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.
Don´t You Ever Get Tired
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're happy when I'm out of my mind
You don't love me yet you won't let me be
Don't you ever get tired of hurtin' me
You must think I look bad with a smile
For you haven't let me have one in such a long long while
Still I keep running back how can this be
Don't you ever get tired of hurtin' me
with a smile, for you haven't let me have one in such a long, long while. These lyrics by Bobby Bare poignantly capture the complicated emotions and dynamics of a toxic relationship. The singer is trapped in a cycle of emotional abuse, in which their partner causes them to feel constant pain, yet they keep coming back for more. The opening line, "You make my eyes run over all the time," suggests that the singer is frequently crying as a result of their partner's mistreatment. The line "You're happy when I'm out of my mind" implies that the partner enjoys seeing the singer in a state of emotional turmoil.
The chorus of the song, "Don't you ever get tired of hurtin' me," speaks to the singer's frustration and confusion about why their partner continues to engage in this harmful behavior. The repetition of this line drives home the idea that the singer is at a loss as to how to break free from this cycle of abuse. The final line, "Still I keep running back, how can this be," further underscores the feeling of powerlessness that the singer is experiencing.
Overall, "Don't You Ever Get Tired" is a powerful commentary on the complexity of abusive relationships and the painful hold that they can have over people. Through its raw and emotional lyrics, the song captures the confusion, frustration, and pain that can be caused by this dynamic.
Line by Line Meaning
You make my eyes run over all the time
Your actions cause me so much pain and sadness that my eyes start to water and cry frequently.
You're happy when I'm out of my mind
You take pleasure in seeing me upset and emotionally unstable.
You don't love me yet you won't let me be
You don't have real feelings of love for me but you are possessive and will not allow me to leave you.
Don't you ever get tired of hurtin' me
As you continue to intentionally cause me emotional pain and harm, have you not become weary of doing so?
You must think I look bad with a smile
You seem to believe that it's not in my best interest to be happy since you deprive me of it for extended periods of time.
For you haven't let me have one in such a long long while
You've starved me of joy and cheerfulness for an extended period of time
Still I keep running back how can this be
Despite recognizing the pain that you cause me, I keep coming back to you. This baffles me.
Don't you ever get tired of hurtin' me
As you continue to intentionally cause me emotional pain and harm, have you not become weary of doing so?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HANK COCHRAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind