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."
Maria is a Mystery
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once a week is all it takes to make the music play
Melody is just some childhood lullaby her mother used to sing to her
And the road down to the city goes right by Maria's door
I often walk right by her house on my way to the store
Up there where those Italian mothers dress their shivering bambinos for the rain
She tells me about Jesus and all his gallant men I tell her about fantasy
Maria she's this lady on my way down to the river Maria she's a mystery
Yeah passing by this morning I drew a picture in my hand
Our bodies in some candlelight that glowed upon our skin
Maybe if I touched her she would disappear like angels in a dream
She tells me about Jesus
La la la la la la
The lyrics of David Allan Coe's "Maria is a Mystery" depicts an interesting story about a man's encounter with a mysterious woman named Maria. The opening lines of the song mentions Maria's music box, which she winds up every day. And even though the melody is just a lullaby, the man recognizes its significance and how it has been passed down by Maria's mother. The following lines reveal that the man frequently passes by Maria's house on his way to the store, where he has a glimpse of the Italian mothers dressing their babies for the rain. During these meetings, Maria talks about Jesus while the man talks about fantasy. The verse ends with 'Maria she's this lady on my way down to the river/Maria she's a mystery', reinforcing the idea that this woman is mysterious and intriguing to the man.
The second stanza takes a more sensual approach. The man sees a vision of him and Maria together, glowing under the candlelight. He wonders if touching her would cause her to disappear like angels in a dream. The song's final lines repeat "She tells me about Jesus", bringing the song to a close.
Overall, "Maria is a Mystery" is a song about a man's fascination with a woman named Maria, who he sees as an enigma. He is drawn to the mystery that she represents and tries to understand her by conversing with her on their encounters.
Line by Line Meaning
Maria has a music box she winds up most every day
Maria has a music box which she routinely winds up.
Once a week is all it takes to make the music play
All she needs to make the music play is to wind her music box once a week.
Melody is just some childhood lullaby her mother used to sing to her
The tune is nothing more than a lullaby that her mother sang to her during childhood.
And the road down to the city goes right by Maria's door
Maria's house is located along the road that leads to the city.
I often walk right by her house on my way to the store
Every time I go to the store, I pass by her house.
Up there where those Italian mothers dress their shivering bambinos for the rain
In that part of town, Italian mothers put on their children warm clothing for the rainy weather.
She tells me about Jesus and all his gallant men I tell her about fantasy
She tells me about her religious beliefs, while I talk to her about what's in my imagination.
Maria she's this lady on my way down to the river Maria she's a mystery
Maria is a woman I encounter on my way to the river, and she is somebody whom I can't fully understand.
Yeah passing by this morning I drew a picture in my hand
This morning, as I passed by her house, I visualized a picture in my mind.
Our bodies in some candlelight that glowed upon our skin
The image in my mind portrayed our naked bodies illuminated by the warm lighting of some candles.
Maybe if I touched her she would disappear like angels in a dream
Perhaps if I touched her, she would vanish away like how angels do in a dream.
She tells me about Jesus
Maria shares with me about her faith in Jesus.
La la la la la la
Instrumental/Coda
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID ALLAN COE, JAY BOLOTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
baddbuoy1
This is one of Coe's greatest songs. Absolutely beautiful.
Taco Gillespie
Still one of my favorite albums. Saw Coe in 1974 and thought he was going to be the savior for country music. He was prolific and unpredictable . He had more talent at the time this album came out than any entertainer in Nashville. Unfortunately he wasted that talent but many of us do that lol.
Mr. Nines
what makes you say that? hundreds of songs, decades of touring. it wasnt wasted on me. for some people it really is about the music, and that stance is not always pop. I wish more people knew how good he is too, but fuck like shakespeare says. "we few we band of brothers" maybe the the light does only shine on the best of us, maybe the masses are doomed
Jerry Lopez
ditto, wore out the tracks over time. Not counting the needle drops
when having happy smoke !
Linda Fletcher
Written by Mark Fletchet
Paulajean Russell
Thank you ,still need those songs to be here,and around .A fan of the Man, David Allan Coe,I love your soul...
Clay Hill
Coe no more wasted his great talent than Hank Williams George Jones r any great artist he wrote he sang he played with the best of them all I think I have every album except the x rated which many of his fans like more power to them I have seen him at least 20 times here in Texas over a35 year time span an a still find gems in his music. God Bless DAC. Hope Nashville gets off it’s high horse an puts him in Hall ofFame God knows he deserves it.
Milker 2005
Not this fan
Kevin Roman
amen