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.
Take Me As I Am
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take me as I am or let me go
White lilies never grow on stalks of clover
Take me as I am or let me go
You're trying to reshape me in a mold o' love
In the image of someone you used to know
But I won't be a stand-in for an old love
You've tried to change me ever since you've met me
Take me as I am or let me go
If you cannot overlook my faults, forget me
Take me as I am or let me go
You're trying to reshape me in a mold o' now
But I won't be a stand-in for an old love
Take me as I am or let me go
The song "Take Me As I Am" by Bobby Bare talks about the frustration and struggle of being constantly pressured by a loved one to change into someone they want them to be. The lyrics suggest that the singer is tired of being pushed into a mold of somebody else's making and just wants to be accepted for who they are. The idea of white lilies never growing on stalks of clover is a metaphor to highlight the fact that people are unique, and it's unreasonable to expect them to change into someone they are not.
The song is a reflection of a common issue in relationships where one person tries to change the other. The singer is frustrated because the loved one is trying to shape them into someone they used to know or someone they want them to be. It's evident that the singer has had enough of this and wants to be loved for who they are. The line, "You've tried to change me ever since you've met me" is telling of how long the singer has been feeling this pressure. The repetition of the phrase "Take me as I am or let me go" emphasizes the importance of acceptance and implies that the singer will not tolerate being manipulated anymore.
Overall, the song is a plea for acceptance and a reminder that people should be appreciated for who they are, not who they could be. It speaks to the enduring quest for love and acceptance that we all seek in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Why must you always try to make me over?
You keep attempting to transform me into someone else.
Take me as I am or let me go
Either accept me for who I am, or leave me completely.
White lilies never grow on stalks of clover
I am who I am and cannot be changed completely, just as lilies cannot grow on clover stalks.
You're trying to reshape me in a mold o' love
You're attempting to fit me into a preconceived mold of what you think love should be.
In the image of someone you used to know
You're trying to turn me into someone similar to a past love interest of yours.
But I won't be a stand-in for an old love
I won't allow myself to be someone you can use to replace a previous love interest.
You've tried to change me ever since you've met me
From the moment we met, you've tried to alter who I am.
If you cannot overlook my faults, forget me
If you cannot accept me for who I am, flaws and all, then it's best to let go of our relationship altogether.
You're trying to reshape me in a mold o' now
You're attempting to fit me into what's popular and current.
But I won't be a stand-in for an old love
I won't allow myself to be someone to replace a previous love interest, whether that's old-fashioned or contemporary.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CARLY SIMON, MIKE MAINIERI, SID MCGINNIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dave Wollenberg
Bobby hit #28 in Billboard, 9-19-81. Bless you, friend, for postin' it. Thanx! Have a blessed week!
NCLUSA
Always loved his music 5*****. If anyone is interested in reading about how this man got started in music, look up his biography, he's what I would call a "self made man " .
Pieter Domburg
I take The Great bare as he is. Still fabulous at 74 years!
larafox66
oh, another one with Bobby Bare! GREAT! thanks for that. I love his songs and his way so very much! And I wonder why there are not more with him on YT. regards from Germany!
Edmond Ramey
ANOTHER GREAT SINGER.
martha guthrie
Great song and singer!!
Taegan Hughes
he was the first of the outlaws to play music his own way=mel
Larry Carr
If all Bobby ever did was to produce Mickey Newbury's " Rusty Tracks" he would still be in the hall.
Orbie Olsson
Fantastic!
candd87
A great Marty Robbins number sung by another fine singer