Posted On: Saturday - October 7th 2023 8:30PM MST
In Topics: Music
I've heard this one in bars more than anywhere else, with rowdy patrons singing backing vocals. As David Allan Coe says during the song, this one was written by the late great songwriter Steve Goodman*. Two others of his songs that Peak Stupidity has featured are Jimmy Buffett's Banana Republics and Arlo Guthrie's City of New Orleans.
This one needed a re-write, per Mr. Coe, to be the perfect country song, so Mr. Goodman wrote him one more verse to make it so:
Well, I was drunk the day my mama got out of prison,Back to the chorus:
and I went to pick her up in the rain,
but before I could get to the station in my pickup truck,
she got runned over by a damned old train.
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me (let me, let me! - drunk patrons at the bar),David Allan Coe spent a decent share of his life in prison, maybe making him a role model for the "Outlaw Country" crowd. Mainly they didn't like the Nashville Country music business. Mr. Coe had had to spend his time there though, part of it living in a hearse. Gotta pay your dues if you wanna sing ... Country & Western?
and I never minded standing' in the rain.
No, and you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'.
You never even call me.
Well I wonder why you don't call me.
Why don't you ever call me by my name?
Steve Goodman wrote this song back in 1970, but this recording by David Allan Coe was done 5 years later.
Have a happy Sunday, Peakers. Posts having been building up like mad. See you next week!
* John Prine is credited with co-writing this one.
Comments:
Moderator
Monday - October 9th 2023 3:57PM MST
PS: That sounds like a wonderful time, Mr. Ganderson. That was not my part of the country, but I've read since than about the death to Disco night, or something like that at one of the Cubs games. (Or was that White Sox?) What fun they had!
Mblanc46
Monday - October 9th 2023 10:52AM MST
PS Ganderson: But I was a White Sox fan.
Ganderson
Monday - October 9th 2023 6:59AM MST
PS I’m sure you all know that the crowd at Wrigley all sing”Go Cubs, Go!” At the end of every Cubs’ victory.
The Cubs made the playoffs in 1984; Goodman was supposed to sing the National Anthem before the first game, but he died two weeks before the end of the season. His pal Jimmy Buffett pinch hit for him.
Goodman was a wonderful, quirky artist at home in a number of styles- he played in the Twin Cities a lot in the 70s and early 80’s- usually when he came to town he’d head out to the KQRS studios and spend the afternoon with John Peet, or Alan Stone, chatting, singing and spinning records.
It’s been 40 years, but I still miss him.
The Cubs made the playoffs in 1984; Goodman was supposed to sing the National Anthem before the first game, but he died two weeks before the end of the season. His pal Jimmy Buffett pinch hit for him.
Goodman was a wonderful, quirky artist at home in a number of styles- he played in the Twin Cities a lot in the 70s and early 80’s- usually when he came to town he’d head out to the KQRS studios and spend the afternoon with John Peet, or Alan Stone, chatting, singing and spinning records.
It’s been 40 years, but I still miss him.
Moderator
Sunday - October 8th 2023 4:22PM MST
PS: Ahaaa, well, duh, SafeNow, the title. Sorry to appear to be at the top of the graph here! I was thinking further into the David Allan Coe song lyrics.
Adam, thanks for that funny. How do you not know how to spell potatos, wait... His problem was he used the plural potatoe for the singular. Something tells me every one of the "journalists" that derided him could have easily made that same mistake. Now, with spell check around to keep us from even trying to learn, it'd be even more likely to make that mistake on the fly. One thing I am not worried about my son being bad at is spelling, because he reads a whole lot. That's what it takes to have good spelling, IMO.
Adam, thanks for that funny. How do you not know how to spell potatos, wait... His problem was he used the plural potatoe for the singular. Something tells me every one of the "journalists" that derided him could have easily made that same mistake. Now, with spell check around to keep us from even trying to learn, it'd be even more likely to make that mistake on the fly. One thing I am not worried about my son being bad at is spelling, because he reads a whole lot. That's what it takes to have good spelling, IMO.
Adam Smith
Sunday - October 8th 2023 1:45PM MST
PS: Good afternoon, everyone,
I'm not sure if Al Gore really invented the ionosphere, but I once heard that Dan Quayle invented spell check.
☮
I'm not sure if Al Gore really invented the ionosphere, but I once heard that Dan Quayle invented spell check.
☮
Moderator
Sunday - October 8th 2023 11:55AM MST
PS: I used to be able to listen to WLS Chicago from far, far away, Mr. Blanc. That was not on the internet, but at night via the help of another invention of Al Gore's the Ionosphere.
I still remember some guy that would tell some long stories that would result in a pun of a song title. Something about a "pin ball whiz yard." Beat the living hell out of Disco!
I still remember some guy that would tell some long stories that would result in a pun of a song title. Something about a "pin ball whiz yard." Beat the living hell out of Disco!
MBlanc46
Sunday - October 8th 2023 11:14AM MST
PS Steve Goodman and John Prine. A couple of local boys. They’re both more “folkie” (in the broader sense of that term) than country. Chicago used to be a center of country music. The National Barn Dance on WLS radio was WLS radio until it went Top 40 in 1960, then on WGN until 1968. Now, as far as I know, it’s all processed stuff from Nashville and Los Angeles.
Moderator
Sunday - October 8th 2023 5:33AM MST
PS: I am used to country music, but only the stuff that goes quite a bit back toward the time of David Allan Coe's heyday. I don't think I could get used to modern country music.
I know the Paul Simon song, but I'll have to listen to see which lyrics you mean here.
I know the Paul Simon song, but I'll have to listen to see which lyrics you mean here.
SafeNow
Saturday - October 7th 2023 9:26PM MST
PS
Nice! If I ever relocate to Cullman Alabama, I could get used to country music. Meanwhile, the lyrics of this song immediately triggered this oldster’s loose brain to Paul Simon’s “You can call me Al.” Below is a link to the Saturday Night Live version with Chevy Chase. Have a great Sunday.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-gYOrU8bA
Nice! If I ever relocate to Cullman Alabama, I could get used to country music. Meanwhile, the lyrics of this song immediately triggered this oldster’s loose brain to Paul Simon’s “You can call me Al.” Below is a link to the Saturday Night Live version with Chevy Chase. Have a great Sunday.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-gYOrU8bA
Mr. Blanc:
“And here’s to William Veeck
And his south side club of renown
I must tell you in my heart I root for them
From the other side of town
And I like the way they play there
And the company that’s kept
But I admit that as a ball club
The White Sox are inept”
“When the Cubs Go Marching
In”; Steve Goodman
Mr. Blanc, since you’re already on my list of top shelf commenters I didn’t think you could get any higher, but now I know you’re a Sox fan…