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."
Were You Born an Asshole
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
when somebody nearly cut me right off the road.
I decided it wasn't going to do any good to get mad,
so I wrote a song about him instead. It goes like this...
Were you bo-rn an asshole, or did you work at it your whole life?
Either way it worked out fine, 'cause you're an ass-hole tonight.
you deserve all the credit, you're an asshole tonight.
You were an assho-le yesterday, you're an ass-hole tonight,
and I've got a feeling, you'll be an asshole the rest of your life.
And I was talking to your mother, just the other night,
I told her I thought you were an asshole, she said "yes, I think you're right".
And a-ll your friends are assholes, 'cause you've known them your whole life,
and somebo-dy told me, you've got an asshole for a wife.
Were you bo-rn an asshole, or did you work at it your whole life?
Either way it worked out fine, 'cause you're an ass-hole tonight.
David Allan Coe's song "Were You Born an Asshole" is a satirical commentary about the way some people behave behind the wheel while driving. In the song, the singer is behind the wheel, but someone almost cut him off while driving down I-95. Although he decides that getting mad would not solve the problem, he expresses his anger and frustration through a song instead.
The chorus of the song, "Were you born an asshole, or did you work at it your whole life? Either way, it worked out fine, 'cause you're an asshole tonight," is a questioning statement aimed at the driver who almost caused him an accident. The driver's behavior and attitude demonstrate that he is an asshole in the present, regardless of how he came to be that way.
The second verse is targeted towards the driver's mother. The singer tells her that her son is an asshole, to which the mother sadly agrees. The third verse seems to suggest that the driver's friends are also assholes. Finally, in the fourth verse, the singer accuses the driver of having an asshole for a wife.
Overall, "Were You Born an Asshole" is a song that humorously calls out the behavior and attitudes of certain people. It sheds light on how people sometimes behave while driving, and how it affects others. Ultimately, the song is a commentary on the pervasive problem of road rage.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I was driving down I-95 the other night,
David Allan Coe was driving on a road when someone almost caused an accident.
when somebody nearly cut me right off the road.
Another driver cutting David off nearly caused an accident.
I decided it wasn't going to do any good to get mad,
David realized that getting angry wouldn't help the situation.
so I wrote a song about him instead. It goes like this...
David decided to write a song about the incident.
Were you bo-rn an asshole, or did you work at it your whole life?
David wonders if someone is a natural jerk or if they've worked to become one.
Either way it worked out fine, 'cause you're an ass-hole tonight.
Regardless of how they got there, David believes they're acting like a jerk now.
Yes you're an A-SSHOLE, and don't you try to blame it on me,
David is asserting that the person is acting horribly and not to blame him.
you deserve all the credit, you're an asshole tonight.
David thinks the person is acting like a jerk and deserves the title.
You were an assho-le yesterday, you're an ass-hole tonight,
David believes the person has a history of being a jerk and hasn't stopped.
and I've got a feeling, you'll be an asshole the rest of your life.
David thinks the person will likely continue to act as a jerk forever.
And I was talking to your mother, just the other night,
David spoke to the person's mother.
I told her I thought you were an asshole, she said 'yes, I think you're right'.
David spoke to the person's mother about their behavior and she agreed they were acting like a jerk.
And a-ll your friends are assholes, 'cause you've known them your whole life,
David thinks the person's friends are also jerks.
and somebo-dy told me, you've got an asshole for a wife.
David heard that the person's spouse is also a jerk.
Were you bo-rn an asshole, or did you work at it your whole life?
David wonders again if the person is naturally terrible or if they've become that way over time.
Either way it worked out fine, 'cause you're an ass-hole tonight.
Regardless of how they got there, David believes they're acting like a jerk now.
Contributed by Nicholas K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alishia Huffman
That's Jimmy Buffet singing not David Allan Coe.