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.
Gods Were Angry With Me
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Gods were angry with me because they knew
I stood at heaven's portals but they were too high for any mortal such as I
So they took down the sun the skies were gray then the howling wind took you away
There was nothing I could do for I could see
It was because the Gods were angry with me
Once upon a time when our love was young and new
Then one day the Gods looked down and they saw me there holding you
That day they sent my heaven crashing to the ground
Yes they took down the sun the skies were gray
"Gods Were Angry With Me" is a song about a man who believes that the gods were responsible for the end of his relationship. The singer addresses the gods and suggests that they were angry with him for loving someone. According to him, the gods' anger was so intense that they caused the skies to turn gray, the sun to disappear, and even the wind to howl, which took his lover away. He acknowledges that he had once been happy, but the gods destroyed everything he had cherished.
Throughout the song, the singer implies that the gods are the ultimate authority, and their will is inscrutable. He is powerless to resist the gods' wrath and must accept their judgment, even if it means losing the person he loves. The song has a melancholy, mournful tone that reflects the singer's sense of loss and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
The Gods were angry with me for loving you
My love for you was not meant to be, because the Gods were displeased with it
The Gods were angry with me because they knew
The divine beings were furious with me because they had perfect knowledge
I stood at heaven's portals but they were too high for any mortal such as I
As a mere mortal, I was unable to reach the threshold of paradise
So they took down the sun the skies were gray then the howling wind took you away
A catastrophic and uncontrollable event occurred, separating us
There was nothing I could do for I could see
I was powerless to prevent what took place, as it was all very clear
It was because the Gods were angry with me
The reasons behind the unfortunate turn of events were rooted in divine anger
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROMA, WATT WATKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind