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.
True Story
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some wild outlaws chased me and they shot me in the side
So I crawled into a wild cat's cave to find a place to hide
But some pirates found me a sleepin' there and soon they had me tied
Till a lady zombie cut me loose and begged to be my bride
So I said I'd come back Wednesday but I must admit I lied
Cause I run away into the swamp but I forgot my guide
And I stepped into some quicksand and no matter how I tried
Who took me to some cannibals who planned to have me fried
They built a fire under me and I swear I almost cried
Till an eagle come and swooped me up and through the air we flied
But he dropped me in a boilin' lake a thousand miles wide
And you know what happened then I died
The lyrics of Bobby Bare's song, True Story, tell a wild and fantastical tale of a man who goes for a ride, gets shot and chased by outlaws, hides in a wild cat's cave, ends up captured by pirates, and then rescued by a lady zombie who wants to marry him. He runs away into the swamp, gets stuck in quicksand, is saved by a crocodile named Clyde and taken to cannibals who want to have him for dinner. He is saved by an eagle, only to end up falling into a boiling lake and dying.
The song can be interpreted in different ways, but one possible interpretation is that it reflects the vicissitudes of life, where unexpected and adverse situations can present themselves at any moment, and we must persevere and rely on our wit and courage to overcome them. The man's journey is filled with danger and obstacles, but he manages to hold on until the end. However, his luck runs out in the boiling lake, and he dies, suggesting that death is the ultimate fate for all of us, no matter how adventurous or daring our lives have been.
Line by Line Meaning
This mornin' I jumped on my horse and went out for a ride
I went for a horse ride early in the morning
Some wild outlaws chased me and they shot me in the side
I was chased by bandits and got shot in my side
So I crawled into a wild cat's cave to find a place to hide
I hid in a cave where a wildcat lived
But some pirates found me a sleepin' there and soon they had me tied
Pirates found me sleeping and took me hostage
Till a lady zombie cut me loose and begged to be my bride
A female zombie freed me and wanted to marry me
So I said I'd come back Wednesday but I must admit I lied
I promised to come back on Wednesday but I didn't keep my word
Cause I run away into the swamp but I forgot my guide
I fled into the marsh and forgot my guide
And I stepped into some quicksand and no matter how I tried
I stepped into quicksand and couldn't escape
I couldn't get out until I met a crocodile named Clyde
I was saved by a crocodile named Clyde
Who took me to some cannibals who planned to have me fried
Clyde took me to cannibals who wanted to cook me
They built a fire under me and I swear I almost cried
The cannibals lit a fire under me, and I was frightened
Till an eagle come and swooped me up and through the air we flied
An eagle rescued me and carried me in the air
But he dropped me in a boilin' lake a thousand miles wide
Unfortunately, the eagle dropped me in a massive boiling lake
And you know what happened then I died
As expected, I died
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
eggsalad0071
As a kid I wore this 8 track out. My bb gun and Bobby had a lot of adventures together.
ShelbyAnn
I still love this song
Linda Green
love him, a true great..