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.
Daddy What If
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If the sun stopped shinin' you'd be so surprised
You'd stare at the heavens with wide open eyes
And the wind would carry your light to the skies
And the sun would start shinin' again
(Daddy what if the wind stopped blowin' what would happen then)
If the wind stopped blowin' then the land would be dry
And your boat wouldn't sail son and your kite wouldn't fly
And the grass would see your troubles and she'd tell the wind
And the wind would start blowin' again
(But daddy what if the grass stopped growin' what would happen then)
If the grass stopped growin' why you'd probably cry
And the ground would be watered by the tears from your eyes
And like your love for me the grass would grow so high
Yes the grass would start growin' again
(But daddy what if I stopped lovin' you what would happen then)
If you stopped lovin' me then the grass would stop growin'
The sun would stop shinin' and the wind would stop blowin'
So you see if you wanna keep this old world a goin'
You better start lovin' me again again you better start lovin' me again
You hear me Bobby you better start lovin' me again
You love me Bobby you better start lovin' me again
The song "Daddy What If" by Bobby Bare is a touching conversation between a father and his son about life and love. The lyrics explore the idea of what would happen if things stopped working the way they should, creating a sense of vulnerability and importance of cherishing the people and things we hold dear. The father's responses to his son's questions offer comfort and reassurance, suggesting that even if things were to go awry, there is always a way to bring them back to normalcy.
The song starts with the son asking his father what would happen if the sun stops shining. The father responds by saying that the sun will shine again. This message is about trust and faith in the natural order of things. He goes on answering the other questions with similar optimism and hopefulness. However, when the son asks what would happen if he stops loving his father, the tone of the song shifts from hopeful to somber. The father responds by telling his son that if he stops loving him, everything will stop working, and the world will fall apart. This line indicates the importance of love and its impact on the world around us.
The song's overarching message is that love is the glue that keeps everything together, and if we lose it, we lose everything. The song reminds us that love and connection are the most important things in life, and we should cherish them while we can. It is a beautiful song that brings out the father-son relationship's fragility and the importance of love in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
If the sun stopped shinin' you'd be so surprised
The listener would be shocked if the sun stopped shining
You'd stare at the heavens with wide open eyes
The listener would look up at the sky with amazement
And the wind would carry your light to the skies
The breeze would lift the listener's spirit high
And the sun would start shinin' again
The sun would shine once again in the future
If the wind stopped blowin' then the land would be dry
Without wind, the earth would be parched
And your boat wouldn't sail son and your kite wouldn't fly
The listener would not be able to sail or fly
And the grass would see your troubles and she'd tell the wind
The grass would empathize with the listener's issues and convey them to the wind
And the wind would start blowin' again
The wind would resume blowing once more in the future
If the grass stopped growin' why you'd probably cry
The listener would feel sad if grass stopped growing
And the ground would be watered by the tears from your eyes
The soil would be dampened by the listener's tears
And like your love for me the grass would grow so high
The grass, like the listener's love, would flourish and thrive
Yes the grass would start growin' again
In the future, the grass would continue to grow
If you stopped lovin' me then the grass would stop growin'
The love between the singer and the listener is connected to the growth of the grass
The sun would stop shinin' and the wind would stop blowin'
Without love, the listener's world would lose its brightness and vitality
So you see if you wanna keep this old world a goin'
To maintain the world's natural cycles and balance, the listener needs to keep loving the singer
You better start lovin' me again again you better start lovin' me again
The artist urges the listener to rekindle their love for one another
You hear me Bobby you better start lovin' me again
The artist specifically addresses Bobby and implores him to revive their love
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Un Poco Loco
"Everything I know about life, I've learned from Shel Silverstein's 'The Missing Piece!'" - was it Quagmire from 'Family Guy' who said that (or sumpin' similar...)?!? Giggity.
I grew up with Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - mum loved 'em, as did a producer on Danish TV (I live in the south of Sweden and grew up in the 60s with one Swedish - until 1969 - and one Danish TV channel in b&w - until 1970 - but in the 70s, we suddenly had no less than two Swedish channels, and all three were in colour). Dr. Hook were on Danish TV several times a year in the early to mid 70s.
She took me (aged 14) and my kid brother to see them outdoors in the summer of '76, when they still were funny...and as always, they stripped 100% nude for the encore, and they faked being drunk better than Dean Martin in his heyday (no disrespect, and no other comparisons...). And the above song is on Shel Silverstein's 'Best of' CD, available brand new for 5-6 bucks, and a real treat.
https://www.discogs.com/Shel-Silverstein-The-Best-Of-Shel-Silverstein-His-Words-His-Songs-His-Friends/master/1241586
Although I'd laughed my ass off listening to their eponymous debut, 'Sloppy Seconds', 'Belly up' and 'Bankrupt' (as Dr. Hook). I did't get even half of the lyrics 40-45 years ago. Since then, I've learned all about short-order cooks, Marie Lavaux, Sunset Strip, S/M and Acapulco Gold (outside church in - Acapulco...). 'Makin' love and music' made us lose interest in them.
Yada, yada, jodå...
Heath Davis
This was one of my Dad's favorite songs !! He pass on in 2010!! Almost 9 years later I still tear up when I hear it!! I miss you Dad
Sue Darling
I understand . I miss my dad so much. This song makes me feel him in my heart.
vonxazi
I'm 50. My dad died when I was 9. We used to sing it together. Tears fall in the first few seconds of hearing this.
KATHRYN PRESTON
I lost my dad in 2010 too I miss him dearly my your dad and my dad rest in gods hands Rip dads
Nicole Ivy
My dad used to play this and sing this for me as a baby & Toddler❤️
Cindy Blount
Mine too. We would sing it together. 😭
Lacey tapia
This was played at my daddys funeral..he would sing to me when i was younger
Patrick Maillet
Saw them do this song on TV with my 6 yr d daughter who died in a wreck with my wife. Always brings me to tears
Zachary Von Roeder
Tragic, so.sad to hear that.
Donna Heiden
Love it!