saw the release of another U.S. hit with the self-penned "Fancy," which rose to No. 26 on the Country chart and 31 on the Pop chart. (This enduring tale would later be covered with major success by Reba McEntire in 1991.)
Gentry would go on to record three more albums, while having earlier albums reissued under different titles. These last three albums, Touch 'Em with Love, Fancy, and the ambitious and highly regarded Patchwork, which consisted of all original material, were greeted enthusiastically by critics but, with the exception of the aforementioned title track to Fancy, failed to resonate with the public (though Gentry did generate a significant fan base in the United Kingdom).
Undaunted by declining record sales, Gentry sought other outlets for her creativity. She continued to write and perform, touring Europe and headlining a Las Vegas review in which she produced, choreographed, and wrote and arranged the music. In 1974, Gentry hosted a short-lived summer replacement variety show, The Bobbie Gentry Happiness Hour on CBS. The show, which served as her own version of Campbell's hit series The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, also on CBS, was not picked up for a full season. That same year, Gentry wrote and performed "Another Place, Another Time" for writer-director (and Beverly Hillbillies actor) Max Baer, Jr.'s film, Macon County Line. Baer would go on to direct a feature film take on Ode To Billy Joe, starring Robbie Benson, in which the mystery of Billie Joe's suicide is revealed as a part of the conflict between his love for Bobbie Lee Hartley and his emerging homosexuality.
By the middle 1970s, Gentry's sellability had waned significantly, and Capitol did not renew her contract. After some behind-the-scenes work in television production failed to hold her interests, Gentry decided to retire from show business. Her last public appearance as a performer was on Christmas night 1978, as a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She has deliberately remained out of the limelight ever since.
Personal life
She was married twice. The first, to casino magnate William F. Harrah in 1969, when she was 27 and he was 58, lasted only three months, a victim of her fame. The second, to novelty singer-songwriter Jim Stafford, ended in 1979, after only eleven months of marriage and the birth of a son, Tyler. The details of Gentry's personal life after her retirement are little known, but it is generally believed that she has settled into a happy life, and enjoys being a private citizen, unhindered by the scrutiny that fame brings. As of January 2003, she was living in Los Angeles County, California.
In The Ghetto
Bobbie Gentry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin'
A poor little baby child is born
In the ghetto
And his mama cries
'Cause if there's one thing that she don't need
It's another hungry mouth to feed
In the ghetto
People, don't you understand
The child needs a helping hand
Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day
Take a look at you and me,
Are we too blind to see,
Do we simply turn our heads
And look the other way
Well the world turns
And a hungry little boy with a runny nose
Plays in the street as the cold wind blows
In the ghetto
And his hunger burns
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And he learns how to steal
And he learns how to fight
In the ghetto
Then one night in desperation
A young man breaks away
He buys a gun, steals a car,
Tries to run, but he don't get far
And his mama cries
As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man
Face down on the street with a gun in his hand
In the ghetto
As her young man dies,
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin',
Another little baby child is born
In the ghetto
Bobbie Gentry's 1969 song "In The Ghetto" tells a haunting tale about life in poverty in a rough part of Chicago. The song portrays the struggles of a young mother who gives birth to a child in the ghetto where the snow flies on a cold and gray Chicago morning. The baby's mother is faced with the reality of providing for another hungry mouth to feed. She cries as she realizes what this means for their lives in the ghetto. The song goes on to discuss the issue of poverty and how people need to stop turning a blind eye to it. The child needs help before he grows up to be another angry young man roaming the streets.
The song talks about how the world turns and how another baby child will be born in the ghetto when the young man dies. This ending is a metaphor for the cycle of poverty that happens in the ghetto. This song's message is powerful because it reminds us that poverty is not just a statistical problem, but it affects real people with real struggles. The need to address poverty and provide resources and opportunities for everyone is the theme of this well-known song.
Line by Line Meaning
As the snow flies
The song opens with a picture of a cold and gray Chicago morning.
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin'
The snowfall signifies the hardships and struggles of people living in Chicago's poor neighborhoods.
A poor little baby child is born
A new child is born into the ghetto, and with its arrival comes happiness and hope for a better life.
In the ghetto
The reference to the ghetto highlights the difficult living conditions that the mother and the child will have to endure.
And his mama cries
The mother of the newborn cries because she realizes that another mouth to feed will be difficult to manage in a poverty-stricken neighborhood.
'Cause if there's one thing that she don't need
The mother understands the harsh reality of living in the ghetto and knows that more mouths to feed will only make things harder.
It's another hungry mouth to feed
The newborn will be one more person to add to the mother's struggle of providing food and shelter for the family.
People, don't you understand
The lyrics start to address the general public and people who live outside of the ghetto.
The child needs a helping hand
The newborn and kids like him need support and assistance from society to ensure a better life ahead for them.
Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day
Without the proper support, the newborn may grow up to be angry and resentful of society.
Take a look at you and me,
The lyrics ask the general public to introspect and think about the role that they play in making the lives of people living in the ghetto better or worse.
Are we too blind to see,
The rhetorical question highlights the ignorance of the society when it comes to the struggles of people in the ghetto.
Do we simply turn our heads
The reference to turning of heads points out the lack of empathy in society and how people tend to ignore the harsh realities faced by those living in the neighborhood.
And look the other way
Society tends to turn its back on the people living in the ghetto and ignore their plight.
Well the world turns
The lyrics are a commentary on how the world continues to turn while people in the ghetto continue to suffer.
And a hungry little boy with a runny nose
The song introduces a new character- a young boy who is hungry, sick and has no access to basic amenities like healthcare.
Plays in the street as the cold wind blows
Despite the hardships, kids continue to find joy in everyday activities like playing, even if it means playing in the cold winds outside.
So he starts to roam the streets at night
The lack of basic amenities and food forces children to wander around the streets in search of something to ease their hunger and pain.
And he learns how to steal
Growing up in the ghetto forces children like the young boy to learn how to survive by learning how to steal.
And he learns how to fight
Children in the ghetto learn how to stand up for themselves because they know no one else will.
Then one night in desperation
The song takes a dark turn as it narrates a story of what becomes of someone who grows up in this environment.
A young man breaks away
The young man takes matters into his own hands and tries to break free from the life he knows he's destined to lead.
He buys a gun, steals a car,
The young man's only option to get out of the ghetto seems to be through illegal means as he feels society has not provided him with the necessary support or resources.
Tries to run, but he don't get far
This phrase highlights the limited options and opportunities that people in the ghetto have for a better life ahead.
And his mama cries
The mother weeps for her son who could not break the shackles of poverty and be free.
As a crowd gathers 'round an angry young man
The story takes a dark turn and ends in tragedy as the young man vents his anger and frustration out on the society he believes has failed him.
Face down on the street with a gun in his hand
The young man finds no other way to express his anger and ends up taking his life and that of others.
As her young man dies,
The mother of the young man dies a tragic death and demonstrates the pain and agony that people in the ghetto have to face daily.
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin',
The story comes full circle, as another child is born into the cold and harsh environment of the ghetto, facing an existence that may be all too similar to his predecessor's life.
Another little baby child is born
Just like the first line, the song ends with the arrival of a newborn child, bringing hope, joy and sorrow to the family, caught in the never-ending cycle of poverty and struggle in the ghetto.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Missing Link Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mac Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind