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 Was Coming Home to You
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But then I saw this old sweetheart I once knew
And I vowed as I set me down beside her that darling I was coming home to you
Can I help it if she was going my way
And we talked about old times we used to know
And I'm sure we had that green light at the corner
Anyone who saw the wreck could tell you so
And then darling I was coming home to you
Then you came you saw her lying there beside me
Please believe me dear that romance is through
Even though I know you saw her arms around me darling I was coming home to you
Believe me darling I was coming home to you
The lyrics to Bobby Bare's song "I Was Coming Home to You" tell the story of a man who stops by at the party of an old friend, but ends up meeting an old sweetheart he once knew. As he sits down beside her, he vows that he was still coming home to his current lover. The man then offers to drop the old sweetheart off at her place and head home. However, they end up crashing at a green light on their way to her place, and the man's lover drives by and sees them. He later pleads with his lover to believe that the old romance is over and that he was only coming home to her.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of regret, as the man is forced to face the consequences of his actions and explain himself to his lover. The lyrics are packed with dramatic tension, as the listener wonders whether or not the man's lover will be willing to forgive him.
In conclusion, "I Was Coming Home to You" is a song about a man who must confront the mistakes he's made and try to fix things with his lover. Despite the drama and tension in the lyrics, the song ultimately conveys a message of love and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I stopped by at the party of an old friend
I went to a party hosted by someone I used to know
But then I saw this old sweetheart I once knew
I saw someone I used to have a romantic relationship with
And I vowed as I set me down beside her that darling I was coming home to you
I promised myself that I would return to you after spending time with her
Can I help it if she was going my way
Could I have prevented the fact that she was headed in the same direction?
And we talked about old times we used to know
We reminisced about the past moments we spent together
And I'm sure we had that green light at the corner
I'm certain that we had the signal to cross at the intersection
Anyone who saw the wreck could tell you so
Any observer would attest to the fact that a collision between two vehicles occurred
I was only gonna drop her off at her place
My intention was to only take her home
And then darling I was coming home to you
After dropping her off, I planned on returning to you
Then you came you saw her lying there beside me
When you arrived, you noticed her next to me
Please believe me dear that romance is through
Please trust me when I say our relationship is over
Even though I know you saw her arms around me darling I was coming home to you
Despite seeing her embracing me, I still planned on returning to you
Believe me darling I was coming home to you
Trust that I had every intention of returning to you
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: HAYES, RULE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind