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.
Short and Sweet
Bobby Bare Lyrics
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While I watched in a dream and dreamed as I watched
The sweetest and the shortest story told
Short and sweet were those good old songs of yesterday
Short and sweet Lord was the warm and tender love she gave to me
Short and sweet Lord so short and sweet
Walking down the same old roads good Lord knows I toted loads
Now I'm lost and alone singing some old worn out song
Where the darkness stretches time ten to one
Short and sweet
The lyrics of "Short and Sweet" by Bobby Bare encapsulate the bittersweet feeling of reminiscing about love and simpler times past. The opening line of the song describes the love interest as a "soft summer rain," which is a metaphor signifying the way she came into the singer's life and cleansed his worn-out soul. While watching her, the singer falls into a dreamlike state and reflects on how sweet and short their story was. The phrase "short and sweet" is repeated several times throughout the song, further emphasizing this idea that their love was brief but intense.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on a time before his love interest arrived, when he "toted loads" and walked down "the same old roads." However, now that she's gone, he feels lost and alone, singing old songs of the past. The final line of the song, "where the darkness stretches time ten to one," is particularly poignant, as it highlights the endless feeling of sorrow that can come with losing someone.
Line by Line Meaning
A soft summer rain she was when she came and settled my old dusty worn-out soul
She was a refreshing, restoring presence in my life, cleansing the dust and weariness from my being like a gentle rain in the summertime.
While I watched in a dream and dreamed as I watched
I was so struck and enamored by her presence that I felt as though I was in a dream, simply watching her and letting my mind wander to vivid fantasies.
The sweetest and the shortest story told
Our romance was brief but beautiful, one of those that would make for the sweetest and shortest tale of all time.
Short and sweet were those good old songs of yesterday
Just like how the classic songs of yesterday were often brief yet impactful, so too was our love affair short and sweet.
Short and sweet Lord was the warm and tender love she gave to me
Her love for me was gentle, kind, and brief, but it still left a warm and lasting impression on me.
Short and sweet Lord so short and sweet
Once again, our love was fleeting but memorable, brief yet packed with meaning and sweetness.
Walking down the same old roads good Lord knows I toted loads
Before I met her, my life was a slog of burdensome routines and hardships.
But that was back before she came along
However, things changed significantly and for the better once she entered my life.
Now I'm lost and alone singing some old worn out song
Without her, I now feel adrift and lonely, reduced to a shell of my former self and belting out tired, melancholy ballads.
Where the darkness stretches time ten to one
My days without her feel like an eternity of gloom and despair, with time dragging on slowly and painfully.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHAVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind