Bobby Bare

[fox69]

"The Day The Saw Mill Closed Down"

"The Day The Saw Mill Closed Down"


Her house on the corner of Cedar and Elm
Still stands in our town
But it's been empty since she moved away
The day that the saw mill closed down.

We'd sit on her porch almost every night
I remember how happy we were
We'd grow up and marry I'd work at the mill
To make a living for her.

Her father worked at the mill
Like most of the others in town
I lost my girl when he lost his job
The day that the saw mill closed down.

She moved from the corner of Cedar and Elm
And I never saw her again
But I can still hear her mother's soft voice
Saying honey it's time to come in.

No longer do mill hands live here
The giant saws don't make a sound
No longer does my love live here
Not since the saw mill closed down.

She left when the saw mill closed down...

[Narrative by Bobby spoken after song:]
(Where the gentle summer breezes blow.)
I've lived in Kansas City all of my life and I guess you could say I've done
pretty well 'cause we lived in a modern well insulated house in the suburbs
With storm windows central heat and air-conditionin'
We got plenty of privacy the neighbors don't bother us and we don't bother
them but you take that air-conditioner for instance
That's a wonderful invention and I wouldn't take anything for it
But you know sometimes I get to thinkin'
I'd just like to open all of the windows and holler at somebody
Or feel the honest-to-goodness breeze again or even hear a train whistle
Or hear those two girls in Newport Arkansas singin' You Are My Sunshine
When I was a kid I used to visit my grandparents every summer in Newport
And Newport's a little town down on the White River
And they lived in the sorta yellow frame house down close to the levee
And they got awful hot there during the day
But at night the breeze was blowing from the river and it sure felt good
I slept right next to the window and on some nights when the air was just
right I could hear sounds driftin' in from all parts of that little town
Like the train pullin' into the depot ever night and always the chorus of
crickets but crickets that's a sound you don't even hear after you get used
to it but it's pleasant sorta like background music
But the sound I remember most was You Are My Sunshine
I don't know exactly where it came from but I think it must have been the
house Beyond the vacant lot on the other corner
But almost every night I would hear those two girl singin'
And they sure could sing pretty
They sang other songs but that's the one I remember most
And I've often wondered who they were and whatever happened to 'em
I think they must have been very pretty and had black hair.

 

[fox69]

"The Devil And Billy Markham"

"The Devil And Billy Markham"



The Devil walked into Linebaugh's on a rainy Nashville night
While the lost souls sat and sipped their soup in the sickly neon light.
And the Devil, he looked around the room, then got down on his knees.
He says, "Is there one among you scum who'll roll the dice with me?"
Well, Red, he just strums his guitar, pretending not to hear.
And Eddie, he just looks away and sips on his beer.

Vince, he says, "Not me, I'll pass, I've had my share of Hell"
And kept scribbling on a napkin, some song she’s thought would sell.
Ronnie just kept whisperin' low to the snuff queen clutching his sleeve,
And somebody coughed, and the Devil scoffed, and turned on his heels to leave.
"Hold on," says a voice from the back of the room. "’fore you walk out that door.
If you're lookin' for some action, friend, well, I've rolled them dice before."

And there stood Billy Markham, he's been on the scene for years,
Singin' all them raunchy songs that the town didn't want to hear.
He'd been cut and bled a thousand times, and his eyes were wise and sad,
All his songs were the songs of the street, and all his luck was bad.
"I know you," says Billy Markham, "from many a dark and funky place,
But you always spoke in a different voice and wore a different face.
Me, I've gambled here on Music Row with hustlers and with whores,
And, Hell, I ain't afraid to roll them devilish dice of yours."

"Well, then, get down," says the Devil" just as if you was gonna pray,
And take these dice in your luckless hand and I'll tell you how this game is played.
You get one roll and you bet your soul and if you roll thirteen you win,
And all the joys of flesh and gold are yours to touch and spend.
But if that thirteen don't come up, then you can kiss your ass goodbye
And will your useless bones to God, 'cause your goddamn soul is mine!"

"Thirteen?" says Billy Markham. "Hell, I've played in tougher games.
I've loved ambitious women and I've rode on wheelless trains.
So gimme a room, you stinkin' fiend, and let it all unwind.
Nobody's ever rolled a thirteen yet, but this just might be the time."

Then Billy Markham, he takes the dice, and the dice feels heavy as stones.
"They should, they should," the Devil says, "'cause they're carved from Jesus' bones."
And Billy Markham he turns the dice and the dice, they have no spots.
"I'm sorry," says the Devil, "but they're the only dice I got."

"Well, shit," says Billy Markham. "Now, I really don't mean to bitch,
But I never thought I'd stake my roll in a sucker's game like this."

"Well, then, walk off," says the Devil. "Nobody's tied you down."

"Walk off where?" says Billy Markham. "It's the only game in town.
But I just wanna say 'fore I make my play, that if I should chance to lose,
I will this guitar to some would-be star who'll play some honest blues,
Who ain't afraid to sing the words like damn or shit or fuck
And who ain't afraid to put his ass on the stage where he makes his bucks.
But if he plays this guitar safe, and sings some sugary lies,
I'll haunt him till we meet in Hell, now, gimme them fuckin' dice."

And Billy Markham shakes the dice and yells, "Come on, thirteen!"
And the dice, they roll - and they come up blank. "You lose!" the Devil screams.

"I must say 'fore we go our way that I really do like your style.
Of all the fools I've played and beat, you're the first one who lost with a smile."

"Well, I'll tell you somethin'," Billy Markham says. "Those odds weren't too damn bad.
In fourteen years on Music Row, that's the best damn chance I've had."

Then, arm in arm, Billy Markham and the Devil walk out through Linebaugh's door,
Leavin' Billy's old beat-up guitar there on the floor.
And if you go into Linebaugh's now, you can see it there today
Hangin' from a nail on the wall of peelin' gray
It’s Billy Markham's old guitar
That nobody dares to play.

 

[fox69]

"The Giving Tree"

"The Giving Tree"



(Y'all settle down! Everybody be quiet
Because daddy's gonna sing a quiet song called the Giving Tree.)

Once there was a giving tree who loved a little boy
And every day the boy would come to play
Swinging from her branches, sleeping in her shade
Laughing all the summer hours away
And so they'd love and oh, the tree was happy, oh, the tree was glad.

But soon the boy grew older and one day he came to say
Can you give me some money, tree, to buy some things I found
I have no money, said the tree, just apples, twigs and leaves
But you can take my apples, boy, and sell them in the town
And so he did and oh, the tree was happy, oh, the tree was glad.

And soon again the boy came back and he said to the tree
I'm now a man and I must have a house that's all my own
I can't give you a house, she said, the forest is my house
But you may cut my branches off and build yourself a home
And so he did and oh, the tree was happy, oh, the tree was glad.

And the time went by and the boy came back with sadness in his eyes
My life has turned so cold, he said, and I need sunny days
I've nothin' but my trunk, she said, but you may cut it down
And build yourself a boat and sail away
And so he did and oh, the tree was happy oh, the tree was glad.

And after years the boy came back, both of them were old
I really cannot help ye if you ask another gift
I'm nothin' but an old stump now, I'm sorry boy, she said
I'm sorry but I've nothin' more to give.

I don't need very much now, just a quiet place to rest
The boy he'd whispered with a weary smile
Well, said the tree, an old stump still is good for that
Come boy, she said, sit down, sit down and rest awhile
And so he did and oh. the tree was happy oh, the tree was glad...

 

[fox69]

"The Jogger"

"The Jogger"



Well I've been a trucker more than twenty years
From the Charleston coast to the Jersey piers
Sharin' the road with race car nuts and loggers
Sunday drivers scouts on hikes Hells Angels on Harley bikes
I never met a roader I didn't like cept them joggers

One day I'm rollin' down 1-0-1
I got 18 wheels under 14-tons
Radio playin' a good ol' country rocker
The day was sure a trucker's dream
The sky was sunny and the air was clean
When up ahead on the road I seen one of them joggers

He was dressed like they do in baby blue
With shortie shorts and a headband too
I yelled Sweetie I bet that you are the hit of the men's room locker
But I'm a runnin' late with an overload
So get your Adidas off a this road
I'm LA bound and I don't slow down for dead raccoons or joggers

Well without breakin' stride or losin' poise
He said you and that rig sure make some noise
But I can't talk now cause I'm racin' against the clocker
But it's just nine miles to Forkers Leap
And if you ain't afraid to race that heap
We'll see how that ol' rig holds up against a super jogger

Race I must be hearin' wrong
The boy's been runnin' in the sun too long
The only place he's racin' to is a doctor's
But before I could say thank you no
That fool yells ready get set go
And the race is on we're off and gone me and that maniac jogger

Well I could've left him far behind
But I played with him like a fish on a line
And I stayed about a half a mile behind that sucker
Then I pushed her up to forty-five
And he sees me comin' and he starts to fly
So I pushed her to sixty and shift to high and finally catch that jogger
And it wasn't easy

Now I'm doin' eighty and I turned to check
And he's stayin' right with me neck in neck
His hearts a thumpin' like my engine goin' pop pop pocker
Then he yells out I hope you're set
Cause I ain't shifted into second yet
Then he unwinds and leaves me behind eaten the dust of a jogger

Then I see him joggin' up into the sky
And he yells hey thanks for the exercise
I hope that losin' this race was not too shockin'
Ya see my dad says heaven's no place to run
and I try to be an obedient son
So I have to come down to earth to do my joggin'

Well that's my story take it or leave it
My trucker buddies they believe it
So do those race car nuts and Harley hoggers
And I'm still drivin' much the same
Cept I don't call nobody names
And I tip my hat each time I pass one of them good old joggers

Hey here comes one now... Hey good buddy
How ya doin?
Want some gatorade?

 

[fox69]

"The Monkey And The Elephant"

"The Monkey And The Elephant"



(Okay kids, I'm gonna sing you a song now
'Bout a monkey and an elephant.
It's all happened a long time ago.
Whenever I say "a long time ago"
You all jump in there with me.
Okay? Are you ready?)

Well once the world was full of monkeys a long time ago
And the elephants with the big long trunkies a long time ago
And the elephants swam in the Zazafram Sea
And the monkey swung from the Zilibum tree
And life was silly as it could be a long time ago.

One day the elephant was feelin' spunky a long time ago
She went to have a talk with the monkey a long time ago
And the elephant said oh Lordy me, I think I'm in love with the bumblebee
Do you think she's a little too little for me a long time ago?

Now the monkey said you're thinkin' like a donkey a long time ago
Ah she's so small and you're sort a chunky a long time ago
So sit right down upon my knee, I'll tell you why your love can never be
It's a physical imposibility any old time at all.

Now the elephant's tears went plunkity plunky a long time ago
Then he went home to pack his trunky a long time ago
He said I see that bee was not for me so he went and married a little gray flee
And they were happy as they could be and they had children one, two, three
But if you wanna know how please don't ask me it was a long long time ago...

 

[fox69]

"The Old Gang's Gone"

"The Old Gang's Gone"


The old gang's gone
I'm the only one that's left
And I guess that it's about time
I move on out myself.

'Cause there ain't no use in hangin' round
A town that's grown so cold
With its used-to-be's and memories
It makes a man feel old.

My friends have wed and some are dead
And some are far away
From the part of town we ran around
And the fun of yesterday.

The old gang's gone
I'm the only one that's left
And I guess that it's about time
I move on out myself.

Johnny Green's in Jacksonville
He's a doctor now you know
And Shaky Sam's in Vietnam
He volunteered to go.

Cindy lives in Tennessee
And Mary moved to Maine
Oh, I don't guess I'll ever see
The likes of them again.

The old gang's gone
I'm the only one that's left
And I guess that it's about time
I move on out myself.

The old gang's gone
I'm the only one that's left
And I guess that it's about time
I move on out myself...

[Narrative by Bobby spoken after song:]
(He's down at the old swimmin' hole)
Well I live in the city too now but I'm still a country boy at heart
I keep saying someday I'll go back but I know I never will
It wouldn't be the same anyway

 

[fox69]

"The Ricky Ticky Song"

"The Ricky Ticky Song"



(Is everybody feelin' silly now? Yeah, I feel silly, yes.)

Well, I'm gonna teach you a ricky tic song
It's kinda silly and it ain't too long
But you can't go wrong singin' a ricky ticky song
You just go ricky ticky, ticky, tacky, ticky, ticky
Ricky ticky ticky tacky ticky tacky ticky
No you can't go wrong singin' a ricky tic song.

Now I'm gonna teach you a scooby, dooby song
Sorta silly and it ain't too long
But you can't go wrong singin' a scooby dooby song
You just go scooby, dooby, dooby, ooby, dooby, ooby, dooby
Scooby, dooby, dooby, dooby, ooby, dooby, dooby
No you can't go wrong singin' a scooby, dooby song.

Now I'm gonna teach you a tagga, wagga song
Equally as silly and equally as long
But you can't go wrong singin' a yagga, wagga song
You just go yagga, wagga, yagga, wagga, wagga, wagga, wagga
Yagga, wagga, wagga, wagga, wagga, wagga, wagga, wagga
No you can't go wrong singin' a yagga, wagga song.

No you can't go wrong with ricky, ticky, yagga, wagga
Scoodby, dooby, zinga, zanga, dobble, wobble, mobble, woogle
Zao, zao, ricky, ticky, ticky, ticky, ticky song...

 

[fox69]

"The Unicorn"

"The Unicorn"



(Okay, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do now.
I'm gonna tell you about a unicorn.
Now who knows what a unicorn is?
Let me tell you about.)

A long time ago when the earth was green
Well, there was more kinda animals than you've ever seen
And they just run around free while the world was being born
And loveliest of them all was the unicorn.

There was green alligators and long neck geese
Humpty bumpty camels and some chimpanzees
There was cats and rats and elephants but sure as you're born
The loveliest of all was the unicorn.

But the Lord seen some sinning and it caused him a pain
He said, stand back I'm gonna make it rain
So hey, brother Noah, I'll tell you what to do
Go and build me a floatin' zoo.

And you take 'em two alligators and a couple of geese
Two humpty bumpty camels and chimpanzees
Cats and rats and elephants but sure as you're born
Noah, don't forget my unicorn.

Now Noah, was there and he answered the callin'
And he finished up the ark as the rain started fallin'
Then he marched in the animals two by two
And sung out as they went through.

Hey Lord, I got your two alligators and a couple of geese
Two humpty bumpty camels and chimpanzees
Cats and rats and elephants but sure as you're born
Lord, I just don't see your unicorn.

Well, Noah looked out through the drivin' rain
But the unicorns were hidin' playing silly games
They were kickin' and a splashin' in the early morn
Oh, them foolish unicorns.

Then the ducks started duckin' and the sneaks started sneakin'
And the elephants started elephantin' and the boat started shakin'
The mice started sqeekin' and the lions started roarin'
And everyone's aboard but the unicorns.

I mean a green alligators and long neck geese
The humpty bumpty camels and chimpanzees
Noah cried, close the door 'cause the rain is a pourin'
And we just can't wait for them unicorns.

And then the ark started movin' and it drifted with the tide
And unicorns looked up from the rock and cried
And the water came up and sorta floated them away
And that's why you've never seen a unicorn to this day.

You'll see lots of alligators and long neck geese
You'll see humpty bumpty camels and chimpanzees
You'll see cats and rats and elephants but sure as you're born
You're never gonna see no unicorn...

 

[fox69]

"The Year That Clayton Delaney Died"

"The Year That Clayton Delaney Died"



I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died
They said for the last two weeks that he suffered and cried
It made a big impression on me, although I was a barefoot kid
They said he got religion at the end and I'm glad that he did.

Clayton was the best guitar picker in our town
I thought he was a hero, I used to follow Clayton around
I often wondered why Clayton who seemed so good to me
Never took his guitar and made it down in Tennessee.

Well daddy said, he drank a lot but I could never understand
I knew he used to pick up in Ohio with a five piece band
Clayton used to tell me "Son, you'd better put that ol' guitar away
There ain't no money in it, it will lead you to an early grave."

I guess if I'd admit it Clayton taught me how to drink booze
I can see him half stoned a-pickin' out the Lovesick Blues
When Clayton died I made him a promise, I was going to carry on some how
I'd give a hundred dollars if he could only see me now.

I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died
Nobody ever knew it but I went out in the woods and I cried
While I know there's a lot of big preachers
That know a lot more than I do
It could be that the good Lord
Likes a little pickin' too.

Yeah, I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died...

 

[fox69]

"There Ain't No Fun In This Town"

"There Ain't No Fun In This Town"



I woke up this morning feeling bad
Thinking of the good times that I've had
This town has got a lot of swinging doors
But there ain't no fun in this town anymore.

No there ain't no fun in this town anymore
My mind is weary and my heart is sore
I will admit that I've had fun before
But there ain't no fun in Houston anymore.

This town is holding memories of mine
About the girl who left me here behind
But memories are not worth staying for
And there ain't no fun in this town anymore.

There ain't no fun in this town anymore
My mind is weary and my heart is sore
I will admit that I've had fun before
But there ain't no fun in Detroit anymore.

If anybody asks you why I'm gone
Just tell 'em that I stayed around too long
They can give what I got coming to the poor
'Cause there ain't no fun in this town anymore.

No there ain't no fun in this town anymore
My mind is weary and my heart is sore
I will admit that I've had fun before
But there ain't no fun in Nashville anymore.

No, there ain't no fun in Nashville anymore...