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 Think Twice It's All Right
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there ain't no use to sit and wonder why babe if you don't know by now
When the rooster crows at the break of dawn look out your window I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm traveling on don't think twice it's all right
Ain't no use in turnin' on your light babe a light I'll never know
Ain't no use in turnin' on your light babe I'm on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was something you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talking anyway don't think twice it's all right
[ ac.guitar ]
I'm walkin' down that long lonesome road babe where I'm bound I can't tell
But goodbye is too good a word gal so I'll just say fare thee well
Now I ain't seeing you treated me unkind you could have done better but I don't mind
You just sorta wasted my precious time don't think twice it's all right
Don't think twice it's all right
Bobby Bare's song "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" talks about a lover who has come to realize that there's no point in trying to change the mind of the person they're leaving behind. The lines "There ain't no use to sit and wonder why babe it don't matter anyway" and "Ain't no use in turnin' on your light babe I'm on the dark side of the road" portray a sense of hopelessness and resignation. The singer knows that the relationship is over and they're ready to move on.
The lyrics also suggest that the relationship wasn't particularly fulfilling. The singer says "We never did too much talking anyway" which implies that communication wasn't an important part of their relationship. The line "You just sorta wasted my precious time" suggests that the singer feels like they've invested a lot into the relationship and haven't gotten much in return.
Overall, "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" is a bittersweet song about the end of a relationship. The singer has come to terms with the fact that it's over, but there's still some sadness and regret surrounding the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no use to sit and wonder why babe it don't matter nayhow
It's pointless to ponder over why things went wrong between us.
And there ain't no use to sit and wonder why babe if you don't know by now
It's equally pointless to keep thinking about it if you don't have any answers yet.
When the rooster crows at the break of dawn look out your window I'll be gone
I'll be leaving before daybreak, and you'll wake up to an empty room.
You're the reason I'm traveling on don't think twice it's all right
I'm leaving because of you, but I want you to know that it's okay.
Ain't no use in turnin' on your light babe a light I'll never know
There's no point in leaving your light on for me because I'll never return.
Ain't no use in turnin' on your light babe I'm on the dark side of the road
I'm headed down a lonely path, and I won't be coming back anytime soon.
Still I wish there was something you would do or say
I secretly want you to try and convince me to stay or change my mind.
To try and make me change my mind and stay
I want you to make a last-ditch effort to convince me to stay and not leave.
We never did too much talking anyway don't think twice it's all right
We didn't communicate much, so it's best if we go our separate ways without overthinking it.
I'm walkin' down that long lonesome road babe where I'm bound I can't tell
I'm starting a new journey, but I'm not sure where it will take me.
But goodbye is too good a word gal so I'll just say fare thee well
Saying goodbye feels too formal and final, so I'll just say farewell instead.
Now I ain't seeing you treated me unkind you could have done better but I don't mind
You weren't the best partner, but I'm not angry or hurt about it.
You just sorta wasted my precious time don't think twice it's all right
Although we weren't meant to be, I don't regret the time we spent together, so don't worry.
Don't think twice it's all right
It's okay, don't second-guess yourself or our relationship. Everything will be fine.
Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@koeselitzzz
Better than Dylan. Thanks!
@NinjaBuckeye
it's great. Nothing is better than Dylan though!