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.
Lovin' Her Was Easier
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aching with the feeling of the freedom of an eagle when she flies
Turning on the world, the way she smiled upon my soul as I lay dying
Healing as the colors in the sunshine and the shadows of her eyes
Loving her was easier than anything I'll ever do again
Coming close together
With a feeling that I'd never known before in my time
I don't know the answer to the easy way she opened every door in my mind
But dreaming was as easy as believing it was never gonna end
Loving her was easier than anything I'll ever do again
Waking in the morning to the feeling of her fingers on my skin
Wiping out the traces of the people and the places that I"ve been
Teaching me that yesterday was something that I never thought of trying
Talking of tomorrow and the money, love and time we had to spend
The opening lines of Bobby Bare's "Lovin' Her Was Easier" evoke the stunning beauty of a sunrise on a mountain, with golden light burning and the sense of freedom an eagle experiences when flying. He then describes how the woman he loves brings healing to his soul, with her smile and the colors in the sunlight and shadows in her eyes. The chorus notes how loving her was easier than anything he'll ever do again, with the feeling of coming close together in a way that's entirely new, and how she is unafraid to be herself as a woman and friend. He muses over how he doesn't understand the easy way that she opened doors in his mind and how dreaming with her was as easy as believing it would never end.
The second verse describes waking up in the morning to the feeling of her fingers on his skin, erasing everything from his past and teaching him to focus on the present and future, with the hope and promise of shared love and life together. The lyrics are poetic, creating a vivid image of the beauty around them and the transformative power of their love. The song speaks to the intensity and depth of feelings that come with the special connection between partners, and the hope for long-lasting love and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
I have seen the morning burning golden on the mountain in the skies
I have witnessed a beautiful sunrise on a mountain that looked like it was on fire.
Aching with the feeling of the freedom of an eagle when she flies
I felt a deep sense of freedom, like that of an eagle soaring through the sky.
Turning on the world, the way she smiled upon my soul as I lay dying
Her smile illuminated my soul, even in my darkest moments.
Healing as the colors in the sunshine and the shadows of her eyes
Being with her was healing, like the colors of the sunshine and the shadows in her eyes.
Loving her was easier than anything I'll ever do again
Loving her was effortless and came more naturally than anything else in my life.
Coming close together
We were physically and emotionally close to each other.
With a feeling that I'd never known before in my time
I experienced a new and unique feeling I had never felt before that moment.
She ain't ashamed to be a woman or afraid to be a friend
She embraced her femininity and was not afraid to be a true friend to me.
I don't know the answer to the easy way she opened every door in my mind
I don't understand how effortlessly she was able to understand and connect with me on such a deep level.
But dreaming was as easy as believing it was never gonna end
It was effortless to dream about spending the rest of my life with her, as if it would never end.
Waking in the morning to the feeling of her fingers on my skin
I woke up to the feeling of her touch on my skin, which was a beautiful feeling.
Wiping out the traces of the people and the places that I've been
Being with her made me forget about my past experiences and the people and places associated with them.
Teaching me that yesterday was something that I never thought of trying
She taught me that dwelling on the past was not worth my time and energy.
Talking of tomorrow and the money, love and time we had to spend
We talked about our plans for the future, including how we would spend our time and money together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind