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.
Tender Years
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too young
To realize
She can′t see
Past the stars
In her eyes
So don't take
Leave her tears
These are her tender years
Every word
You whisper
Tenderly
She′ll accept
And believe
Honestly
So don't take
Her young love
Recklessly
These are her tender years
She don't know
What you′re doing
That you′ll
Be her ruin
When that sparkle
In her eyes
Turns to tears
So think it over
And be sure
For her life's
So clean and pure
These are her tender years
These are her tender years
In Bobby Bare's song Tender Years, the singer is warning a potential suitor to be cautious with his young love's feelings. The song is sung with a gentle and melancholic melody that adds to the tender and fragile nature of the message conveyed in the lyrics.
The song paints a picture of a girl who is too young and in love to see the potential consequences of what is to come. She is enamored with the idea of love and can't see beyond her adoration for her significant other. The singer urges the suitor not to take advantage of her young love and leave her with tears as these are her tender years - a time of innocence and naivety.
The lyrics emphasize that the girl is vulnerable and susceptible to the words and actions of her lover. She will accept and believe everything that is whispered to her tenderly by the suitor. The singer warns the suitor not to recklessly take her young love, for it can lead to the ruin of her pure and clean life. The song ends with a plea to think it over be sure that you're not causing any harm.
Overall, Bobby Bare's song Tender Years is a heartfelt plea to be cautious with tender love and to remember that there are consequences to every action. It is a melancholic tribute to the innocence of youth.
Line by Line Meaning
Too much in love
She is deeply in love.
Too young
She is still very young.
To realize
She is not aware of the reality of the situation.
She can′t see
She is unable to see beyond her current emotions.
Past the stars
She is so full of love that it clouds her judgment.
In her eyes
The love she feels is evident in her eyes.
So don't take
Do not misuse.
Her love and
The love she has given you.
Leave her tears
Do not cause her to shed tears.
These are her tender years
She is still very young and innocent.
Every word
Each and every word that you say.
You whisper
The things that you tell her softly.
Tenderly
With care and gentleness.
She′ll accept
She will believe what you say.
And believe
She will trust you.
Honestly
You must be truthful in your words and actions.
Her young love
The love she has to give as a young person.
Recklessly
Without regard for her feelings or wellbeing.
She don't know
She is unaware.
What you′re doing
Your intentions and actions.
That you′ll
That you will.
Be her ruin
Cause her downfall.
When that sparkle
When the love and happiness she has.
In her eyes
The expression of her emotions.
Turns to tears
Turns into sadness and heartbreak.
So think it over
Consider your actions carefully.
And be sure
Be certain.
For her life's
Her life is.
So clean and pure
Innocent and untainted.
These are her tender years
She is in a delicate and vulnerable stage of life.
Writer(s): Bobby Bare, Lee Ross
Contributed by Reagan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lutianmurphy4280
Listening in 1958 and still listening in 2019...country !
@countrypaul
Jackpot 48010, 1958. You can hear him "almost there" with his style. Really nice! Jackpot was essentially a subsidiary of Challenge.
@cindykeelingbates3082
Great!
@verndaniel5814
they are the tender ones for boys too!! I have tried to teach my 18yr old the way life goes back mwhen I was young,you treat girls with respect not by what you feel in whats on your mind.leave it in your pants where it belongs.