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."
Rollin with the Punches
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dedicated to Bob Dylan: I never thought It'd be easy Bob!
LORD, I'VE BEEN TALKIN WHEN I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED
LISTENING WHEN I SHOULD HAVE SPOKE
SENDING THEM ALL UP IN SMOKE
SINGING WITH NO ONE TO HEAR ME
FIGHTING MY WAY TO THE TOP
ROLLING WITH ALL OF THE PUNCHES
WONDERING IF THEY'D EVER STOP
TEARING DOWN WALLS BUILT IN PRISON
BUILDING UP DREAMS THAT WONT LAST
FINDING THE BRIDGES IM BURNING
HARDER TO HIDE THAN THE PAST
MAKING THE FUTURE LOOK BRIGHTER
FIGHTING MY WAY TO THE TOP
ROLLING WITH ALL OF THE PUNCHES
WONDERING IF THEY'D EVER STOP
LAUGHING AT JOKES THAT AREN'T FUNNY
BLAMING IT ALL ON THE BLUES
TAKING MY CHANCES FOR FREEDOM
BETTING WITH NOTHING TO LOSE
WINNING ON NOTHING BUT HUNCHES
FIGHTING MY WAY TO THE TOP
ROLLING WITH ALL OF THE PUNCHES
WONDERING IF THEY'D EVER STOP
ROLLING WITH ALL OF THE PUNCHES
LORD; HOW I WISH THEY WOULD STOP!
In "Rollin with the Punches," David Allan Coe reflects upon how difficult it can be to navigate life's ups and downs. He acknowledges that he has made mistakes, such as trying to talk when he should be listening and speaking when he should be listening. He compares his memories to a match that he has lit, watching them burn and turn to smoke. Coe feels as though he is singing to nobody, struggling to make his way to the top while dealing with all of life's punches. He wonders when they will stop.
Coe continues by discussing how he has both torn down walls built by prison and built dreams that he knows won't last. He has burned bridges and realizes that it is harder to hide the truth than to try and bury it in the past. Despite all of these struggles, Coe is fighting to create a brighter future for himself. He takes chances for freedom and bets on nothing but hunches, still trying to make his way to the top and rolling with all of the punches he encounters in life.
In the final verse of the song, Coe reflects on how he has learned to laugh at jokes that aren't funny and blames it all on the blues. He takes chances for freedom and bets with nothing to lose. He continues to roll with the punches that life throws at him, though he admittedly wishes they would stop.
Line by Line Meaning
LORD, I'VE BEEN TALKIN WHEN I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED
I have been speaking when I should have been listening
LISTENING WHEN I SHOULD HAVE SPOKE
I have been listening when I should have been speaking
LIGHTING A MATCH TO OLD MEMORIES
Recalling and reliving past memories
SENDING THEM ALL UP IN SMOKE
Destroying these memories with ease
SINGING WITH NO ONE TO HEAR ME
Singing without an audience or listening ear
FIGHTING MY WAY TO THE TOP
Struggling and overcoming obstacles to achieve success
ROLLING WITH ALL OF THE PUNCHES
Adapting to and coping with difficulties and hardships
WONDERING IF THEY'D EVER STOP
Questioning if these challenges will ever come to an end
TEARING DOWN WALLS BUILT IN PRISON
Breaking down personal barriers and limitations
BUILDING UP DREAMS THAT WONT LAST
Pursuing unrealistic aspirations that are unlikely to come to fruition
FINDING THE BRIDGES IM BURNING
Realizing and acknowledging the consequences of poor choices made in the past
HARDER TO HIDE THAN THE PAST
More difficult to conceal or forget than past actions
MAKING THE FUTURE LOOK BRIGHTER
Taking steps towards a more positive future
LAUGHING AT JOKES THAT AREN'T FUNNY
Putting on a facade of happiness or amusement
BLAMING IT ALL ON THE BLUES
Attributing negative emotions or situations to outside forces
TAKING MY CHANCES FOR FREEDOM
Risking everything for the sake of personal liberty
BETTING WITH NOTHING TO LOSE
Making risky choices without anything to sacrifice
WINNING ON NOTHING BUT HUNCHES
Experiencing success through intuition rather than facts or logic
ROLLING WITH ALL OF THE PUNCHES
Adapting to and coping with difficulties and hardships
WONDERING IF THEY'D EVER STOP
Questioning if these challenges will ever come to an end
ROLLING WITH ALL OF THE PUNCHES
Adapting to and coping with difficulties and hardships
LORD; HOW I WISH THEY WOULD STOP!
Expressing a desire for these challenges to come to an end
Contributed by Hailey L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dr. Craphead
on Damn I Wish I Was a Nigger
The song is not by David Allan Coe
Niggerhatingme
on Nigger Hatin Me
I like sugar and I like tea
But I don't like niggers, no sir-e
There are two lone things that'll make me puke
That's a hog eating slop and a big black spook
You know it, 'cuz I show it
Like a barnyard rooster I crow it
And the NAACP would sure like to get
A hold of nigger hatin' me.
Roses are red and violets are blue
Niggers are black and you know that's true
But they don't mind 'cuz what the heck
You gotta' be black to get a welfare check.
.And I'm broke, no joke. I ain't got a nickle
For a coat and I ain't black you see, so Uncle
Sam won't help poor nigger hatin' me.
Jigga-boo Jigga-boo where are you? I was
Here on the woodpile watching you. Jigga-boo
Jigga-boo come outdoors. No! I'sa scared of the
White man way down south.
You know it, 'cuz I show it. Stick your black
Head out and I blow it and the NAACP can't keep
You away from 'lil 'ol nigger hatin' me.
Mirror mirror on the wall who is the blackest
Of them all? A man named King it ain't no doubt
And he's causin' lots of trouble with his baboon
Mouth. Oh no it's he's a done it, caused by the
Trouble he's a brewin' and the NAACP can't win if
The white man stick with nigger hatin' me.
Hey Mr. President what'd ya say? When are we
Whites gonna have our day? The niggers've had
Theirs for such a long long time. I'm a white
And it's time that I had mine.
You know it, 'cuz I show it. Stick your black head
Out and I blow it and the NAACP can't win if the
White man stick with nigger hatin' me.
Nigger hatin me'
Nigger hatin me'
Nigger hatin me'
Nigger hatin me'
All true, how's the death count in chimpcago? https://heyjackass.com/
Ben - Moderator
on Nigger hatin me
Meaning of this line above has now been corrected
Matt
on Nigger hatin me
Who ever did the meaning lines is funny... woodpile is a real term, and when it says jig aboo come out doors, he imitates a poor sounding guy saying he's afraid of the racist whites from the south cuz if they even show themselves in public, they were a target. This is a bad song about the unspoken truth
cemegonuts
on You piss me off...you fuckin' jerk
This is not David Allen Coe. It is a song written by Gaye Delorme and performed by Garry Lee and Showdown.
Teresa Warnke
on Pick Em, Lick Em, Stick Em
Are there any decent constitutional lawyers in the house?
Mr. Coe has been barred from performing in most public forums.
He is one the last surviving Outlaws of country music. Although, Nigger Fucker has racist theme, Mr. Coe was defended by his life long friend, Charlie Pride, who inspired the song, all of his days. They were close friends until the end.
David Allen COE is elderly and we don't have long to have an opportunity to see him perform. What is more is that he deserves to use his constitutional right to free speech.
Some would like to have this song and many more that feel are offensive removed from existence. I am not a racist and recognize the foulness of the song, but, I am mature enough to turn off music or any other media that I don't like.
Personally, the Brian Adam's song, "Rum to You", makes me sick, as does Reba Macy tyre's, "Fancy" and "Whoever's in New England".
Ms. Macy tires songs if a mother pimping out her daughter and an abandoned housewife faithfully waiting for her man to return from fucking his mistress hurts women. The Brian Adam's song also hurts women. I do not for a minute believe that this music should never be heard again. It does provide opportunity to discuss these things with younger people.
I am going to delete my YouTube music account because they removed DAC for it's content. I did have much respect for YouTube for it's American spirit and patriotism even though the way they pay their talent is nonsensical. One deletion is a demonstration of what will follow. Eventually this could lead to less freedoms for all of us.
Please don't fall into the currant popular victim trend. Turn off music you don't like and get on with your day.
Or stand up to censorship of the arts.
Thank You,
Teresa Warnke
Rodan
on Cum Stains on the Pillow
Dribble it on her nose!
11inthemoney
on Itty Bitty Titty
Young sex is the best
11inthemoney
on Itty Bitty Titty
Shucks it's cool.
Rodan
on Cum Stains on the Pillow
Another AWESOME DAC song that makes me bellylaugh!!!