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.
Shame On Me
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Last night I was blind but today I see I did you wrong shame on me
You say you won't be seein' me again you say we're through
I wouldn't want to see the sunrise tomorrow if I knew that to be true
I know that just sayin' sorry doesn't sound out a lot
But the girl you saw me with last night means no more to me
Than the thousand stars to the great clouds that cover the night
Shame on me for hurting you...
I'll admit I shouldn't have given into love's wild temptation
With someone I cared nothing for I was blind and I hurt you
Can you ever forgive the fool the fool who really loves you
Last night I was blind but today I see I did you wrong shame on me
The lyrics of Bobby Bare's song "Shame on Me" express the regret of a man who has cheated on his significant other. He acknowledges the pain he has caused and takes responsibility for his actions by saying "shame on me for hurting you". He is desperate to make amends and begs for forgiveness, admitting that he was blinded by love's temptation and acted foolishly. He recognizes that just saying sorry may not be enough, but hopes that his love will be strong enough to overcome his mistake.
The singer's emotions are raw and intense throughout the song, as he tries to convince his partner not to leave him. He assures her that the other woman means nothing to him and that he loves her more than anything else in the world. He pleads with her to forgive him and not let the mistake of one night ruin their entire relationship. The refrain "shame on me for hurting you" is a powerful declaration of regret and remorse that is repeated to emphasize the depth of his emotions.
Overall, the song "Shame on Me" is a powerful exploration of the consequences of infidelity and the need for forgiveness in relationships. It portrays the intense emotions of a man who has done wrong and the struggle to make things right again.
Line by Line Meaning
Shame on me for hurting you what can I say what can I do
I feel deeply sorry for causing you harm. I want to make things right, but I don't know how.
You say you won't be seein' me again you say we're through
You expressed that you want nothing to do with me from now on. You're breaking up with me.
I wouldn't want to see the sunrise tomorrow if I knew that to be true
If it's true that we're through, I don't want to live through another day without you in my life.
I know that just sayin' sorry doesn't sound out a lot
I am aware that apologizing alone is not enough to make up for what I've done.
But the girl you saw me with last night means no more to me
The person you saw me with last night holds no importance to me beyond as much as any other random person.
Than the thousand stars to the great clouds that cover the night
That person means less to me than the countless stars that adorn the night sky.
The more I look at her the more I realize how much I love you
The more I try to like that other person, the more I understand how much I truly love you.
I'll admit I shouldn't have given into love's wild temptation
I confess that I should not have acted on my impulsive desire for someone else.
With someone I cared nothing for I was blind and I hurt you
I was foolish to get involved with a person who meant nothing to me. My blindness towards my love for you caused you pain.
Can you ever forgive the fool the fool who really loves you
Despite my foolish mistake, I truly love you. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?
Last night I was blind but today I see I did you wrong shame on me
I was too blind to recognize the harm I would cause you, but now I see the error of my ways. I feel remorseful and ashamed for hurting you.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOHN BARRANCO, STEVEN JOSEPH WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lynda pabaon
SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND SAD SONG. i HAVE LOVED THIS SONG SINCE THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT. Bobby Bare is one of my all time favorite singers. LLOP
Marielle Martin
I feel the same way. I still play it today August 8th 2021.
fhwandell
Love this song. Bobby Bare can sure style a message. Another good example is his 500 miles away from home song.
ENDERTON2000
Detroit city too
Nina Sammut
fhwandell beautiful song
onlyme114 D.
Man it's been a long time since I heard this one. LOVE IT !
Bob Jones
Wow, I just can't believe how much I loved this song when it was out!! Thanks for posting!
Lynda pabaon
I love this song and Bobby Bare. So many good memories associated with this song. Thank you !
Maggie Matt
Thank you Mr Russell for posting this. Brings back a whole host of beautiful childhood memories.
George B
Have not heard this song for a while...still love it!