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."
Cold
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you're my every dream
Yet you're afraid each thing I do
Is just some evil scheme
A memory from your lonesome past
Keeps us so far apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart
Another love before my time
Made your heart sad and blue
And so my heart is paying now
For things I didn't do
In anger unkind words are said
That make the teardrops start
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart
You'll never know how much it hurts
To see you sit and cry
You know you need and want my love
Yet you're afraid to try
Why do you run and hide from lies
To try, it just ain't smart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart
There was a time when I believed
That you belonged to me
But now I know your heart
Is shackled to a memory
The more I learn to care for you
The more we drift apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold, cold heart
David Allan Coe's song "Cold" is a heartfelt cry of a man who is struggling to understand why his significant other doesn't trust him. The opening lines of the song express the singer's lament that he has tried hard to prove his love but his partner still sees his actions as an indication of some ulterior motive. The singer tries to convince his partner that his intentions are pure and romantic but a past memory from her lonely past is preventing her from accepting his love. The singer pleads with his significant other to let go of her doubts and let him warm her "cold, cold heart".
The second verse delves deeper into the reason why the singer's partner is finding it difficult to trust him. The previous love interest in the partner's life had made her sad and blue and the singer feels like he's paying the price for something he wasn't responsible for. Bitterness and unkind words have replaced the warm feelings that once existed between them. The singer finds it difficult to understand why his partner can't see through the facade and realize that he genuinely loves her - leading to the repeated chorus of "why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart?"
The final verse finds the singer expressing his pain at seeing his partner in tears and his desire to make things right. He tells his partner that she needs and wants his love but she's afraid to try. The singer wonders why she's running and hiding from the truth, and why she just can't let go of her reservations and open up her heart to him. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that his partner's heart seems shackled to a memory, and the more he cares for her, the further they seem to be drifting apart.
Line by Line Meaning
I tried so hard, my dear, to show
The singer has put in tremendous effort to show his love to his partner.
That you're my every dream
He loves her and considers her his ideal partner.
Yet you're afraid each thing I do
She doubts his every action and fears that he is not sincere.
Is just some evil scheme
She thinks his actions are part of a sinister plan.
A memory from your lonesome past
She has been hurt in the past and this memory haunts her.
Keeps us so far apart
This past memory is the reason why they can't be close.
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
The singer cannot convince his partner to trust him and get over the past memory.
And melt your cold, cold heart
He wants her to open up to him and let him into her heart.
Another love before my time
Her past relationship has left a deep impact on her and it was before the current singer's time.
Made your heart sad and blue
Her past relationship made her unhappy and depressed.
And so my heart is paying now
The singer is bearing the brunt of her past relationship's negative impact.
For things I didn't do
He is suffering for something he did not cause.
In anger unkind words are said
During fights and arguments, harsh and hurtful things are said to each other.
That make the teardrops start
Their fights make both of them emotional and upset.
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
The singer is still trying to convince his partner to trust him.
And melt your cold, cold heart
He wants to thaw her frigid and closed-off heart and bring them closer together.
You'll never know how much it hurts
The singer feels terrible when he sees her upset and crying.
To see you sit and cry
He cannot bear to see her unhappy and crying.
You know you need and want my love
She knows she loves him and needs his love in return.
Yet you're afraid to try
She is afraid of getting hurt again and is unwilling to try to make it work.
Why do you run and hide from lies
She is always paranoid that he is lying to her and hence, runs and hides.
To try, it just ain't smart
She thinks that trying to love again is an unwise move.
There was a time when I believed
The singer was sure that she belonged to him at one point in time.
That you belonged to me
He felt that they were meant to be together.
But now I know your heart
He no longer believes that she is fully committed to him.
Is shackled to a memory
Her heart is still caught up in her past relationship's memory.
The more I learn to care for you
The singer is falling more in love with her as time goes by.
The more we drift apart
Despite his love growing stronger, they are becoming more distant and disconnected as a couple.
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
He is still struggling to make her trust him and let go of her past memory.
And melt your cold, cold heart
He wants her to be more open and loving towards him so that they can be happy together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Colin Williams
Love this version ❤️
Wyatt Queen
Amazing cover!!!!
eil king
Thanks much for post.