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."
San Francisco Mabel Joy
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My momma spent her short life, raisin' kids and bailin' hay
And I was just fifteen when I ached inside to wonder
So I hoped a freight in Waycross and I rode it to L.A.
Well, I met a girl known on the strip as San Francisco's Maybel Joy
Destitution's child, born on a L.A. street called Shane
And sleep came and left this little Waycross Georgia country boy
Growin' up came quietly in the arms of Maybel Joy
Laughter found our morning's, brought new meaning to my life
I woke up one day, Lord to find that I was by myself
With dreams of Georgia cotton and California wine
Sunday mornin' found me standin' 'neath the red-light of her door
Right 'cross sent me reelin', laid me face down on the floor
In place of Maybel Joy I found a merchant mad marine
Who said, "Your Georgia neck is red but son you're still green"
Well, I turned twenty one in gray rock federal prison
The judge, he had no mercy on this Waycross, Georgia boy
Sometimes at night in silence, Lord, I'd listen
That same old freight to take me back to Maybel Joy
Cold nights had no pity on this Waycross, Georgia farm boy
Springtime turned to summer and then the winter came
Starin' at those four gray walls in silence, Lord, I'd listen
Somewhere in the distance to the whistle of the train
Sunday morning found me lying 'neath the red light of her door
With a bullet in my side I cried, "Have you seen Maybel Joy?"
Stunned and shaken someone said, "Son, she don't live here no more"
She left this town ten years ago, I heard she's looking for
Some Georgia farm boy"
David Allan Coe’s song “San Francisco Mabel Joy” is a heart-wrenching tale of a Georgia farm boy who desperately seeks something different from his mundane existence. The singer’s parents were hard-working farm folk, but he longed for adventure and knew he couldn’t find it on the farm. At fifteen, the singer decided to hop a train and set off towards Los Angeles, where he meets “San Francisco’s Mabel Joy.” Mabel Joy is a destitute girl who grew up in the streets of Los Angeles. She brings laughter and joy to the singer’s life and he falls in love with her. However, their happiness is short-lived, and Mabel Joy soon disappears.
Years later, the singer ends up in prison for a crime he committed and finds himself thinking of Mabel Joy. He longs to hear the sound of the train that brought him to her, hoping to escape the isolation of prison life. But life has moved on, and things have changed. When he finally gets out of prison and returns to Mabel Joy’s door, he is met with disappointment. She has left town, and he is left with a bullet in his side, wondering where his love has gone.
The song is a poignant tale of love, loss, and longing that touches on themes of isolation, innocence, and the search for something beyond the confines of a mundane life.
Line by Line Meaning
My daddy was an honest man, just a redneck Georgia farm boy
My father was a man of integrity, hailing from a rural area in Georgia
My momma spent her short life, raisin' kids and bailin' hay
My mother dedicated her life to caring for us children and working on the farm
And I was just fifteen when I ached inside to wonder
At the age of 15, I felt an overwhelming urge to experience the world beyond my small town
So I hoped a freight in Waycross and I rode it to L.A.
I stowed away on a train in Waycross with the intention of reaching Los Angeles
Well, I met a girl known on the strip as San Francisco's Maybel Joy
In San Francisco, I encountered a woman who called herself San Francisco's Mabel Joy
Destitution's child, born on a L.A. street called Shane
Maybel Joy was born into poverty on a street in Los Angeles called Shane
And sleep came and left this little Waycross Georgia country boy
Maybel Joy comforted me and made me forget my troubles as a boy from Waycross, Georgia
Maybel Joy was gone, Lord, I'd never see her again
Sadly, Maybel Joy and I separated and I knew I would never see her again
Growin' up came quietly in the arms of Maybel Joy
Maybel Joy helped me mature and discover new aspects of myself
Laughter found our morning's, brought new meaning to my life
Together, Maybel Joy and I found joy in the simple moments and gave me a new perspective on life
I woke up one day, Lord to find that I was by myself
One day I woke up to find that Maybel Joy was no longer by my side
With dreams of Georgia cotton and California wine
My mind wandered between thoughts of my hometown Georgia and the new experiences found in California
Sunday mornin' found me standin' 'neath the red-light of her door
On a Sunday morning, I found myself outside Maybel Joy's doorstep under a red light
Right 'cross sent me reelin', laid me face down on the floor
Suddenly, I was hit and fell to the ground in pain
In place of Maybel Joy I found a merchant mad marine
Instead of Maybel Joy, I was confronted by a tough and angry merchant marine
Who said, "Your Georgia neck is red but son you're still green"
The merchant marine insulted my lack of experience despite my southern background
Well, I turned twenty one in gray rock federal prison
I celebrated my 21st birthday incarcerated in a high-security federal prison called Gray Rock
The judge, he had no mercy on this Waycross, Georgia boy
The judge who sentenced me showed no compassion for me as a young man from Waycross
Sometimes at night in silence, Lord, I'd listen
In moments of solitude at night, I would listen for a familiar train passing by
That same old freight to take me back to Maybel Joy
I hoped that one day I would catch a train that would bring me back to Maybel Joy
Cold nights had no pity on this Waycross, Georgia farm boy
The harsh cold of the nights in prison showed no mercy to a young man from Waycross, Georgia
Springtime turned to summer and then the winter came
Despite the changing seasons, time seemed to blend together in prison
Starin' at those four gray walls in silence, Lord, I'd listen
I spent a lot of time staring at the gray walls in silence, listening for any sound of the outside world
Somewhere in the distance to the whistle of the train
In my imagination, I heard a train whistle in the distance, always reminding me of my longing to be free
Sunday morning found me lying 'neath the red light of her door
Once again, I found myself under the red light outside Maybel Joy's door on a Sunday morning
With a bullet in my side I cried, "Have you seen Maybel Joy?"
Desperately, I asked if anyone had seen Maybel Joy and was shot in the side
Stunned and shaken someone said, "Son, she don't live here no more"
Sadly, someone informed me that Maybel Joy had left the city and was no longer there
She left this town ten years ago, I heard she's looking for
Some Georgia farm boy"
Maybel Joy had left the city ten years ago, but I heard a rumor that she was looking for a Georgia farm boy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICKEY NEWBURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oldskoold22
One of if not the most beautiful love songs ever sang or written!! Thank you for posting
@EnvyUsStudio
If this dosent put a tear in your eye your not a human
@ofeelma
I think this is the best verison
@mattzane7732
I do to buddy and ive heard them all and like them all but this one is the one that brings a tear to my eyes
@larryphillips7538
I bought this album in the mid seventies and wore it out, bought another when I married my beautiful wife and we wore out 2 more !
@akhan5871
some thing about mickey newbury songs bring out the very best of dacoe.
@danielcatoe3901
Im competing with this guy to never need a fucking shirt
@marissadower-morgan3313
Great Vocals , Totally authentic.perfect instrumentals..I would have preferred less back up singers ..But it's top shelf CW
@michealwelchel8348
Only thing Gay about this song is the fact you came and listened TumanovMichael
@Titan52berg
Too many lyrics have been changed in this version... not to mention that it is performed ( misinterpreted ) in first person, which sort of takes the 'ballad' quality away from the heartfelt, creative genius that Mickey Newbury imbued into this tragic masterpiece!
David Allan Coe's version is definitely not the worst....but certainly not the best, by far!