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."
White Line Fever
David Allan Coe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A sickness born deep within my soul
White line fever
The years keep flying by like those highway pole
The wrinkles on my forehead
Show the miles I've put behind me
They continue to remind me how fast I'm growing old
White line fever
A sickness born deep within my soul
White line fever
The years keep flying by like those highway pole
I wonder just what makes a man keep pushing on
Why must I keep singing this old highway song
I've been from coast to coast a 100 times or more
I ain't seen one single place that I ain't been before
White line fever
A sickness born deep within my soul
White line fever
The years keep flying by like those highway pole
White line fever
White line fever
White line
fever
The lyrics to David Allan Coe's White Line Fever describe the experience of a life on the road as a touring musician. The repetitive image of the white lines on the highway passing by represents the relentless passage of time, as well as the constant movement and restlessness of a life spent travelling from one gig to the next. The line "guess I'll die with this fever in my soul" reflects the idea that once a person develops a deep and abiding love for the nomadic lifestyle of a musician, they will always feel the tug of the open road.
The singer also reflects on the existential questions that arise when living such a transient life: "I wonder just what makes a man keep pushing on / Why must I keep singing this old highway song?" These lines speak to the difficulty of finding motivation and meaning in a life that is defined by movement, as well as the ways in which the same routines and experiences can become both comforting and oppressive.
Overall, White Line Fever captures both the romance and the loneliness of the life of a musician on the road. The feverish passion that drives the singer to keep moving is tempered by a sense of sadness and longing for the stability and rootedness of a more settled existence.
Line by Line Meaning
White line fever
The desire to constantly be on the road and traveling long distances, often associated with truck drivers and musicians.
A sickness born deep within my soul
This desire to travel and be on the road is not just a desire, but rather a deeply ingrained part of my being.
White line fever
The desire to be on the road continues to consume me.
The years keep flying by like those highway pole
Despite the passage of time, the desire to be on the road and travel great distances remains present.
The wrinkles on my forehead
The physical toll of traveling long distances and being on the road for extended periods of time.
Show the miles I've put behind me
The wrinkles are a visual representation of the great distances I have traveled throughout my life.
They continue to remind me how fast I'm growing old
The wrinkles serve as a reminder that time is passing quickly and that I am getting older.
Guess I'll die with this fever in my soul
I have come to accept that the desire to be on the road and travel will always be a part of me, even until the end of my life.
I wonder just what makes a man keep pushing on
I often question why I am compelled to continue traveling and being on the road, even when it becomes difficult or impractical.
Why must I keep singing this old highway song
Despite the challenges of being on the road, I continue to find comfort in the familiar routines and experiences of traveling.
I've been from coast to coast a 100 times or more
I have traveled great distances throughout my life, and have seen many different parts of the country.
I ain't seen one single place that I ain't been before
Despite all of my travels, there is no place that I have not already visited.
White line fever
The desire to constantly travel and be on the road remains ever-present.
White line fever
The desire to be on the road continues to consume me.
White line
The highway itself, which serves as a symbol of the never-ending journey that is the desire to travel and be on the road.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MERLE HAGGARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hard boiled
Thank God for David Allan Coe!!!💪
Grizzlyadam Smith
JUST GREAT.....HE KNOWS HOW TO DELIVER THAT SONG....