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."

Heads or Tails
David Allan Coe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Heads or tails, what will it be?
Take your choice, him or me
Heads or tails, you'll have to choose
Heads you win, tails you lose

Flip the coin, take a chance
Loves a game called romance
East come and easy go

It's your turn and I've got to know

Cheating woman, place your bet
What you see is what you get

East come and easy go
It's your turn and I've got to know

Overall Meaning

The song "Heads or Tails" by David Allan Coe is a classic country rock tune that talks about the game of love and the inevitable need to make a choice between two people. The opening line, "Heads or tails, what will it be?" sets the tone for the song by calling to mind the act of flipping a coin to make a decision. The singer is in a love triangle and is asking the woman to make a choice between him and another man, using a coin toss as a symbol for the act of making a decision in a relationship.

The lyrics also suggest that love can be thought of as a game of chance. The lines "Flip the coin, take a chance/Love's a game called romance" reinforce the idea that love is unpredictable and sometimes risky. The lyrics also emphasize the idea that relationships are transactional, with lines like "Cheating woman, place your bet/What you see is what you get," implying that the woman's decision has consequences that will be revealed.

Ultimately, "Heads or Tails" is a song about the complexity of love and the difficult choices people must make in their relationships. It speaks to the uncertainty, risk, and rewards that come with love, making it a timeless classic.

Line by Line Meaning

Heads or tails, what will it be?
A decision needs to be made.

Take your choice, him or me
You have to choose between two options.

Heads or tails, you'll have to choose
You have to make a decision by flipping a coin.

Heads you win, tails you lose
The outcome of the decision is not favorable.

Flip the coin, take a chance
Leave it up to chance to make a decision.

Loves a game called romance
Love is like a game with winners and losers.

East come and easy go
Things can change quickly and unexpectedly.

It's your turn and I've got to know
It's your responsibility to make a decision, and I need to know what it will be.

Cheating woman, place your bet
Addressing someone who is not trustworthy and challenged to make a choice.

What you see is what you get
The outcome is as it appears, no tricks.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID ALLAN COE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind