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."

I Wanna Know I
David Allan Coe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I hope the years that wrinkled up our faces
Have enjoyed us half as much as we did then
And if I should die before you jump your traces
Would you do one more favor for a friend
Remember all my songs and all their meanings
And remember how they helped you to believe
Then turn my body into ashes and take me with you when you leave
Then take my ashes to St Louie

Drop 'em in the Mississippi
Where the current's strong
I wanna flow back through the south land
I want to know I'm going home

Well I ain't plannin' on it happenin'
No time soon now
And it ain't something that I sit around
And think about all the time
But me and you we've howled at
A lot of full moons now
And I'll admit that every now and then
The thought does cross my mind
So take my ashes to St Louie
Drop 'em in the Mississippi
Where the current's strong
I wanna flow back through the southland
I want to know I'm going home
So take my ashes to St Louie
Drop 'em in the Mississippi
Where the current's strong

I wanna flow back through the southland
I want to know I'm going home

Overall Meaning

In David Allan Coe's song "I Wanta Know I'm Going Home," the singer is reflecting on his life and expressing a desire for his legacy to live on after he is gone. He hopes that the years that have passed have been enjoyed as much as the good times he experienced in the past. He poses a hypothetical scenario in which he passes away before his friend and asks them to remember his songs and their meanings, as they have helped others believe in something. He then requests that he be turned into ashes and taken along with his friend, who is presumably relocating to another part of the country. The friend is to then drop his ashes in the Mississippi River in St. Louis, where the current is strong, so that his remains can flow back through the Southland and ensure he knows he is going home.

The song conveys a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past, while also providing a different perspective on death and remembrance. The song implies that true remembrance is not in the physical remains of ashes but rather in the legacy left by the life lived. The idea of wanting to know one is going home suggests the importance of roots and the desire to remain connected to one's heritage and history.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I hope the years that wrinkled up our faces
I hope that the years we have lived and the experiences we have gained have been beneficial for us.

Have enjoyed us half as much as we did then
I hope that the years have been as enjoyable for us as the time we spent together in the past.

And if I should die before you jump your traces
If I die before you are ready to settle down, there is something I would like you to do for me.

Would you do one more favor for a friend
I am asking for one last favor from you as a friend.

Remember all my songs and all their meanings
Please remember all the songs I have written and their meanings.

And remember how they helped you to believe
Remember how my songs were able to help you believe in something.

Then turn my body into ashes and take me with you when you leave
After I die, I want you to cremate my body and take my ashes with you.

Then take my ashes to St Louie
Specifically, I want you to take my ashes to St. Louis, Missouri.

Drop 'em in the Mississippi
Once you are in St. Louis, I want you to dump my ashes into the Mississippi River.

Where the current's strong
I specifically want my ashes to be placed in a section of the river where the current is strong.

I wanna flow back through the south land
I want my ashes to be carried down the Mississippi River and through the Southern United States, where I grew up.

I want to know I'm going home
By having my ashes carried through the South, I want to feel like I am returning home one last time.

Well I ain't plannin' on it happenin'
I am not planning on dying anytime soon.

No time soon now
I am not expecting to die anytime in the near future.

And it ain't something that I sit around
I do not think about dying often.

And think about all the time
I do not obsess over death or dwell on it.

But me and you we've howled at
You and I have spent a lot of time together and have shared many memories.

A lot of full moons now
We have spent many nights together, including many full moons.

And I'll admit that every now and then
I will admit that from time to time,

The thought does cross my mind
I do think about what I would like to happen after I die.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BUZZ RABIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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