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."

Just To Prove My Love For You
David Allan Coe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'd walk across Kansas in a New York minute
Climb the Colorado mountains in the fall
Crawl through Arizona like a flatland lizard
If I thought it'd do me any good at all
I could swim Lake Erie with my hands tied behind me
Eat a West Virginia coal miner's shoes
Drink the Mississippi River if it took a month of Sundays
Just to prove my love for you

I remember well the first time that I kissed you
'Cause the things ain't been the same ever since
You got me thinkin' I could eat a ten penny nail
And spit out a barbed wire fence

Now there ain't a livin' creature gonna ever come between us
I'd fight lions snakes and gorillas too
And if that ain't enough
We'll start all over just to prove my love for you

I could ride my pony through the eye of a hurricane
Climb Mount Everest on a string
Jump Niagara Falls in a burnin' barrel
And bring you back a hoop smoke ring
Wrestle alligators in the Okefenokee
There's nothin' I wouldn't do
If you just say the word I'll catch that Great Speckled Bird
And bring it back to you

I remember well the first time that I kissed you
'Cause the things ain't been the same ever since
You got me thinkin' I could eat a ten penny nail
And spit out a barbed wire fence

Now there ain't a livin' creature gonna ever come between us
I'd fight lions snakes and gorillas too
And if that ain't enough
We'll start all over just to prove my love for you

I'd walk across Kansas in a New York minute
Climb the Colorado mountains in the fall
Crawl through Arizona like a flatland lizard
If I thought it'd do me any good at all

I could swim Lake Erie with my hands tied behind me
Eat a West Virginia coal miner's shoes

Overall Meaning

The song is an expression of a desperate and extreme love for someone, with the singer proclaiming that he would do anything to prove his love for the person. The first verse speaks of the singer's willingness to go through extreme physical exertions such as walking through the entire state of Kansas or climbing a mountain range during the harsh Colorado fall just to demonstrate his love. He even goes on to say that he would crawl through the desert of Arizona like a flatland lizard if it would show how deeply he feels.

The second verse talks about how the memory of the first kiss shared with the person has fundamentally changed him forever, and how he feels like he can do anything now that he has the person's love. The singer proclaims that there isn't a single living creature that could come between them, and he is even willing to fight lions or gorillas for his love. He also speaks of his willingness to take extreme measures such as catching the Great Speckled Bird and bringing it back to the person. This final statement serves as a metaphor for the impossible length the singer is willing to go through just to prove his love.

Overall, the song Just to Prove My Love for You is an intense expression of love that paints a picture of a desperate soul willing to go to the ends of the earth for the person he loves. The song suggests that there are no limits to the lengths one would go if they love someone enough.

Line by Line Meaning

I'd walk across Kansas in a New York minute
I would do anything immediately, including walking across a state like Kansas, to show my love for you.

Climb the Colorado mountains in the fall
I would climb mountains in any weather condition to please you.

Crawl through Arizona like a flatland lizard
I'm willing to crawl through difficult terrain like a lizard in Arizona, to prove my undying love for you.

If I thought it'd do me any good at all
I will do all these tasks if it will be of any value to our relationship.

I could swim Lake Erie with my hands tied behind me
I would even swim in Lake Erie with my hands tied behind me to prove my love for you.

Eat a West Virginia coal miner's shoes
I would even eat the shoes of a coal miner from West Virginia, if it means making you happy.

Drink the Mississippi River if it took a month of Sundays
I'd even drink the Mississippi River, even if it took a month of Sundays, just to show how much I love you.

I remember well the first time that I kissed you
I still remember the first time I kissed you, because you've changed my life forever.

'Cause the things ain't been the same ever since
Ever since that first kiss, everything has been different. You have had an impact on my life.

You got me thinkin' I could eat a ten penny nail
You have made me think that I am capable of doing things that seem impossible, like eating a nail.

And spit out a barbed wire fence
You have given me the strength and courage to face anything, and I can overcome any obstacle no matter how tough it is.

Now there ain't a livin' creature gonna ever come between us
Nobody on this earth can come in between us or separate us because of the strong love we share.

I'd fight lions snakes and gorillas too
I would fight even the fiercest of animals like lions, snakes, and gorillas, to show how far I am willing to go for our love.

And if that ain't enough
And if all that I have done is not enough, I am willing to do more for the sake of our relationship.

We'll start all over just to prove my love for you
We will begin again from scratch, just to show how deep my love is for you.

I could ride my pony through the eye of a hurricane
I would ride a horse through a hurricane just to express how much you mean to me.

Climb Mount Everest on a string
Even if I have to climb Mount Everest on a string, I would do it for the sake of our love.

Jump Niagara Falls in a burnin' barrel
Even if it means risking my life, I would jump over Niagara Falls in a barrel that's on fire, just to prove my undying love for you.

And bring you back a hoop smoke ring
I would even bring you a hoop smoke ring, as a symbol of my love for you.

Wrestle alligators in the Okefenokee
I would even wrestle alligators in the dangerous Okefenokee swamp, if it means showing my love for you.

There's nothin' I wouldn't do
There is nothing that I wouldn't do for our relationship, because you mean the world to me.

If you just say the word I'll catch that Great Speckled Bird
All you have to do is ask, and I would catch the Great Speckled Bird and give it to you, as a symbol of my love.

And bring it back to you
I would bring anything you ask for, back to you, my love.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID ALLAN COE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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01Divers Do It Deeper3:00

02Longhaired Redneck3:20

03You Never Even Called Me By My Name5:16

04Willie, Waylon And Me3:09

05A Sad Country Song2:18

06Would You Be My Lady2:44

07Just To Prove My Love For You2:23

PT2M23S

David Allan Coe

08Lately I've Been Thinking Too Much Lately3:17

09Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone)2:50

10Face To Face

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Dr. GreenThumbs

3y↑3

I can walk across Kansas in a New York minute
Climb the Colorado mountains in the fall
Run through Arizona like a flatland lizard
If I thought it'd do me any good at all

I could swim Lake Erie with my hands tied behind me
Eat a West Virginia coal miner's shoes
Drink the Mississippi River if it took a month of Sundays
Just to prove my love for you

I remember well the first time that I kissed you
'Cause the things, they been the same ever since
You got me thinkin' I could eat a ten penny nail
And spit out a barbed wire fence

Well, there ain't a livin' creature gonna ever come between us
I'd fight lions snakes and gorillas too
And if that ain't enough
We'll start all over just to prove my love for you

I could ride my pony through the eye of a hurricane
Climb Mount Everest on a string
Jump Niagara Falls in a burnin' barrel
And bring you back a hoop smoke ring

Wrestle alligators in the Okefenokee
There's nothin' I wouldn't do
If you just say the word I'll catch that Great Speckled Bird
And bring it back to you

I remember well the first time that I kissed you
'Cause the things, they been the same ever since
You got me thinkin' I could eat a ten penny nail
And spit out a barbed wire fence

Now there ain't a livin' creature gonna ever come between us
I'd fight lions snakes and gorillas too
And if that ain't enough
We'll start all over just to prove my love for you

I can walk across Kansas in a New York minute
Climb the Colorado mountains in the fall
Run through Arizona like a flatland lizard
If I thought it'd do me any good at all

I could swim Lake Erie with my hands tied behind me
Eat a West Virginia coal miner's shoes

All comments from YouTube:

BnBCraft

3y↑11

David Allan Coe writes the best love songs

Neal Champagne

6y↑19

I worked at a grocery store,as a bag boy in 1982ish. The old ladies working the counter would make me sing this song to the customers...bahaha...the store manager and everybody loved it...what an awesome time in my life.