About The Song
In the spring of 1981 Bobby Bare entered the studio to record his album *As Is*, produced by a young Rodney Crowell and released by Columbia Records in June under catalog FC 37157. Among the ten tracks was “Let Him Roll,” a compassionate story song written by Guy Clark. The three-minute-and-twenty-second recording later appeared as the B-side to the single “New Cut Road,” issued in early 1982 under catalog 18-02690. While the A-side reached number eighteen on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, the flip side earned steady airplay and became a quiet favorite among fans who appreciated Bare’s skill with narrative material.
Guy Clark had first recorded the song himself on his 1975 debut album *Old No. 1*. Clark’s writing drew from the hard-living characters he observed during his years in Texas and Nashville. The lyrics paint a vivid portrait of an aging wino who collapses and dies on a city street. The narrator, who knew the man, recalls his rough life—working freighters, bars, farms, and cars—while noting the quiet dignity in his final moments. The repeated chorus “Let him roll, Lord, let him roar” serves as both prayer and farewell, acknowledging that the man’s heaven was “just a Dallas whore” and that he had done about everything there was to do.
Bare delivered the number with the warm, conversational baritone and understated phrasing that had become his trademark. His relaxed style let the story unfold naturally, turning Clark’s detailed observations into something deeply human and non-judgmental. Crowell’s production kept the arrangement spare and rootsy, featuring acoustic guitar, subtle percussion, and a gentle rhythm that echoed the rolling, road-weary feel of the lyric. The result was a track that felt intimate rather than theatrical, allowing listeners to feel the weight of the old man’s life without sentimentality.
By 1981 Bare was in the midst of a creative resurgence after several label changes. *As Is* marked a deliberate return to thoughtful, character-driven country songwriting at a time when much of Nashville was moving toward slicker productions. The album also included strong cuts from Townes Van Zandt, J.J. Cale, and other respected writers. “Let Him Roll” fit perfectly alongside “New Cut Road,” showing Bare’s continued commitment to material that told real stories about real people living on the margins.
Although it never charted on its own, the song gained a loyal following through album play and later compilations such as *The Essential Bobby Bare* and various Columbia/Legacy reissues. It has remained a favorite among fans of both Bare and Clark, often cited as one of the strongest examples of Bare’s interpretive skill in the early 1980s. Other artists have covered the track over the years, but Bare’s warm, empathetic version is widely regarded as definitive.
More than forty years after its release, “Let Him Roll” continues to resonate as a small masterpiece of country storytelling. It captures the quiet compassion Bare brought to even the most down-and-out characters, reminding listeners that every hard-luck story deserves a respectful send-off. The track stands as a highlight of *As Is*, an album that proved Bare could still find and deliver powerful songs long after his biggest commercial peaks.
What began as the B-side to a modest hit became one of Bobby Bare’s most enduring deep cuts. It showcases his gift for turning Guy Clark’s vivid writing into something that feels lived-in and true, offering a gentle reminder that country music has always made room for the drifters, the dreamers, and the ones who simply roll on until the end.
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Lyric
Let him roll, Lord, let him roar
He always said that heaven was just a Dallas whore
He was a wino tried and true
Done about everything there is to do
He worked on freighters, and he worked in bars
He worked on farms, and he worked on cars
It was white Port put that look in his eye
That grown men get when they need to cry
We sat down on the curb to rest
And his head just fell down on his chest
He said, “Every single day it gets”
Just a little bit harder to handle and yet
And he lost the thread, and his mind got cluttered
And the words just rolled off down in the gutter
He was elevator man in a cheap hotel
In exchange for the rent on a one room cell
And he was old in years, beyond his time
Oh, thanks to the world and the white Port wine
So he says, “Son”
He always called me son
He said, “Life for you has just begun”
Then he told me the story I’d heard before
How he fell in love with a Dallas whore
He could cut through the years to the very night
That it all ended in a whore house fight
And she turned his last proposal down
In favor of being a girl about town
Now it’s been seventeen years right in line
And he ain’t been straight none of the time
It’s too many years of fightin’ the weather
And too many nights of not being together
So he died
And when they went through all his personal affects
In among the stubs from the welfare checks
Was a crumblin’ picture of a girl in a door
And an address in Dallas and nothin’ more
The welfare people provided the priest
And a couple from the mission down the street
Sang Amazing Grace and no one cried
‘Cept some lady in black way off to the side
We all left, and she’s standing there
Black veil coverin’ her silver hair
And ol’ one-eyed John said her name was Alice
She used to be a whore in Dallas
Let him roar, Lord, let him roll
I bet he’s gone to Dallas, rest his soul
Let him roll, let him roar
He always said that heaven was just a Dallas whore
Let him roar, Lord, let him roll
I bet he’s gone to Dallas, rest his soul