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.
Million Miles to the City
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were told that the city could only bring us harm
Well how far away is the city you know that's a great big town
And Barbara said why it's a million miles and then the story got around
It's a million miles to the city from the hills and valleys we know
It's a million miles to the city and some day we all wanna go
There was a town nearby but a town is a town and a city that's somethin' else
Our daddy had been to a city but he never was much help
The buildings're taller than oak trees ah but we knew better than that
Cause ain't nobody could climb that high the city was wide and flat
It's a million miles
The years have passed and we have grown and traveled far and wide
The cities have changed the kids we were we see it in each other's eyes
Lord I'd love to go back to those hills again to the boy I used to be
Where the leaves in the wind and the whippoorwills
Were all just a part of the land like me
It's a million miles
"Bobby Bare's Million Miles to the City" is a song that revolves around the innocence of childhood and the desire to explore beyond a farmer's life. The song begins with the memory of the past when the singer was young and living on a farm, surrounded by the hills and valleys they knew so well. They were warned about the city and its potential danger, but they always wondered how far it was from the farm. The answer was always the same, "a million miles away," and it became a story they shared with others.
The singer talked about how they had a nearby town, but it could not compare to the city's grandeur. Even their father had been to a city, but he was never much help in answering their questions about it. They imagined that the buildings were taller than oak trees but also knew nobody could climb to that height because the city was vast and flat. They still believed the city was a million miles away and only dreamed of going there one day.
As the song progresses, the singer and their friends have grown up, traveled the world and experienced change. They now see each other's eyes and recall their childhood memories, realizing that they have come a long way from their farming days. Despite everything they have seen and lived, the singer still longs to go back to the hills they once knew, to be the boy they were, where the land and nature were all they had.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember it now we were kids back then living down on the farm
The singer recollects a time from their youth when they lived on a farm
We were told that the city could only bring us harm
The singer was informed that the city was dangerous
Well how far away is the city you know that's a great big town
The singer asks how far the city is located
And Barbara said why it's a million miles and then the story got around
Barbara exaggerates that the city is extremely distant and this became a legend of sorts among the people
It's a million miles to the city from the hills and valleys we know
The city is a great distance from the artist's familiar landscape
It's a million miles to the city and some day we all wanna go
Despite the distance and fear, everyone at some point wants to visit the city
There was a town nearby but a town is a town and a city that's somethin' else
Although there is a town close by, the singer recognizes the difference between that and a metropolis
Our daddy had been to a city but he never was much help
The artist's father had gone to a city before, but wasn't informative
The buildings're taller than oak trees ah but we knew better than that
The artist discredits the idea that buildings are taller than trees by knowing that it is impossible to climb them
Cause ain't nobody could climb that high the city was wide and flat
The city is too sprawling and flat for buildings to appear taller than trees
The years have passed and we have grown and traveled far and wide
Time has passed and the singer has grown up and traveled to many places
The cities have changed the kids we were we see it in each other's eyes
The cities the artist has visited have changed and they can see the difference in themselves and their companions
Lord I'd love to go back to those hills again to the boy I used to be
The singer expresses a desire to return to their past in the hills to relive childhood
Where the leaves in the wind and the whippoorwills
The singer describes the sounds of nature in their childhood home
Were all just a part of the land like me
The singer felt like they were a part of the natural surroundings they used to inhabit
It's a million miles
The refrain repeats the idea that the city is very far away
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOM T. HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind