David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville. He initially played mostly in the blues style, before transitioning to country music, becoming a major part of the 1970s outlaw country scene. His biggest hits were "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile", "The Ride", "You Never Even Called Me by My Name", "She Used to Love Me a Lot", and "Longhaired Redneck". His most popular songs performed by others are the number-one hits "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)" sung by Tanya Tucker and Johnny Paycheck's rendition of "Take This Job and Shove It". The latter inspired the movie of the same name.

Coe's rebellious attitude, wild image, and unconventional lifestyle set him apart from other country performers, both winning him legions of fans and hindering his mainstream success by alienating the music industry establishment. Coe continues to be a popular performer on the country circuit.

Coe was born in Akron, Ohio. His favorite singer as a child was Johnny Cash. After being sent to the Starr Commonwealth For Boys reform school at the age of nine, he spent much of the next 20 years in correctional facilities, including three years at the Ohio Penitentiary. Coe claimed he received encouragement to begin writing songs from Screamin' Jay Hawkins, with whom he had spent time in prison.

After concluding another prison term in 1967, Coe embarked on a music career in Nashville, living in a hearse which he parked in front of the Ryman Auditorium while he performed on the street. He caught the attention of Shelby Singleton, owner of the independent record label Plantation Records and signed a contract with his label.

He is the father of Tyler Mahan Coe, who created the country music podcast Cocaine & Rhinestones. He has a daughter, Shelli Coe Mackie, and is father-in-law to the late Michael Mackie, formerly of Texas band 'Thunderosa'.

Coe's musical style derives from blues, rock, and country music traditions. His vocal style is described as a 'throaty baritone'. His lyrical content is often humorous or comedic, with William Ruhlmann describing him as a 'near-parody of a country singer'. Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes Coe as "a great, unashamed country singer, singing the purest honky-tonk and hardest country of his era […] he may not be the most original outlaw, but there is none more outlaw than him".

Coe's lyrics frequently include references to alcohol and drug use, and are often boisterous and cocky. Coe's debut album Penitentiary Blues was described as "voodoo blues" and "redneck music" by Allmusic's Thom Jurek. It focused on themes such as working for the first time, blood tests from veins used to inject heroin, prison time, hoodoo imagery, and death. The album's influences included Charlie Rich, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Tony Joe White. Coe later explained to Kristofer Engelhardt of Review: "I didn't really care for some of the country music until people like Kris Kristofferson and some of those people started writing songs. They had a little more to say than just, 'Oh baby I miss you', or whatever. I don't do anything halfway. Once I got into country music, I went back and researched it, and learned everything there was to know about it. I could do impersonations of Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Marty Robbins, just about anybody. I knew just about all there was to know about country music."

Coe's first country album, The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy, has been described as alt-country, 'pre-punk' and "a hillbilly version of Marc Bolan's glitz and glitter". Credited influences on the album include Merle Haggard. In his early career, Coe was known for his unpredictable live performances, in which he would ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle onto the stage and curse at his audience. Coe has also performed in a rhinestone suit and a mask which resembled that of the Lone Ranger, calling himself the 'Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy'.

The album Rebel Meets Rebel featured a song, "Cherokee Cry", which criticizes the United States government's treatment of Native Americans. When asked why he did not write more political songs, Coe replied, "I live in my own world, not thee world. I just write songs about what affects me in everyday life. At one point I wrote a song that was sort of a protest about when they were talking about drafting women into the military. It was about my son making it past the draft, but my daughter didn't. And I've done Farm Aid."

In his review of Coe's 1987 album A Matter of Life...and Death, Allmusic's Thom Jurek wrote, "Coe may have had some hits, but it is records like this that make one wonder if there was not a conspiracy to marginalize him and make him fail. Coe is a brilliant songwriter well into the 21st century, and deserves to be lauded along with the likes of [Willie] Nelson and [Waylon] Jennings and Kristofferson and Newbury – and even Cash."

Ball and Chain
David Allan Coe Lyrics

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Sittin' down by my window,
Just lookin' out at the rain, at the rain
I said I'm sittin' down by my window,
Just lookin' out at the rain.
You know somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me,
Felt just like a ball and chain.

And I say, oh, oh, oh, hon',

Why does every thing go wrong ?
It all goes wrong.
And I say, oh, now tell me why,
Does every thing go wrong, all wrong.
Say, here you gone today, an' I wanted to love you
For so long.

Love's got a hold on me, baby,
Feels just like a ball and chain, hmm hmm hmm.
Oh, love's got a hold on me, baby,
Feels just like a ball and chain.
And I don't know why the man I'm lovin'
Wanna leave me in so much pain.

And I say, oh oh oh, hon', tell me why,
Tell me why, tell me why, oh tell me why, why, why.
And I say, oh, honey why, why, oh why, tell me why.
I thought our love would last
Honey, gonna last, last
Till the day I die.

And I say oh, whoa, whoa, hon'
It ain't fair, it ain't fair what you can do,
What you can do, Lord.
And I say oh whoa,
Lord, it ain't fair, it ain't fair what you can do, Lord, you can do.
Oh suddenly you broke my heart
Oh when I was givin' my love to you.

Sittin' down by my window,
Just lookin' out at the rain.
I said I'm sittin' down by my window,
Just lookin' out at the rain.
Somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me,
Felt just like a ball and chain.

And I say oh, hon this can't be
This can't be all in vain, no, no, no.
And I say whoa, whoa, this can't be,
Honey, it can't be all in vain,
Hope there is someone that could tell me

Hon', tell me why love is like
A ball and chain.

Overall Meaning

In David Allan Coe's song "Ball and Chain," the singer sits by his window, gazing at the rain after feeling a weight of emotions. He can't shake the feeling of being imprisoned by his love for someone else, feeling like a ball and chain ties him down. He questions why everything goes wrong and why his partner's leaving him causes him pain. He thought their love was supposed to last until death, but suddenly, his heart is broken.

The song delves into the topic of love and how it can feel inhibiting or feel like a source of pain when it's lost. The ball and chain imagery is poignant, demonstrating how love can be both restrictive and heavy. Despite the song's melancholic undertones, Coe also searches for answers, hoping someone might be able to tell him why love seems to be such a weighty subject.

Line by Line Meaning

Sittin' down by my window, Just lookin' out at the rain, at the rain
I am sitting by my window looking outside at the rain.

I said I'm sittin' down by my window, Just lookin' out at the rain.
I already mentioned that I am sitting by my window looking outside at the rain.

You know somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me, Felt just like a ball and chain.
Something unexpected happened that made me feel trapped and weighed down like a ball and chain.

And I say, oh, oh, oh, hon', Why does every thing go wrong ? It all goes wrong.
I am questioning why everything never goes right and always seems to go wrong.

And I say, oh, now tell me why, Does every thing go wrong, all wrong. Say, here you gone today, an' I wanted to love you For so long.
I am asking why everything seems to be going wrong, especially now that you are gone, even though I had loved you for so long.

Love's got a hold on me, baby, Feels just like a ball and chain, hmm hmm hmm. Oh, love's got a hold on me, baby, Feels just like a ball and chain.
Love has a strong grip on me and is holding me down like a ball and chain.

And I don't know why the man I'm lovin' Wanna leave me in so much pain.
I don't understand why the man I love wants to hurt me and leave me in so much pain.

And I say, oh oh oh, hon', tell me why, Tell me why, tell me why, oh tell me why, why, why.
I keep asking why over and over, hoping for an answer.

I thought our love would last Honey, gonna last, last Till the day I die.
I believed that our love would last forever and never end.

And I say oh, whoa, whoa, hon' It ain't fair, it ain't fair what you can do, What you can do, Lord.
I feel that what you have done to me is unfair and unjust, and I question why it had to happen.

And I say oh whoa, Lord, it ain't fair, it ain't fair what you can do, Lord, you can do.
I continue to express my frustration and feeling of helplessness, believing that God has control over what is happening.

Oh suddenly you broke my heart Oh when I was givin' my love to you.
You broke my heart unexpectedly, even though I had been giving you my love.

And I say oh, hon this can't be This can't be all in vain, no, no, no.
I cannot accept that everything was for nothing.

And I say whoa, whoa, this can't be, Honey, it can't be all in vain, Hope there is someone that could tell me Hon', tell me why love is like A ball and chain.
I desperately hope that someone can explain to me why love can feel so suffocating and restraining, like a ball and chain.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: DREW BARFIELD, PAUL YOUNG

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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