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."
Cum Stain on the Pillow
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh She never said a word
And even if she would have told me
I probably never would have heard
Well she once said no other woman honey
Could lay up in her bed
Noe there's cum stains on the pillow
Cum stains on the pillow
In the middle of the bed
I found me a true fine momma
And she got some damn good head
But I hope she's out there listening
To every word I said
Cause there's cum stains on the pillow
Where she once laid her head
(Play it now Guitar Solo)
Here now when she took my Cadilliac
That didn't bother me abit
When she took that blue tick hound
She shouldn't ever done that shit
Never thought Id see the day
Her love would be as dead
As the cum stains on the pillow
Where she once laid her head
Cum stains on the pillow
In the middle of the bed
Found me a too fine momma
And she's got some damn good head
I hope your out there listening
To every word I said
Cause there cum stains on the pillow
Where you once laid your head
Yes there's cum stains on the pillow
In the middle of bed
The lyrics to David Allan Coe's song Cum Stains on the Pillow can be interpreted in a few ways. The singer is reminiscing about a woman who left him without saying a word. He reflects on the fact that even if she had told him she was leaving, he probably wouldn't have listened. She once claimed that no other woman could share her bed, but now he sees evidence of other sexual partners in the form of cum stains on the pillow where she once rested her head. His anger and hurt are portrayed in his comments about not caring that she took his Cadillac but feeling betrayed that she took his beloved dog. He ends the song by addressing her directly, commenting on his new lover's sexual prowess and warning her that there are cum stains on the pillow where she used to lay her head.
One interpretation of the song is that it's about the breakdown of trust in a relationship. The cum stains on the pillow represent infidelity that the singer was previously unaware of, and his anger about the situation comes through in the harsh language he uses to describe his ex-lover. His subsequent relationship with a "true fine momma" may be an attempt to move on from the past, but his comments to his ex suggest that he still feels a sense of superiority because of his new lover's sexual abilities. It's worth noting that the song contains explicit sexual language and profanity, which may make it offensive to some listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
She went away and left me
The woman left the singer.
Oh She never said a word
She left without any explanation.
And even if she would have told me
Even if she tried to explain why she was leaving.
I probably never would have heard
The singer wasn't willing to listen or understand.
Well she once said no other woman honey
The woman claimed that no other woman could take her place.
Could lay up in her bed
Sleep with the singer in her bed.
Noe there's cum stains on the pillow
There is evidence on the pillow of sexual activity.
Where she once laid her head
The woman used to sleep in that bed.
Cum stains on the pillow
More evidence of sexual activity.
In the middle of the bed
The stains are in the center of the bed.
I found me a true fine momma
The singer found a new partner.
And she got some damn good head
The new partner is good in bed.
But I hope she's out there listening
The singer hopes his ex is listening to this song.
To every word I said
The entire song is a message to his ex-partner.
Here now when she took my Cadilliac
The woman took the singer's Cadillac car.
That didn't bother me abit
The singer was not upset about losing the car.
When she took that blue tick hound
The woman also took the singer's dog.
She shouldn't ever done that shit
The singer disapproves of the woman taking the dog.
Never thought Id see the day
The singer never expected to lose his partner's love.
Her love would be as dead
The woman's love for the singer is gone.
As the cum stains on the pillow
The stains are a metaphor for the end of their relationship.
Where she once laid her head
The bed no longer belongs to the woman.
Cum stains on the pillow
Another reference to the end of their intimacy.
In the middle of the bed
The stains are still there after the woman's departure.
Found me a too fine momma
The singer is satisfied with his new partner.
And she's got some damn good head
The new partner is still sexually compatible with the singer.
I hope your out there listening
The singer still hopes his ex-partner is listening.
Cause there cum stains on the pillow
Still using the metaphor to signify the relationship's end.
Where you once laid your head
The woman is just a memory now.
Yes there's cum stains on the pillow
A final reminder of the intimacy they once had.
In the middle of bed
A final reference to the stains as a symbol of their relationship's end.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jgrillo638
You know someone is talented when the song is extremely vulgar, but it ends up being relatable and musically coherent.
@MCArchangel777
My brother, I give you country and western music. 🤠👍
@andrewhatton1606
@@MCArchangel777this is the east bub
@arnoldpierce9782
"The oldies son", the first time I heard this my dad and uncle were drinking Schlitz and raising some hell. I remember my dad saying don't tell your momma, I let you listen to this. I sure miss my father. He was as country as they come. I would love to be able to be able to hit the bars with him up and down Hwy 105 again. The bars have been gone for some time and my dad past away in 2014. RIP Daddy.
@missinlink34
Hey my dad was sober for my whole life and I didn't find out he was a DAC fan till after he was gone I know what ya mean in a way lol
@DWNicolo
Your dad was the man!
@dankeykang6459
Rip to another good ole boy gone, love from a trudeau hatin country ass Canadian.
@zls9890
RIP to your father. Are you from Texas by chance? There's a Highway 105 out here.
@arnoldpierce9782
@@zls9890 Yes, I am from Texas. I lived most of my life in and around the Montgomery County area. Montgomery County is about 40 miles north of Houston off of I45. A little over a year or so ago, I relocated to a small town in Tyler County Texas.
@Samotbackwards
My popop always sung this to put me to sleep. Miss you grandpa, rest in peace!