Bobby Bare (born Robert Joseph Bare on April 7, 1935 in Ironton, Ohio) is a… Read Full Bio ↴Bobby Bare (born Robert Joseph Bare on April 7, 1935 in Ironton, Ohio) is an American country music singer and songwriter.

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.

New York City Snow
Bobby Bare Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was learning how to fly when I left Boise City
Like summer I was headin' for the fall
Now the bitter taste of truth it's gettin' hard to swallow
For a country boy who thought he knew it all
So cold and tired and broke I can't even pay attention
And loneliness ain't fit and warm to wear
And home is just a word it hurts me now to mention
Yes I've gone too far to get back there from here

Hear the Salvation Army band a playin' I hear questions but the answers I don't know
The silence fell the truth for me will soon be dead rain
Through this cold and lonely New York City snow

These old New York City sidewalks sure did thrill me
I guess the right way was the wrong way after all
Lord I'd sell my soul if just one friend could hear me callin' for 'I'm
I wish I could afford to make a call
Hear the Salvation Army

Through this cold and lonely New York City snow

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bobby Bare's song New York City Snow tells of the struggles of a country boy who left his hometown of Boise City, Idaho to chase after his dreams. He started off with a sense of adventure, like the onset of the summer season, but as he faced the harsh realities of the real world, his optimism faded much like the end of summer transitioning to fall. He finds himself struggling to make ends meet in New York City, feeling cold, tired and lonely with no one to turn to. His yearning for home is palpable, yet it seems like an almost impossible feat to go back. He hears the Salvation Army band playing, and as the snow falls in silence, he's left with more questions than answers.

The song speaks to the experience of many people who leave their hometowns for the big city in search of new opportunities, only to discover that it's not all glamour and glitz. The city can be tough, and there's a steep price for chasing dreams that may not come true. The song portrays the emotions of longing, loneliness and the harsh truths of reality that come with pursuing dreams. In the end, the character in the song is left to face his thoughts and feelings while listening to the Salvation Army band play on.

Line by Line Meaning

I was learning how to fly when I left Boise City
I left my small town with big dreams, but quickly learned that life can be tough

Like summer I was headin' for the fall
I thought everything was going great, but suddenly things started going downhill

Now the bitter taste of truth it's gettin' hard to swallow
I'm realizing that my dreams might not be all they're cracked up to be

For a country boy who thought he knew it all
I was naive and didn't understand the challenges of living in a big city

So cold and tired and broke I can't even pay attention
I'm so exhausted and poor that I can't focus on anything else

And loneliness ain't fit and warm to wear
Being alone is uncomfortable and unsettling

And home is just a word it hurts me now to mention
The thought of home makes me sad because I'm so far away and struggling

Yes I've gone too far to get back there from here
I feel like it's impossible to turn back now

Hear the Salvation Army band a playin' I hear questions but the answers I don't know
I'm hearing noises and questions, but I don't know how to find the answers

New York City SnowBobby Bare Lyrics

New York City Snow
Bobby Bare Lyrics