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.
Truck Driver Truck Driver
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you have room inside your rig for a highway bum like me
Hey thank you very much don't suppose you could sorta scoot over a little bit
And give me a little more room cause I got long legs
And it's a long way to where I'm goin'
Truck driver truck driver let your diesel roll
Now do you have one cigarette for a man who's wet and cold
I don't really like them regular cigarettes
It's bad for your lungs you know what I mean
And it's a long way to where I'm goin'
Truck driver truck driver lemme ask you one thing more
If I can't sleep in your sleeper cab can I sleep on your trailer floor
Thank you very much
I don't suppose I could sorta borrow your jacket to kinda cover up and get warm with
Cause I'm cold and it's a long way to where I'm goin'
Truck driver truck driver I see in that plastic frame
A picture of a sexy blonde and you know that's my kind of dame
Man I'd really like to grab onto your wife huh
Well it's a long way to where I'm goin' oh yeah
Truck driver truck driver thank you for the ride
Now if you lend me a dollar and half I'll move on down the line
Well I ain't no need to get mad about some folks don't never do nothin' to nobody
And I ain't gonna rob you no more
Yeah Mister you sure got a good lookin' old lady like to get a hold o' her
The lyrics of the song "Truck Driver Truck Driver" by Bobby Bare tell the story of a wanderlust character who is hitchhiking and asking for favors from a truck driver he meets. The character desires to make a long journey and seeks help from the truck driver, including a ride, a cigarette, a jacket, and even a place to sleep. However, as the song progresses, the character becomes more impudent and disrespectful, even making an offensive comment about the truck driver's wife. The song captures the desperation and roughness of life on the road, as well as the tensions and risks involved in hitchhiking.
Line by Line Meaning
Truck driver truck driver stop your Diamond T
The singer is asking the truck driver to stop his vehicle (a Diamond T brand truck) to request a ride.
Do you have room inside your rig for a highway bum like me
The singer is asking if there is space for him inside the truck because he is a homeless traveler.
Hey thank you very much don't suppose you could sorta scoot over a little bit
The singer is thanking the driver for stopping and requesting the driver to move over slightly because the singer has long legs.
And give me a little more room cause I got long legs
The singer is explaining why he needs more space in the truck, because he has long legs and needs to stretch them out to be comfortable.
And it's a long way to where I'm goin'
The singer is emphasizing that he has a long journey ahead and he needs the ride to cover more distance.
Truck driver truck driver let your diesel roll
The singer is asking the driver to start the truck and continue driving.
Now do you have one cigarette for a man who's wet and cold
The singer is requesting a cigarette from the driver because he is cold and wet from being out in the elements.
Yeah thank you very much ah I don't reckon you got one of those filter tips instead
The singer is thanking the driver for the cigarette but requesting a filter tip cigarette instead for health reasons.
I don't really like them regular cigarettes
The singer is explaining his preference for filter tip cigarettes over regular ones.
It's bad for your lungs you know what I mean
The singer is warning the driver of the dangers of regular cigarettes to one's health.
Truck driver truck driver lemme ask you one thing more
The singer is asking the driver one more question.
If I can't sleep in your sleeper cab can I sleep on your trailer floor
The singer is asking if he can sleep in the truck if there is no room in the cab.
Thank you very much
The singer thanks the driver for considering his request.
I don't suppose I could sorta borrow your jacket to kinda cover up and get warm with
The singer is requesting to borrow the driver's jacket because he is cold and needs to stay warm during the trip.
Cause I'm cold and it's a long way to where I'm goin'
The singer is explaining why he needs the jacket and emphasizing that the journey is still long.
Truck driver truck driver I see in that plastic frame
The singer is looking at a picture frame inside the truck.
A picture of a sexy blonde and you know that's my kind of dame
The singer is attracted to the woman in the picture and expressing his romantic interest in her.
Man I'd really like to grab onto your wife huh
The singer is making an inappropriate comment about the driver's wife and suggesting he wants to be with her.
Well it's a long way to where I'm goin' oh yeah
The singer is using the length of his journey as an excuse for his untoward behavior and repeating that he still has a long way to travel.
Truck driver truck driver thank you for the ride
The singer is thanking the driver for giving him a ride.
Now if you lend me a dollar and half I'll move on down the line
The singer is asking the driver for a small amount of money to help continue his journey.
Well I ain't no need to get mad about some folks don't never do nothin' to nobody
The singer is implying that there's no harm in asking for money since he is not hurting anyone and some people are willing to help others in need.
And I ain't gonna rob you no more
The singer is assuring the driver that he will not steal from him, implying that he has already taken something without permission.
Yeah Mister you sure got a good lookin' old lady like to get a hold o' her
The singer is again making inappropriate comments about the driver's wife and expressing his desire to be with her.
Contributed by Anthony N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.