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.
I Can Almost See Houston From Here
Bobby Bare Lyrics
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I can almost see Houston from here.
I saw Mary's face in that little snowflake
That fell at my feet on the ground
And I heard my old friends in that last bitter wind
That blew back memories of my hometown.
Lord I miss all my loved ones so dear
From the cold Rocky Mountains of Denver
I can almost see Houston from here.
I came here to build a dream and stayed to watch it die
I was meant to fail I guess Lord knows how I tried
With this old thumb I'll get a ride
And bid a lonely last goodbye.
To the cold Rocky Mountains of Denver
For I can almost see Houston from here.
And funny how much better I can see without my pride
From the cold Rocky Mountains of Denver
I can almost see Houston from here...
The song I Can Almost See Houston From Here by Bobby Bare is a nostalgic and reflective piece about a man who is far away from his hometown in Houston, situated in the cold Rocky Mountains of Denver. The singer laments about how he misses his loved ones back home and how he is constantly reminded of them through the snowflakes and bitter winds that are reminiscent of his hometown. The snowy weather is symbolic of how he has been living in isolation since he left home to chase his dreams, which have now died. However, he still holds on to the memories of his hometown and his old friends, and feels a deep sense of longing and nostalgia.
The lyrics describe how the singer had moved away from Houston to Denver to chase his dreams, but now understands that he was meant to fail. He reflects on how he tried his best to succeed, but was unsuccessful. He seems to have given up all hope of success and is resigned to a lonely and desperate existence as he attempts to hitchhike his way back to his hometown, with nothing but his thumb to get him there. He realizes that he can see Houston more clearly when he is away from his pride and ego.
This song beautifully captures the emotions of homesickness, nostalgia, and hopelessness, that are universal to everyone who has ever left their hometown for dreams of a better life. Through its lyrical simplicity and beautiful composition, it evokes feelings of longing and melancholy, which make it such a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
From the cold Rocky Mountains of Denver
Despite being in Denver, which is so far away from Houston, I feel like I'm almost seeing Houston from here
I saw Mary's face in that little snowflake
I saw a snowflake and it reminded me of Mary's face
That fell at my feet on the ground
The snowflake fell and landed at my feet
And I heard my old friends in that last bitter wind
I heard the wind blow and it reminded me of my old friends
That blew back memories of my hometown.
The wind brought back memories of my hometown
I can see the old crowd laughing so loud
I can remember the old crowd laughing loudly
Lord I miss all my loved ones so dear
I really miss all my loved ones
From the cold Rocky Mountains of Denver
Despite being in Denver, which is so far away from Houston, I feel like I'm almost seeing Houston from here
I can almost see Houston from here.
I can almost see Houston despite being so far away
I came here to build a dream and stayed to watch it die
I came to Denver to pursue a dream but it failed and I had to watch it die
I was meant to fail I guess Lord knows how I tried
It seems like I was meant to fail because regardless of how hard I tried, things didn't work out
With this old thumb I'll get a ride
I'll hitchhike with my thumb to get a ride
And bid a lonely last goodbye.
I'll say a sad farewell
To the cold Rocky Mountains of Denver
I'm saying goodbye to Denver
For I can almost see Houston from here.
Despite leaving Denver, I can still almost see Houston
And funny how much better I can see without my pride
It's interesting how I can see things better now that I've let go of my pride
From the cold Rocky Mountains of Denver
Despite being in Denver, which is so far away from Houston, I feel like I'm almost seeing Houston from here
I can almost see Houston from here...
I can almost see Houston despite being so far away
Writer(s): r. willis
Contributed by Aiden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.