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."
I Can't Help It
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my heart fell at your feet
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
Somebody else stood by your side
And he looked so satisfied
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
As I brushed your arm and walked so close to you
The-en suddenly I got that old-time feelin'
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you (still in love with you)
(Today I passed you on the street)
Today I passed you on the street
(And my heart fell at your feet)
And my heart fell at your feet
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
(Somebody else stood by your side)
SPOKEN: Somebody else stood by your side
(And he looked so satisfied)
SPOKEN: And, ya know, he looked so satisfied
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
Oh, it hurts to know another's lips will kiss you
And hold ya just the way I used to do
Oh-oh-oh-oh heaven only knows how much I miss, how much that I miss ya
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
(Still in love with you)
The lyrics of David Allan Coe's song "I Can't Help It" is a heart-wrenching confession of the singer's lingering love for someone. The song begins with the singer passing someone he still loves and his heart falling at their feet. The second verse suggests that the subject of his affections has moved on with someone else, and though it hurts, the singer cannot help loving them. The last verse reveals the extent of the singer's pain, and his confession that he can't help but love the person who now belongs to another.
The lyrics, while simple, convey a sense of heartbreak and longing that is hard to miss. The emotions are raw and real, and this is what makes the song so powerful. The use of spoken words in between the lines adds to the rawness and honesty of the song.
The haunting melody and lyrics of "I Can't Help It" have cemented its place in country music history. The song has been covered by various artists over the years, including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash. It remains one of David Allan Coe's most popular and enduring songs, and a testament to the enduring power of raw, heartfelt lyrics in country music.
Line by Line Meaning
Today I passed you on the street
Encountered you on the street today
And my heart fell at your feet
My heart dropped on seeing you
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
I cannot control loving you
Somebody else stood by your side
There was someone else accompanying you
And he looked so satisfied
He appeared content with being with you
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
I cannot control loving you
A picture from the past came slowly stealin'
A memory from the past began to slowly resurface
As I brushed your arm and walked so close to you
I made contact with you as we walked past each other
The-en suddenly I got that old-time feelin'
Then suddenly I experienced that feeling from before
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you (still in love with you)
I cannot control loving you (continue to do so)
Oh, it hurts to know another's lips will kiss you
It is painful to think of someone else kissing you
And hold ya just the way I used to do
And holding you in the same manner I did
Oh-oh-oh-oh heaven only knows how much I miss, how much that I miss ya
Only heaven knows how much I miss you, how much I miss you
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
I cannot control loving you
(Still in love with you)
Continue to love you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TrayA83
He won every fight he ever fought. Even beat Covid at 82 yrs old.
@anthonygill5936
Congratulations I beat it at 53
@JayTheReaper
@Anthony Gill 💪🤘🙏💪💪🔥
@HumbleDisciples
@Anthony Gill you aint beat shit but your own meat. its a hoax
@noreenanthony-tabar2148
@Anthony Gill And me at age 57 beat covid twice LOL
@JayTheReaper
@Riz 200 never had it never beat it, let's go tho brotha kick that viruses ass
@rodneywilkerson9854
In outlaw country music, where what you’ve done and how you lived goes a long way into putting legitimacy behind the songs you sing, David’s story is arguably filled with more street cred than any other major performer in the history of the genre. Institutionalized from the age of 9 in reform schools, David committed crimes such as robbery and grand theft auto in early adulthood and ended up in and out of jail and prison for 20 years. David met with former and future famous individuals in prison. Other rowdy incidents happened while in prison, including killing a man in self-defense. David spent time on death row while serving time in Ohio. David met fellow Ohio native Screaming Jay Hawkins, who encouraged David to pursue songwriting. David’s rough childhood would go on to lay the foundation for his next songs that would help shape the sound of outlaw country music forever. When David finally got out of prison in 1967, he stayed out and put together one of the most legendary, curious, and lively country music careers the outlaw movement has ever seen.
@heywoodjablome5630
Gritty. True grit comes to mind.
@michaelshaw5481
Thanks for that info he's my hero
@Anninukichild
Live from iron horse and xrated album!