After the demise of the Conservatory of Music, Primo spent the last few years of his life at different jobs, including construction works and tilesetting. Also former narcotics agent for the Department of Justice, Bartolini continued to compose poetry. Approximately 500 unpublished poems are extant and, in all likelihood, he had tried to assemble at least two poetic collections (Crumbs and Scattered Leaves) neither of which was ever published.
His relentless poetic activities often put him in the limelight of Nashville's vibrant cultural scene in the Thirties, Forties and Fifties, where he also acted as a liaison between the Italians of Nashville and Birmingham, Alabama, the latter being the second largest italian community in the South after New Orleans.
On January 19, 1959, Primo Bartolini died of a heart attack in Nashville, surrounded by his large family (he had five children with Maria). His mortal remains are buried in Calvary Cemetery, along with of his wife, who survived him until 1969.
