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."
Jimmy Buffett
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
David Allen Coe
Prelude:
This song is for all the people that's been reviewing our records and say we sound a lot like Jimmy Buffet because we live in Key West and use Congo drums in our songs. For all those people that live in Key West and are under the misconception that Mr. Buffet live in Key West and we'd like to say there's a lot of things in Key West, as a matter of fact, there's
Chorus:
There's sailboats and conk shells and palm trees galore,
But Jimmy Buffet doesn't live in Key West anymore
Sister spare change has a bumper sticker on the door
Says Jimmy Buffet doesn't live here any more
Verse 1:
Hey smugglers need those Buffet songs, snitching on the sly
Bringing heat where it's already to damn hot to die
Son of a son of bitch, what's all that bullshit for
Jimmy Buffet doesn't' live in Key West anymore
Verse 2
Sailing to the Caribbean Jimmy might well be
Pictures up in Rollin' Stone for all the world to see
The rich keep getting richer, the poor they just stay poor
Jimmy buffet doesn't' live in Key West anymore
Verse 3
Now Jimmy's moved to Malibu with all those other stars
He's not down at in Duval Street hangin' out in bars
All them God damned tourist, got to be a bore.
Jimmy Buffet doesn't live here any more
Verse 4
So don't tell me I sound like Jimmy Buffet
Just because I got that island beat
Jimmy might have grown up on the ocean
Me, I kinda grown up on the street
Music's just a way of life, me I'm liv'in free
Don't lay all that Key West Jimmy Buffet shit on me
Verse 5
Now Divers Do It Deeper must have really made them mad
Some of them reviewers said it really sounded bad
Well they liked Margaritaville, me I liked it too
Someday Jimmy, why don't we just both get drunk and screw
Oh those creepy Mother Fuckers that think music is a whore
Tell that you just don't live in Key West anymore
Chorus:
There's sailboats and conk shells and palm trees galore,
But Jimmy buffet doesn't live in Key West anymore
Sister spare change has a bumper sticker on the door
Says Jimmy Buffet doesn't live here any more
This song is a direct criticism of people who claim David Allan Coe's style, which incorporates the use of Congo drums and living in Key West, makes him sound like Jimmy Buffet. He's not happy that people are under the impression that Buffet still lives in Key West but wants to enlighten them by pointing out the things that are still present there, like sailboats and palm trees. The chorus repeats the sentiment that Jimmy Buffet is no longer living in Key West.
The first two verses seem to allude to drug smuggling activities and the fact that people trying to be like Buffet are snitching on each other in a place that is already too hot. Coe uses the phrase "son of a son of a bitch" to question the motivations of these people. The third verse suggests that Buffet has moved to Malibu with other stars, while the rest of the people in Key West remain trapped in poverty. The last verse is a defiant statement by Coe, insisting that he is not Buffet and should not be compared to him.
Line by Line Meaning
There's sailboats and conk shells and palm trees galore,
There are plenty of sailboats, conk shells, and palm trees in Key West.
But Jimmy Buffet doesn't live in Key West anymore
However, Jimmy Buffet does not live in Key West anymore.
Sister spare change has a bumper sticker on the door
My sister has a bumper sticker that states a fact about Jimmy Buffet.
Says Jimmy Buffet doesn't live here any more
It says that Jimmy Buffet does not live in Key West anymore.
Hey smugglers need those Buffet songs, snitching on the sly
Smugglers like to listen to Jimmy Buffet, but they need to be careful not to get caught.
Bringing heat where it's already to damn hot to die
They are attracting attention to themselves in an already dangerous situation.
Son of a son of bitch, what's all that bullshit for
I don't understand why people are talking about Jimmy Buffet so much, and it's starting to annoy me.
Jimmy Buffet doesn't' live in Key West anymore
It's irrelevant because Jimmy Buffet doesn't live in Key West anymore.
Sailing to the Caribbean Jimmy might well be
Jimmy Buffet may be sailing to the Caribbean.
Pictures up in Rollin' Stone for all the world to see
There are pictures of him in Rolling Stone magazine for everyone to see.
The rich keep getting richer, the poor they just stay poor
Only the wealthy benefit from the current state of affairs, while the poor remain poor.
Now Jimmy's moved to Malibu with all those other stars
Jimmy has moved to Malibu, where many other celebrities live.
He's not down at in Duval Street hangin' out in bars
He's not in Key West anymore, so he's not hanging out at the bars on Duval Street.
All them God damned tourist, got to be a bore.
All the tourists are annoying and boring to deal with.
Jimmy Buffet doesn't live here any more
Again, Jimmy Buffet doesn't live in Key West anymore, so it's not relevant.
So don't tell me I sound like Jimmy Buffet
Don't compare me to Jimmy Buffet because I don't want to be associated with him.
Just because I got that island beat
Just because my music has a tropical sound.
Jimmy might have grown up on the ocean
Jimmy Buffet may have grown up on the ocean.
Me, I kinda grown up on the street
I grew up in an urban environment.
Music's just a way of life, me I'm liv'in free
Music is just a part of my lifestyle, and I enjoy living freely.
Don't lay all that Key West Jimmy Buffet shit on me
Don't associate me with Key West or Jimmy Buffet's music.
Now Divers Do It Deeper must have really made them mad
The song 'Divers Do It Deeper' must have angered some people (reviewers).
Some of them reviewers said it really sounded bad
Some of the reviewers didn't like the song and thought it was poorly done.
Well they liked Margaritaville, me I liked it too
While they liked 'Margaritaville', I also enjoyed it.
Someday Jimmy, why don't we just both get drunk and screw
Perhaps Jimmy Buffet and I should get drunk and have sex someday (part of the lyrics to a Jimmy Buffet song).
Oh those creepy Mother Fuckers that think music is a whore
Those perverted people who treat music like it's a prostitute.
Tell that you just don't live in Key West anymore
Let them know that Jimmy Buffet doesn't live in Key West anymore, and it's not relevant.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dewdude
This song has never been truer than it has become today.
Coe wins.
@mikeg2491
I’m convinced he’ll outlive Nashville itself
@trentturek6019
@@mikeg2491he already has it’s all about Appalachia and red dirt country now
@colt45604
I thought the exact same thing
@whiteyonthemoon1193
Died in the Hamptons of all places.
@krisaguilar6699
I heard Coe play this song on Duval Street in 1982. The cheers from the crowd were deafening. It was a free concert for the people of Key West. When I rolled into Key West in a 1953 Chevy pick-up in 1980, I was shocked that Buffett was so hated. I think I know way now. He completely sold out. He sang he wanted to be an old man in Martinique (a place I also breezed through during my Key West days) or retire as a nobody to One Particular Harbor on a tropical isle. He died in Sag Harbor with his elite buddies.
I'm thankful I lived in Key West in the Buffett-free era. It was the wild, wild west ....early eighties, drug trade out of control. We declared ourselves the Conch Republic and succeeded from the United States. A fishing boat that I had an interest in was stollen to make a weed run to Jamaica. The miscreants were busted by local cops unloading bales at a private dock on Stock Island. I will never forget going with the majority interest holder to claim the boat. Jamaican weed was drifted iike piles of snow on the deck. I have never used weed, but I was tempted to fill some bags to sell...but the guy with me was a super straight-arrow, and the boat was small enough that I was always in his line of sight. We swept it over the side into the harbor. What was more bizarre were the Voo-Doo idols we found. That feels like a hundred years ago to me now...but it is really only 39 years ago.
@chris2302
David Allan Coe should perform this song as a tribute to Jimmy at his concerts now that Jimmy has passed away.
@Jon-jj8xf
I'm in Key West rightnow. So much pinkos down here. Not a place I care to come back to. I'm from NC and don't give a hot shit about this place lol.
@infinitedarkness9476
Why? Why does he need a tribute? Jimmy Buffett sucks.
@chris2302
@@Jon-jj8xf Same here. I've been to Key West once and thought it reminded me of California with the pinkos, weirdos, and expensive prices.