Born Donald Eugene Lytle in Greenfield, Ohio, he began playing guitar by age 6 and made his first record at age 15. After a time served in the United States Navy (which included a court-martial for assault), he began performing under the name Donny Young. The singer took a job with country music star George Jones, for whom he played bass and steel guitar for several years, co-writing Jones' hit song, "Once You've Had the Best." By the 1960s, he had changed his name to Johnny Paycheck, a name similar to Johnny Cash, which has sometimes caused confusion.
A member of the Grand Ole Opry, PayCheck is best remembered for his 1977 cover of, "Take This Job and Shove It" (written by David Allan Coe) which sold over 2 million copies and inspired a motion picture of the same name. Colorado Kool-Aid is another of his most famous songs. In his career, PayCheck recorded eleven songs that made it into country music's top ten chart plus he co-wrote several successful songs for other country singers including "Apartment #9," a hit for Tammy Wynette.
His life was often filled with turmoil and in 1985, PayCheck was convicted of shooting a man in Hillsboro, Ohio and spent two years in prison. His tax problems with the IRS led to his filing for bankruptcy in 1990. Later in the 1990s, he began capitalizing the fourth letter of his name in a style later dubbed CamelCase, preferring to be known as Johnny PayCheck.
PayCheck suffered from drug and alcohol addiction during his career, although he was said to have "put his life in order" [1] after his prison stay. Suffering from emphysema and asthma, after a lengthy illness, Johnny PayCheck died at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
He was interred in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville.
He is survived by his wife Sharon PayCheck and son Jonathan PayCheck.
I'm the Only Hell
Johnny Paycheck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess that's why she let me go so far
Mama tried to stop me short of stealing
I guess that's why I had to steal that car
She told me not to smoke it
But I did and it took me far away
And I turned out to be
Well, I rolled into Atlanta, stolen tags and almost out of gas
Yeah, I had to get some money, lately I'd learned how to get it fast
Those neon lights was calling me and somehow I just had to get downtown
So I reached into the glove box, another liquor store went down
And I said 'Precious memories', take me back to the good ol' days'
Let me hear my men and sing, 'Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me'
She tried to turn me on to Jesus, but I turned on to the devil's ways
And I turned out to be the only hell my mama ever raised
When they put them handcuffs on me, Lord how I fought to resist
But agent clamped 'em tighter, 'til that metal bit into my wrist
They took my belt and my billfold, my fingerprints, and the profile of my face
And then they locked away the only hell my mama ever ever raised
And I'd sing 'Precious memories', take me back to the good ol' days'
Let me hear mama singing, 'Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me'
She tried to turn me on to Jesus, but I turned on to the devil's ways
And I turned out to be the only hell my mama ever raised
She tried to turn me on to Jesus, but I turned on to the devil's ways
And I turned out to be the only hell my mama ever raised
In "I'm the Only Hell," Johnny Paycheck sings about his troubled past, which he partially attributes to his mother's lack of love and guidance. He begins by acknowledging that his mother didn't give him enough love, which may have contributed to his rebellious behavior. Despite her warnings not to steal, he went ahead and stole a car, which set him on a path of destructive behavior. He took drugs, committed more thefts, and eventually ended up in jail. His mother tried to steer him towards God, but he chose the devil's path instead, ultimately becoming the only hell his mother ever raised.
The song is a reflection of the struggles that many young people face when growing up in difficult circumstances. Many people will relate to Paycheck's story and the choices he made, which would eventually lead him down a path of destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
I can tell my mama's short on loving me
I can tell my mother doesn't love me enough because she let me go too far
I guess that's why she let me go so far
She allowed me to do things I wasn't supposed to do because she didn't love me enough
Mama tried to stop me short of stealing
My mother tried to stop me from stealing
I guess that's why I had to steal that car
Despite what my mother tried to do, I went ahead and stole a car anyway
She told me not to smoke it
My mother told me not to smoke
But I did and it took me far away
I ignored her advice and got caught up in harmful behaviors
And I turned out to be
As a result of my actions,
The only hell my mama ever raised
I became the worst thing that ever happened to my mother
Well, I rolled into Atlanta, stolen tags and almost out of gas
I arrived in Atlanta driving a car with stolen license plates and low on fuel
Yeah, I had to get some money, lately I'd learned how to get it fast
I needed to get some money and had recently learned some fast, illegal ways to do so
Those neon lights was calling me and somehow I just had to get downtown
The bright lights of the city were beckoning me and I felt compelled to go downtown
So I reached into the glove box, another liquor store went down
I robbed another liquor store by reaching into the glove box for a weapon
And I said 'Precious memories', take me back to the good ol' days'
I longed for better times in my life
Let me hear my men and sing, 'Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me'
I wanted to hear my favorite hymn
She tried to turn me on to Jesus, but I turned on to the devil's ways
My mother tried to introduce me to religion, but I instead chose a life of sin
When they put them handcuffs on me, Lord how I fought to resist
When the police arrested me, I resisted aggressively
But agent clamped 'em tighter, 'til that metal bit into my wrist
The police tightened the handcuffs until they cut into my skin
They took my belt and my billfold, my fingerprints, and the profile of my face
The police took my personal belongings and recorded my fingerprints and face in their records
And then they locked away the only hell my mama ever ever raised
They put me in jail, making me the worst pain my mother had ever experienced
She tried to turn me on to Jesus, but I turned on to the devil's ways
My mother tried to make me a religious person but I instead chose a path of wrongdoing
And I turned out to be the only hell my mama ever raised
My poor choices made me the biggest disappointment and troublemaker my mother had ever raised
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bobby Borchers, Wayne Kemp, Mack Vickery
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind