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."
Houston Dallas San Antone
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I missed my plane in North Carolina
Spent all of my money on a long distance call
Huntsville Prison walls so high
I'm so lonesome I could die
You could make a grown man cry if you wanted to
Say goodbye to Houston for me
Give my best to San Antone
I won't be comin' home
Dallas lives in Winston Salem
We got married in West Virginia
Then we moved to Texas on a fifty acre farm
I robbed a bank and shot a man
Ended up in Birmingham
But I guess I tipped my hand
And wound up in the pen
Say goodbye to Houston for me
Houston is my oldest daughter
Says she's leaving for New York City
She's gonna make her living reaching for a star
San Antone's my only son
Please don't tell him what I've done
Or that I had to use my gun
For that I killed a man
Say goodbye to Houston for me [Repeat: x2]
The song "Houston Dallas San Antone" by David Allan Coe is a narrative about a man who is on the run from the law, and as he travels through different states, he leaves messages for his loved ones. The song's first verse indicates that the man is stranded, broke, and drunk in Austin, Texas, after missing his flight in North Carolina. He spends all his money on a long-distance call, possibly seeking help from someone. The second verse indicates that the man has a wife named Dallas, and they moved from West Virginia to Texas to live on a farm. However, his criminal urges get the better of him, and he robs a bank and kills a man, leading him to prison.
The chorus of the song is a plea for the singer's loved ones to tell Houston, San Antone, and Dallas that he will not be coming home. Houston is the man's oldest daughter who has ambitions of making it big in New York City, and San Antone is his only son. Both these characters seem to be unaware of their father's criminal activities.
The song's lyrics paint a picture of a man who has made some bad choices and is now on the run, unable to return home. He still loves his family and wants them to know that he is thinking of them, even though he cannot be with them. The song's narrative structure, with its use of different characters and locations, adds to the feeling of being on the move and unsettled.
Line by Line Meaning
I got drunk in Austin Texas
I drank alcohol excessively in Austin, Texas
I missed my plane in North Carolina
I failed to board my flight in North Carolina
Spent all of my money on a long distance call
I used all my cash to make a call from a remote location
Huntsville Prison walls so high
Tall walls can be observed at Huntsville Prison
I'm so lonesome I could die
I feel unbearably lonely and isolated
You could make a grown man cry if you wanted to
You have the power to elicit emotions and reduce a man to tears
Say goodbye to Houston for me
Please bid farewell to my daughter, Houston
Give my best to San Antone
Extend my greetings to my son, San Antone
Tell Dallas there's a change in plans
Convey my message to my spouse, Dallas, that my plans have changed
I won't be comin' home
I have decided not to return home
Dallas lives in Winston Salem
My spouse, Dallas, resides in Winston Salem
We got married in West Virginia
My spouse and I exchanged wedding vows in West Virginia
Then we moved to Texas on a fifty acre farm
We relocated to a 50-acre farm in Texas
I robbed a bank and shot a man
I committed robbery and murder
Ended up in Birmingham
I was eventually captured and imprisoned in Birmingham
But I guess I tipped my hand
I revealed my intentions and made mistakes that led to my arrest
And wound up in the pen
I was incarcerated in a penitentiary
Houston is my oldest daughter
Houston is my firstborn child and daughter
Says she's leaving for New York City
Houston claims she is departing for New York City
She's gonna make her living reaching for a star
Houston plans to pursue her dreams and make a living in her chosen field
San Antone's my only son
San Antone is my only male offspring
Please don't tell him what I've done
Please do not inform San Antone of my criminal acts
Or that I had to use my gun
Please do not disclose that I resorted to using a firearm
For that I killed a man
I took a human life
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp.
Written by: DAVID ALLAN Coe
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!!!