Bobby Bare (born Robert Joseph Bare on April 7, 1935 in Ironton, Ohio) is a… Read Full Bio ↴Bobby Bare (born Robert Joseph Bare on April 7, 1935 in Ironton, Ohio) is an American country music singer and songwriter.

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.

Food Blues
Bobby Bare Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Shel Silverstein)

I was waitin' in Rosie's Restaurant
When the waiter came up and said what do you want
I looked at the menu and it looked so nice
Till he said lemme give you some advice.

He said spaghetti and potatoes got too much starch

Pork chops and sausage are bad for your heart
There's hormones in chicken and beef and veal
Bowl of ravioli is a dead man's meal.

Bread got preservatives there's nitrites in ham
Artificial coloring in jellies and jam
Stay away from donuts run away from pie
Pepperoni pizza is a sure way to die.

Sugar rots your teeth and makes you put on weight
But artificial sweetener's got cyclamates
Eggs got cholesterol, there's fat in cheese
Coffee ruins your kidneys and so does tea.

Fish got mercury, red meat is poison
Salt's gonna send your blood pressure risin'
Hot dogs and bologna got deadly red dyes
Vegetables and fruits are sprayed with pesticides.

--- Instrumental ---

So I said what can I eat that's gonna make me last
He said a small drink of water in a sterilized glass
And then he stopped and he thought for a minute
And said never mind the water, there's carcinogenics in it.

So I got up from the table and walked out in the street
Realizin' there was nothin' I could eat

I ain't eaten for a month and I'm feeling fine
'Cause he did not mention beer, whiskey, women and sweet red wine...

Overall Meaning

In "Food Blues," Bobby Bare tells the story of a man who goes to a restaurant and is concerned about what he should eat due to the potential long term health effects. The waiter proceeds to list off a number of foods that the man should avoid because of the dangers associated with them. Ironically, the list seems to cover every type of food one could imagine, from vegetables and fruits being sprayed with pesticides, to the dangers of red meat and coffee. When the man asks what he should eat instead, the waiter responds facetiously that he should just have a small drink of water - only to then warn him about the carcinogens present in water. Ultimately, the man is left with nothing he feels is safe to consume except beer, whiskey, women and red wine, cleverly highlighting the inconsistency and confusion surrounding what foods are considered healthy or harmful.

The song was written by Shel Silverstein, an American poet, singer-songwriter, and children's author. Before writing the lyrics for "Food Blues," Silverstein worked as a cartoonist for magazines and as a writer for Playboy. The song was included on Bobby Bare's 1973 album "Bare."
Despite the humorous tone of the song, it touches on a serious and continuing issue that has been present in discussions surrounding food and health for years. The list of foods mentioned might be hyperbolic; however, for many, the confusion surrounding what's considered a healthy diet can be both overwhelming and frustrating.

Line by Line Meaning

I was waitin' in Rosie's Restaurant
I was sitting patiently in Rosie's Restaurant

When the waiter came up and said what do you want
When the waiter approached me and asked what I would like to order

I looked at the menu and it looked so nice
I glanced at the menu and it appeared to be appealing

Till he said lemme give you some advice.
Although that changed when he offered me some advice

He said spaghetti and potatoes got too much starch
He explained that spaghetti and potatoes contained too much starch

Pork chops and sausage are bad for your heart
He warned me that eating pork chops and sausage could be unhealthy for my heart

There's hormones in chicken and beef and veal
He informed me that chicken, beef, and veal contain hormones

Bowl of ravioli is a dead man's meal.
He bluntly stated that a bowl of ravioli is not a healthy meal option

Bread got preservatives there's nitrites in ham
He detailed that bread has preservatives and ham has nitrites

Artificial coloring in jellies and jam
He expressed that jellies and jam contain artificial coloring

Stay away from donuts run away from pie
He warned me to steer clear of donuts and pies

Pepperoni pizza is a sure way to die.
He exaggerated that pepperoni pizza is deadly to consume

Sugar rots your teeth and makes you put on weight
He cautioned me against sugar, as it can cause tooth decay and lead to weight gain

But artificial sweetener's got cyclamates
He stated that artificial sweeteners contain cyclamates

Eggs got cholesterol, there's fat in cheese
He pointed out that eggs have cholesterol and cheese has fat

Coffee ruins your kidneys and so does tea.
He exaggerated that coffee and tea can cause kidney damage

Fish got mercury, red meat is poison
He overemphasized the dangers of mercury in fish and called red meat poisonous

Salt's gonna send your blood pressure risin'
He emphasized that salt increases blood pressure

Hot dogs and bologna got deadly red dyes
He claimed that hot dogs and bologna have deadly red dyes

Vegetables and fruits are sprayed with pesticides.
He informed me that farmers use pesticides on vegetables and fruits

So I said what can I eat that's gonna make me last
I asked him what healthy food option I could choose

He said a small drink of water in a sterilized glass
He suggested I only drink sterilized water in small amounts

And then he stopped and he thought for a minute
He paused to think for a moment

And said never mind the water, there's carcinogenics in it.
He changed his mind and warned me that water contains carcinogens

So I got up from the table and walked out in the street
I stood up from the table and left the restaurant

Realizin' there was nothin' I could eat
I came to the realization that I had no healthy food options

I ain't eaten for a month and I'm feeling fine
I haven't eaten for a month and I feel perfectly healthy

'Cause he did not mention beer, whiskey, women and sweet red wine...
I attribute my good health to the fact that he didn't warn me against drinking beer, whiskey, and sweet red wine or being with women.

Writer(s): S. SILVERSTEIN

Contributed by Vivian Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Craig Bennett

Drunk and Crazy is still one of my favorite albums

Jay Varner

4y↑1

love it

Bobby Bare

3y↑1

Thanks for supporting my music 🎶 I’m so grateful 🥰 and I hope you never stop being a fan, I would like to honor you by giving you my personal information if that’s ok by you.💜
❤️❤️❤️