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.
Rosalie
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's too late to try to catch the sinking sun
But the seasons of my mind they're walking back through summer time
When the sun was bright and our new love was blind
Roselee won't you come and walk through summertime with me
At your mother's house tonight I kissed the sunshine of my life
As I tucked him in his little baby bed
When I turned to walk away my thoughts ran back to yesterday
Roselee I can see in him a part of you and me
At the market place today I overheard somebody say
In three short weeks you'd marry my best friend
But the seasons of your mind will walk again through summertime
When you feel me in the touch of my son's hand
Roselee you'll be walking with the living end of me
[ guitar ]
With my hand clutched to my head they'll find me in this lonely bed
Where you told me you were through with loving me
Maybe then your seasons mind will walk again through summertime
When our sun is shining six feet over me
Roselee yes your leaving took the living out of me
The lyrics of Bobby Bare's song, Rosalie, tell the story of a man who is left alone with his thoughts, feeling the darkness coming on. In his mind, he walks back through summertime when he was in love and happy, and specifically remembers a moment when he went to visit his lover's mother's house and kissed his baby boy goodbye. His mind then runs back to their past when they were together, holding each other close and in love. He tells her that he can see a part of her and him in their son, but then overhears that she is going to marry his best friend in just three weeks. Despite this, he hopes that someday her mind will walk again through summertime and she'll feel him through their son's touch. The song ends with him talking about how her leaving took the living out of him and how he might be found dead in his lonely bed one day.
Overall, the song is a melancholy reflection on lost love and the lingering hope that something might bring it back. The imagery of walking through summertime, specifically through the memories of when their love was new, highlights the sweetness and innocence of their past. The fact that they share a child also makes the loss more painful and complicated. The song emphasizes the emotional pain and sense of hopelessness felt by the man.
Line by Line Meaning
As I lay here all alone I feel the darkness coming on
I am feeling lonely and depressed
It's too late to try to catch the sinking sun
It's too late to fix our relationship
But the seasons of my mind they're walking back through summer time
I am reminiscing about our happy times together
When the sun was bright and our new love was blind
We were deeply in love and everything seemed perfect
Roselee won't you come and walk through summertime with me
I am asking for us to reconcile and relive those happy times
At your mother's house tonight I kissed the sunshine of my life
I spent time with our child and felt happy
As I tucked him in his little baby bed
I took care of our child and put him to bed
When I turned to walk away my thoughts ran back to yesterday
I couldn't help but think about our past together
When I held you close to me and softly said
I remember how we used to be intimate and share our love
Roselee I can see in him a part of you and me
I see our love reflected in our child
At the market place today I overheard somebody say
I heard rumors that you are getting married to someone else soon
In three short weeks you'd marry my best friend
You are planning to marry my close friend in a few weeks
But the seasons of your mind will walk again through summertime
You will also think back to our happy times together
When you feel me in the touch of my son's hand
You will remember me through our child
Roselee you'll be walking with the living end of me
Our child will always remind you of me
With my hand clutched to my head they'll find me in this lonely bed
I will be found dead, probably from suicide due to my depression
Where you told me you were through with loving me
You broke up with me and said that you no longer loved me
Maybe then your seasons mind will walk again through summertime
Perhaps then you will remember our happy times together
When our sun is shining six feet over me
When I am buried, and our child is grown up
Roselee yes your leaving took the living out of me
Your leaving and the thought of losing our child has made me lose all my joy and happiness
Contributed by Tristan R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.