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.
The Streets of Baltimore
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We left our kin and all our friends back there in Tennessee
I bought those one way tickets she had often begged me for
And they took us to the streets of Baltimore
Her heart was filled with laughter when she saw those city lights
She said the prettiest place on earth is Baltimore at night
Oh well a man feels proud to give his woman what she's longing for
And I kind of liked the streets of Baltimore
I bought a little cottage in a neighborhood serene
Yet every night when I came home with every muscle sore
She would drag me through the streets of Baltimore
Well I did my best to bring her back to what she used to be
But I soon learned she loved those bright lights much more than she loved me
Now I'm a going back on that same train that brought me here before
While my baby walks the streets of Baltimore
Yes my baby walks the streets of Baltimore
Bobby Bare's song The Streets of Baltimore tells the story of a man who sells his farm in Tennessee to take his woman to Baltimore, the place she was longing to be. They leave behind their family and friends and embark on a new journey together. The woman is thrilled to see the city lights of Baltimore and finds the streets to be the prettiest place on earth at night. The man feels proud to give his woman what she desires and even starts working at a factory to provide for her. However, he soon realizes that she has fallen in love with the bright lights of the city more than she loves him. He tries his best to bring her back to who she used to be, but he fails. In the end, as he is leaving Baltimore, he reflects on how his baby walks the streets of Baltimore while he is going back to where he came from.
The Streets of Baltimore is a song about the disillusionment of love set against the backdrop of a big city. The lyrics showcase the theme of longing and disappointment perfectly. It is a tale of giving up everything for someone and not getting anything in return. The singer's experience of moving to a city with his lover and not being able to keep her happy is an all too familiar feeling that many people have felt at some point in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I sold the farm to take my woman where she longed to be
I sold my farm to fulfill my woman's desire to move somewhere else
We left our kin and all our friends back there in Tennessee
We left behind all our relatives and friends in Tennessee
I bought those one way tickets she had often begged me for
I bought one-way tickets that my woman had repeatedly pleaded me to purchase
And they took us to the streets of Baltimore
And those tickets led us to Baltimore
Her heart was filled with laughter when she saw those city lights
My woman was happy and amused when she saw the bright lights of the city
She said the prettiest place on earth is Baltimore at night
According to her, Baltimore looks the best at night
Oh well a man feels proud to give his woman what she's longing for
A man feels delighted to fulfill his woman's desires
And I kind of liked the streets of Baltimore
I too started to enjoy the charm of Baltimore streets
Well I got myself a factory job I ran an old machine
I found a job in a factory and worked on an old machine
I bought a little cottage in a neighborhood serene
I purchased a small cottage in a calm locality
Yet every night when I came home with every muscle sore
Despite my tiredness after work, every night my woman dragged me out to explore Baltimore streets
She would drag me through the streets of Baltimore
She would pull me towards the city streets every time we returned home from work
Well I did my best to bring her back to what she used to be
I tried my best to make her feel the same as she did before, remind her of old memories
But I soon learned she loved those bright lights much more than she loved me
However, eventually, I realized that she loved the city's bright lights more than me
Now I'm a going back on that same train that brought me here before
Now, I am returning on the same train which brought me to Baltimore
While my baby walks the streets of Baltimore
While my woman walks on the streets of Baltimore, without me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Harlan Howard, Tompall Glaser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Caplan
Classic country music as it was meant to be.
William Boney
I grew up listening to Bobby,great country singer.
Kulatti's
So glad to hear this song again from you Mr.Bare🎸👍🏻👏🏻
Ken Barnes
Still amazing after all these years 👍👍
Dan Holenstein
The class of Bobby Bare!
Kevin Miller
Dan Holenstein-Bobby's one of the few true country music singers still around-all the rest are either retired or dead, and today's so-called country music isn't worth a plugged nickel; it's just pop.
Renate Quilitz
I know Bobby Bare and his Songs since I went to school , long ago and still wonderful to Listen to.
Teejay481
The older Bobby got the better he sounded hes an amazing singer
T.E. Ross
Back when music was just that, music! Listen to all those instruments!
Ken Marriott
Beautiful song