Yarbrough was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in New York City. After leaving high school, he attended St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, where he roomed with Jac Holzman and began performing after he and Holzman attended a concert by Woody Guthrie.
During the Korean War he served in the United States Army as a codebreaker before joining the entertainment corps. After military service, he moved to South Dakota, helped organize square dances, and started appearing on local television shows. By the mid-1950s, he started performing in clubs in Chicago, where he met club owner Albert Grossman and performers including Odetta and Shel Silverstein. One of Elektra Records' first artists, he was one of the first singers to record the traditional "The House of the Rising Sun."
Yarbrough moved to Aspen, Colorado, and ran a club, the Limelite, and formed a folk group with Alex Hassilev and Louis Gottlieb. They released their first album, Limeliters, on Holzman's Elektra label in 1960.[1] He left the Limeliters for a solo career in the mid-1960s. His most popular single, and the one for which he is most well-known today is "Baby the Rain Must Fall" (the theme tune from the film of the same name), which entered the Cashbox chart on March 27, 1965 and reached #12 pop and #2 easy listening. According to Chartmasters of Covington, Louisiana, the song was one of the all time top 100 of the year.[citation needed]
Among other career highlights, Yarbrough provided vocals for the Rankin/Bass Productions animated versions of The Hobbit (1977) singing songs such as The Greatest Adventure, The Road Goes Ever On as well as The Return of the King (1980) singing "Frodo of the Nine Fingers" in addition to singing the title song in the 1966 holiday classic, The Christmas That Almost Wasn't. Yarbrough also performed Utah Composer Michael McLean's Forgotten Carols, creating a CD of the show as well as taking it on the road to local audiences in the 1990s.
Glenn Yarbrough was also an accomplished sailor who owned and lived aboard three different sailboats: Armorel, all teak and still in operation; Jubilee, which Yarbrough helped build, taking three years; and the Brass Dolphin a Chinese junk design, and has, according to Yarbrough, sailed around the world except for the Indian Ocean.
Yarbrough lost his ability to sing due to complications from throat surgery at the age of 80. In his last year or so of life, he suffered from dementia and was cared for by his daughter Holly in Nashville, Tennessee. Holly recorded the album "Annie Get Your Gun" with her father in 1997.
Yarbrough died from complications of dementia in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 86.
Baby The Rain Must Fall
Glenn Yarbrough Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some men swim the sea
Some men fly above the sky
They are what they must be
But baby, the rain must fall
Baby, the wind must blow
Wherever my heart leads me
Baby, I must go
I do not love for silver
Do not love for gold
My heart is mine to give away
It never will be sold
So baby, the rain must fall
Baby, the wind must blow
Wherever my heart leads me
Baby, I must go
Baby, I must go
I am not rich or famous
But who can ever tell
I do not know what waits for me
May be heaven may be hell
Baby, the rain must fall
Baby, the wind must blow
Wherever my heart leads me
Baby, I must go
Baby, I must go
The lyrics of the song "Baby The Rain Must Fall" conveys the message of living life on one's own terms, being true to oneself and following one's own heart. The song suggests that everyone should follow their own paths in life, regardless of what society, expectations, or even wealth and fame may dictate. The opening lines of the song mention how some men climb a mountain, swim in the sea, or fly above the sky, and they are what they must be. However, the singer asserts that baby, the rain must fall, and baby, the wind must blow, which means that we all have to face the ups and downs of life, and we should let our hearts guide us in our journey.
The chorus of the song "Baby The Rain Must Fall" reinforces the idea that the singer will go wherever his heart leads him. He emphasizes that he does not love for silver, does not love for gold, and his heart is his to give away. He chooses to live his life freely, and he does not care if he becomes rich or famous or not. The final verse reveals that the singer is unsure of what awaits him in the future, be it heaven or hell, but he will still follow his heart's desires.
Overall, "Baby The Rain Must Fall" encourages listeners to lead their lives as they want, without the pressure to conform to society's expectations. The song promotes the idea of individuality and the importance of following one's heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Some men climb a mountain
Some people have goals that require them to overcome great obstacles.
Some men swim the sea
Others test their limits by challenging vast expanses of water.
Some men fly above the sky
Certain individuals seek to attain great heights - literally and figuratively.
They are what they must be
People have different aspirations and life paths - all equally valid.
But baby, the rain must fall
Adversity is a natural part of life that we can't avoid.
Baby, the wind must blow
We can't control everything that happens to us and around us.
Wherever my heart leads me
I will follow my passions and instincts without hesitation or regret.
Baby, I must go
I cannot stay in one place, I must keep moving forward.
I do not love for silver
Money and material possessions do not dictate my affections.
Do not love for gold
I don't value people based on their wealth either.
My heart is mine to give away
I choose who I give my love to and on my own terms.
It never will be sold
No amount of money or pressure will make me abandon my values or change who I am.
I am not rich or famous
My worth is not tied to my bank account or public recognition.
But who can ever tell
The future is unpredictable and full of surprises.
I do not know what waits for me
I embrace the uncertainty and opportunities that come with life.
May be heaven may be hell
The path ahead might be full of challenges, but I will face them head on.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ELMER BERNSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christophermyers3758
Haven't heard that song in YEARS!
Music was so much better in the
60's, 70's and 80's... compared to
all the crap currently.
Give me an artist who can hold a microphone, and just SING, with their OWN voice and some emotion, and I'm all EARS! 🤗
@slenderboy1662
Let me guess. Your a 70 year old
@vrinda5303
@Ron Rossmore Check out the record. It's a lot better.
@vrinda5303
@@slenderboy1662 Let me guess, you're a 20-year-old.
@lurl
@@vrinda5303 Close!
@Cheerfultoday
@@slenderboy1662Is that a bad thing?
@michaeltuz608
An iconic song from the mid sixties, done by Glenn Yarbrough after he left The Limeleiters to pursue a solo career. Always loved the earthy, gritty vocals on this unapologetic ballad. Thanks for posting this live version!
@stephenmolk6332
He had quite a vibrato. What a great voice!
@michaelclark4043
That guys voice has a certain quality about it that is unsurpassed by any other male singer out there .
@sharolynwells
One of my top ten favorite songs & singers.