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."
Hey Porter
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How much longer will it be 'til we cross
That Mason--Dixon Line
At daylight would ya tell that engineer
To slow it down
Or better still just stop the train
'Cause I wanna look around
Hey porter! Hey porter! What time did ya say
See the light of day?
When we hit Dixie will you tell that engineer
To ring his bell
And ask everybody that ain't asleep
To stand right up and yell
Hey porter! Hey porter! It's getting light outside
This old train is puffin' smoke
And I have to strain my eyes
But ask that engineer if he will
Blow his whistle please
'Cause I smell frost on cotton leaves
And I feel that Southern breeze
Hey porter! Hey porter! Please get my bags for me
I need nobody to tell me now
That we're in Tennessee
Go tell that engineer to make that
Lonesome whistle scream
We're not so far from home
So take it easy on the steam
Hey porter! Hey porter! Please open up the door
When they stop the train I'm gonna get off first
'Cause I can't wait no more
Tell that engineer I said thanks alot
And I didn't mind the fare
I'm gonna set my feet on Southern soil
And breathe that Southern air
David Allan Coe's "Hey Porter" is a song about a traveler on a train who has questions and requests for the train porter. The traveler wants to know the time and how much longer it will be before they cross the Mason-Dixon line. He asks the porter to ask the engineer to slow down or stop the train because he wants to look around when they cross the line. He requests the engineer to ring the bell and ask everyone who’s awake to yell when they hit Dixie. As it gets light outside, the traveler asks for the train whistle to blow and for the porter to get his bags. He can smell frost on the leaves and feel the Southern breeze. Finally, the traveler asks the porter to open the door once they arrive so he can get off the train first to breathe Southern air.
The song portrays a sense of excitement and anticipation as the traveler looks forward to crossing the Mason-Dixon line and experiencing the South. The traveler is eager to explore and enjoy the uniqueness of the Southern lifestyle. He is very observant of his surroundings, as he wants to see the cotton leaves and feel the Southern breeze. Overall, through the traveler's questions and requests, and the portrayal of his excitement and eagerness, "Hey Porter" expresses the traveler's wonder and anticipation of the South.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey porter! Hey porter! Would you tell me the time
Passenger requesting the train porter for the current time
How much longer will it be 'til we cross That Mason--Dixon Line
Asking how long until their train crosses the Mason-Dixon line
At daylight would ya tell that engineer To slow it down Or better still just stop the train Cause I wanna look around
Requesting the porter to ask the engineer to slow down or stop the train so they can admire the scenery
Hey porter! Hey porter! What time did ya say How much longer will it be till I can See the light of day?
Passenger asking for the time again and wanting to know when they will be able to see the daylight
When we hit Dixie will you tell that engineer To ring his bell And ask everybody that ain't asleep To stand right up and yell
Asking the porter to request the engineer to ring the bell when they reach Dixie, so that anyone not sleeping can shout in excitement
Hey porter! Hey porter! It's getting light outside This old train is puffin' smoke And I have to strain my eyes
Notifying the porter that it's getting bright outside and the smoke from the train is making it difficult to see
But ask that engineer if he will Blow his whistle please Cause I smell frost on cotton leaves And I feel that Southern breeze
Requesting the porter to ask the engineer to blow the whistle as they can smell frost on the cotton leaves and feel the Southern breeze
Hey porter! Hey porter! Please get my bags for me I need nobody to tell me now That we're in Tennessee
Asking the porter to get their bags as they have arrived in Tennessee and don't need anyone to tell them that
Go tell that engineer to make that Lonesome whistle scream We're not so far from home So take it easy on the steam
Requesting the porter to tell the engineer to make the whistle scream and to take it easy on the steam as they are near their home
Hey porter! Hey porter! Please open up the door When they stop the train I'm gonna get off first Cause I can't wait no more
Asking the porter to open the door and telling them they will be the first to get off the train as they can't wait any longer
Tell that engineer I said thanks alot And I didn't mind the fare I'm gonna set my feet on Southern soil And breathe that Southern air
Requesting the porter to thank the engineer for the ride and that they don't mind the fare. They are excited to put their feet on Southern soil and breathe in Southern air
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY CASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dr. Craphead
on Damn I Wish I Was a Nigger
The song is not by David Allan Coe
Niggerhatingme
on Nigger Hatin Me
I like sugar and I like tea
But I don't like niggers, no sir-e
There are two lone things that'll make me puke
That's a hog eating slop and a big black spook
You know it, 'cuz I show it
Like a barnyard rooster I crow it
And the NAACP would sure like to get
A hold of nigger hatin' me.
Roses are red and violets are blue
Niggers are black and you know that's true
But they don't mind 'cuz what the heck
You gotta' be black to get a welfare check.
.And I'm broke, no joke. I ain't got a nickle
For a coat and I ain't black you see, so Uncle
Sam won't help poor nigger hatin' me.
Jigga-boo Jigga-boo where are you? I was
Here on the woodpile watching you. Jigga-boo
Jigga-boo come outdoors. No! I'sa scared of the
White man way down south.
You know it, 'cuz I show it. Stick your black
Head out and I blow it and the NAACP can't keep
You away from 'lil 'ol nigger hatin' me.
Mirror mirror on the wall who is the blackest
Of them all? A man named King it ain't no doubt
And he's causin' lots of trouble with his baboon
Mouth. Oh no it's he's a done it, caused by the
Trouble he's a brewin' and the NAACP can't win if
The white man stick with nigger hatin' me.
Hey Mr. President what'd ya say? When are we
Whites gonna have our day? The niggers've had
Theirs for such a long long time. I'm a white
And it's time that I had mine.
You know it, 'cuz I show it. Stick your black head
Out and I blow it and the NAACP can't win if the
White man stick with nigger hatin' me.
Nigger hatin me'
Nigger hatin me'
Nigger hatin me'
Nigger hatin me'
All true, how's the death count in chimpcago? https://heyjackass.com/
Ben - Moderator
on Nigger hatin me
Meaning of this line above has now been corrected
Matt
on Nigger hatin me
Who ever did the meaning lines is funny... woodpile is a real term, and when it says jig aboo come out doors, he imitates a poor sounding guy saying he's afraid of the racist whites from the south cuz if they even show themselves in public, they were a target. This is a bad song about the unspoken truth
cemegonuts
on You piss me off...you fuckin' jerk
This is not David Allen Coe. It is a song written by Gaye Delorme and performed by Garry Lee and Showdown.
Teresa Warnke
on Pick Em, Lick Em, Stick Em
Are there any decent constitutional lawyers in the house?
Mr. Coe has been barred from performing in most public forums.
He is one the last surviving Outlaws of country music. Although, Nigger Fucker has racist theme, Mr. Coe was defended by his life long friend, Charlie Pride, who inspired the song, all of his days. They were close friends until the end.
David Allen COE is elderly and we don't have long to have an opportunity to see him perform. What is more is that he deserves to use his constitutional right to free speech.
Some would like to have this song and many more that feel are offensive removed from existence. I am not a racist and recognize the foulness of the song, but, I am mature enough to turn off music or any other media that I don't like.
Personally, the Brian Adam's song, "Rum to You", makes me sick, as does Reba Macy tyre's, "Fancy" and "Whoever's in New England".
Ms. Macy tires songs if a mother pimping out her daughter and an abandoned housewife faithfully waiting for her man to return from fucking his mistress hurts women. The Brian Adam's song also hurts women. I do not for a minute believe that this music should never be heard again. It does provide opportunity to discuss these things with younger people.
I am going to delete my YouTube music account because they removed DAC for it's content. I did have much respect for YouTube for it's American spirit and patriotism even though the way they pay their talent is nonsensical. One deletion is a demonstration of what will follow. Eventually this could lead to less freedoms for all of us.
Please don't fall into the currant popular victim trend. Turn off music you don't like and get on with your day.
Or stand up to censorship of the arts.
Thank You,
Teresa Warnke
Rodan
on Cum Stains on the Pillow
Dribble it on her nose!
11inthemoney
on Itty Bitty Titty
Young sex is the best
11inthemoney
on Itty Bitty Titty
Shucks it's cool.
Rodan
on Cum Stains on the Pillow
Another AWESOME DAC song that makes me bellylaugh!!!