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.
Yard Full Of Rusty Cars
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you know there'll be a coffee perkin' on a rusty stove
And you walk right in, sit down and feel right at home
In the kitchen of the house of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars
Show me a man with a yard full o' rusty cars
And you know he's got a fridge full o' beer and it's nice and cold.
Swing on the porch, eat balony and bread and talk about gettin' old.
Scratchin' the ears of the dog of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Tell him I been to Haite an' he says â??well 'at's real niceâ??.
Â??Hay, Ma, this beer could sure use a little bit o' iceâ??
Â??Now what was you sayin' about goin' to Hades?â?? says the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
â??Ma' teeth gone badâ?? says the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Â??Toylet's on the blink and heavyweights today can't hit.â??
Â??You know you remind me a lot o' my brother's youngest kid.â??
Â??Got killed in Korea. You play gin rummy?â?? says the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Kick off your shoes on the couch of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Smoke your smokes and flick the ashes on the floor.
Â??Hell son, everythin' here's been burned or broke at least once beforeâ??.
And he winks at his old lady and she winks back at the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
â??Lord!â?? says the man with the rusty cars â??that woman's gettin' wide!â??
Â??So much for beauty son! Hand me that TV guide.â??
Watching the flies in the kitchen of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Hole in the screen door where the dogs crawl in and out.
Â??Careful with that soup son. It'll burn a hole in your mouth!â??
Â??Soup an' life, you gotta wait 'em out.â?? says the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Watch TV in the parlour of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Â??Son, you ever get to sleep with any o' them movie stars?â??
Â??I'd like to do that once before I dieâ?? but he's talking a little too loud,
And his woman's smilin' kinda proud of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Talking God and baseball with the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
Fall asleep right on the couch there where ya' sit
An' you know that his old woman ain't gonna mind a bit,
Leastwise she don't mention nothin' to that smilin', smokin', dirty jokin', lucky old man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
The lyrics of Bobby Bare's "Yard Full of Rusty Cars" paint a vivid picture of a simple, rickety life in the countryside. The song suggests that sometimes, amidst the rustic surroundings of aging cars and run-down sheds, you can find joy and warmth.
The song speaks to a character who is essentially celebrating the charms of the simple life. Bobby Bare shows with the lyrics that the man with the yard full of rusty cars is a friendly, welcoming fellow who isn't afraid to open up to a stranger. He's got a simple home with no frills, but he's always willing to offer his guests a cold beer or a hot cup of coffee. When the singer of the song finds himself in such a place, he immediately feels at home. The locals probably enjoy a lot of storytelling in this inviting environment, and it is clear that the singer is merely eavesdropping on the conversations.
Overall, the lyrics of the song suggest that even amidst the direst of circumstances, there can be incredible joy and beauty to be found. The warmth and hospitality of those who live in modest circumstances are examples that are highly regarded in this song.
Line by Line Meaning
Show me a house with a yard full o' rusty cars
If you see a house with a yard full of rusty cars, then you know the coffee is brewing on a rusty stove, inviting you to sit down and feel right at home in the kitchen.
Show me a man with a yard full o' rusty cars
If you see a man with a yard full of rusty cars, then you know he has a fridge full of cold beer and is always ready to sit on the porch, eat baloney and bread with you, and talk about getting old.
Scratchin' the ears of the dog of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
You can share your stories about your travels, and he will listen and talk about his experiences while spitting in the dust, all while scratching the ears of his dog.
Kick off your shoes on the couch of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
If you kick off your shoes and relax on his couch, you can smoke, and flick ashes on the floor, all while listening to his advice that everything in life has been burned or broken at least once before.
Watch TV in the parlour of the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
While watching TV in the parlour of the man with a yard full of rusty cars, he might inquire whether you've ever slept with any movie stars and express his own yearning for that before falling asleep.
Talking God and baseball with the man with a yard full o' rusty cars.
You may end up discussing God and baseball with the man with a yard full of rusty cars, and eventually fall asleep on his couch where he and his woman don't mind your presence at all, and they don't bring it up to the lucky old man with a yard full of rusty cars when he wakes up.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind