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.
Greasy Grit Gravy
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want no catfish eyes
I don't want no lizard spleens
Gimme greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
Greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens
Big fat pie and mobo beans
Make you wanna split your jeans
Hey Marie will you be mine
I'm gonna take you out to dine
We're gonna live beyond our means
Eatin' greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
I kissed my wife and sold the baby
A goin' off to join the navy
All they eat on submarines
Is greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
Greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens
Big fat pie and mobo beans
Make you wanna split your jeans
Eatin' greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
Me and little English Alice
We went down to Buckingham Palace
Walked in on the King and Queen
Eatin' greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
Greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens
Big fat pie and mobo beans
Make you wanna split your jeans
Eatin' greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
Doctor, doctor, help me please
I'm neurotic as I can be
I keep doin' it in my dreams
Oh, greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
Dixie Bell she's southern fried
She don't want no champagne wine
You wanna get into her jeans
Give her greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
Greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens
Big fat pie and mobo beans
Make you wanna split your jeans
Eatin' greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens...
The lyrics of Bobby Bare's song "Greasy Grit Gravy" are a playful and somewhat tongue-in-cheek ode to the pleasures of Southern cuisine. The song's narrator is obsessed with greasy food, and he repeatedly extols the virtues of "greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens." He proclaims his love for these dishes in almost every line of the song, and he describes them as so irresistible that they will make you want to "split your jeans." Indeed, the song's narrator asserts that the only way to win the heart of a Southern belle is to offer her some of this delicious food, as it is apparently the way to get into her "jeans."
Line by Line Meaning
Mama, mama, me oh my
A person is calling out to their mother as an expression of surprise or excitement.
I don't want no catfish eyes
The singer does not desire an unappetizing type of food.
I don't want no lizard spleens
The singer does not desire an unappetizing type of food.
Gimme greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
The artist desires a southern comfort food consisting of grits and chunky gravy with chicken gizzards and greens.
Hey Marie will you be mine
The artist is addressing a woman named Marie and asking if she will be in a romantic relationship with him.
We're gonna live beyond our means
The couple in question will spend more money than they make.
Eatin' greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
The couple will be enjoying their chosen food product.
I kissed my wife and sold the baby
The artist is making a humorous comment about his life's choices and decisions.
A goin' off to join the navy
The artist is planning on joining the navy, which is a popular career choice in the southern United States.
All they eat on submarines
The navy's diet is not that great.
Is greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
The navy's diet mainly consists of the singer's favorite southern comfort food.
Me and little English Alice
The artist and a female named Alice are traveling together.
We went down to Buckingham Palace
The singer and Alice visited a famous London landmark.
Walked in on the King and Queen
The singer and Alice encountered the royal couple unexpectedly.
Doctor, doctor, help me please
The singer is seeking medical help.
I'm neurotic as I can be
The artist is feeling anxious or worried.
I keep doin' it in my dreams
The artist is having recurring dreams that are causing anxiety.
Oh, greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
The singer's favorite southern comfort food is also present in his dreams.
Dixie Bell she's southern fried
The singer is talking about a woman named Dixie Bell who is from the southern United States.
She don't want no champagne wine
Dixie Bell does not desire an expensive drink like champagne.
You wanna get into her jeans
The artist is implying that a man who wants to start a relationship with Dixie Bell should offer her the southern comfort food she loves.
Give her greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
If the man wants to get into Dixie Bell's good graces, he should offer her her favorite food.
Greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens
The song's repeated refrain, emphasizing the southern comfort food the singer and others enjoy.
Big fat pie and mobo beans
Other foods enjoyed in the south that the artist compares to his favorite.
Make you wanna split your jeans
The food is so delicious that the singer could eat past the point of fullness and damage their clothing.
Eatin' greasy grit gravy and gizzard greens.
Reiteration of the joy the singer derives from eating this food.
Writer(s): S. SILVERSTEIN
Contributed by Alex B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.