ADD: You Never Even Call Me by My Name (1987)

Subject: Lyr Add: YOU NEVER EVEN CALL ME BY MY NAME
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Dec 99 - 05:45 PM

This is the season for sacred music. One song that's sacred to us Midwest expatriates is the only country song ever known to come out of Chicago, Steve Goodman's "You Never Even Call Me By My Name." Like with Goodman's "City of New Orleans," it was somebody else, not Steve, who won fame and fortune with this song. I haven't heard David Allan Coe's version, from which the lyrics in the database supposedly were transcribed. It sure isn't the same as the great lyrics I hear on Steve's recordings - even the title's wrong. I transcribed this from Buddah's The Essential Steve Goodman and the Red Pajamas Goodman anthology called No Big Surprise.
I put the Coe verse in italics because I haven't heard it, and so I just copied what was in the database. Can somebody please listen to the Coe recording and give us a corrected transcription?
-Joe Offer-

YOU NEVER EVEN CALL ME BY MY NAME
(Steve Goodman)
(As performed by Steve Goodman)

It was all that I could do to keep from cryin'
Sometimes it seems so useless to remain
You're the one who always tried to change me
That is why I'll always stay the same

CHORUS
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me.
I never minded standin' in the rain.
You don't have to call me darlin', darlin',
But you never even call me by my name.

You don't have to call me Waylon Jennings.
No, you don't have to call me Charlie Pride.
And you don't have to call me Merle Haggard anymore,
Even though you know you're on my fightin' side.
CHORUS

I've seen my name a few times in the phone book
And on the neon sign above the bar I used to own.
There is only one thing that I'm really sure of:
I'm gonna hear it when my Savior calls me home.

'Til that day I'm gonna hang around as long as you will let me.
I never minded standin' in the rain.
You don't have to call me darlin', darlin',
But you never even call me by my name.

It's not her heart, Lord; it's her mind
She didn't mean to be unkind
And she never even called me by my name.

(Extra verse, supposedly as sung by David Allan Coe)
Well, I was drunk the day my Mom got outta prison.
And I went to pick her up in the rain.
But, before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got run over by a damned old train.

(Extra verse, as interpreted by Goodman)
Ever since the dog got drunk and died, and Momma went to prison,
There ain't nothin' 'round this farm that's been the same
And you know, when Mom broke out last Christmas,
She rolled the goddamn getaway laundry truck right into a train.
CHORUS

(Allegedly, Steve wrote this song with John Prine, but Prine refused to claim writer credit because the song was "goofy.")

JRO

Subject: Lyr Add: YOU NEVER EVEN CALLED ME BY MY NAME
From: Tiger
Date: 17 Dec 99 - 06:25 PM

Joe.....

I gow-ron-tee that this as an accurate transcript of the Coe version.

You Never Call Me By My Name
corrected to:

YOU NEVER EVEN CALLED ME BY MY NAME
Written by Steve Goodman
As performed by David Allan Coe

Well, it was all that I could do to keep from cryin',
Sometimes it seems so useless to remain,
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin',
You never even call me by my name.

You don't have to call me Waylon Jennings,
And you don't have to call me Charlie Pride,
And you don't have to call me Merle Haggard anymore,
Even though you're on my fightin' side.

CHORUS
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me,
And I never minded standing in the rain,
But you don't have to call me darlin, darlin',
You never even call me by my name.

(This verse sometimes omitted by Coe)
Well, heard my name a few times in your phone book,
And I've seen it on signs where I play,
But the only time I know, I'll hear "David Allan Coe",
Is when Jesus has His final judgment day.

CHORUS

(SPOKEN)
Well, a friend of mine named Steve Goodman wrote this song, and he told me it was the perfect country and western song. I wrote him back a letter and I told him it was not the perfect country and western song because he hadn't said anything about Mama, or trains, or trucks, or prison, or gettin' drunk.

Well, he sat down and wrote another verse to the song and he sent it to me, and after readin' it, I realized my friend had written the perfect country & western song and I felt obliged to include it in this album.

The last verse goes like this here...

(SUNG)
Well, I was drunk the day my mom got outta prison,
And I went to pick her up in the rain,
But before I could get to the station in the pickup truck,
She got runned over by a damned old train.

And I'll hang around as long as you will let me,
And I never minded standing in the rain, no.....
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?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Dec 99 - 06:35 PM

Thanks, Tiger - sounds like the lyrics in the database aren't far from the Coe version. Did Coe change the title, too (or did you leave a word out by mistake)?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: Neil Lowe
Date: 17 Dec 99 - 09:32 PM

Joe....

As it is listed on the CD "David Allan Coe: For The Record - The First 10 Years:" You Never Even Called Me By My Name" - 1975. On the Columbia label.

Neil

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 08:55 PM

Joe,

I first heard this song from Steve Goodman at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. He told the story of the last verse much like Coe does except he swears he was really drunk when he wrote it. I recall he sang the last verse at that time (early '70's) in a pretty similar manner to Coe.

I cannot believe that John Prine thought this song was "too silly." He wrote a few silly ones himself, e.g. Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore.

I posted to a thread about this just this month. I know it's in here somewhere....Oh, here it is!....I see now you knew this already, Joe. Click here

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 09:18 PM

Yo Joe ... Sorry, G'day Joe,

That finally sounds like my memory of the song sung by Steve Goodman in the recorded BBC Concert I heard about 20 years back. Steve also sang The City of New Orleans in the same concert.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 19 Dec 99 - 12:53 PM

Gee,

You'd think Steve wouldn't stoop to singing an Arlo Guthrie tune. (wink, wink)

Big RiB

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Dec 99 - 09:53 PM

I get the impression Steve played around with the momma/prison verse a lot, and may never have sung it the same way twice. He sure was having a good time on the recording I transcribed from.
Yeah, I had trouble believing Prine would refuse credit for the song because it was "goofy" - he may have said that, but it may be he just thought his friend Steve should get all the credit. Prine's "too goofy" statement was cited in the notes on the No Big Surprise anthology; but on the recording, Goodman says Prine wrote it with him.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: longhair
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 04:38 PM

I think I'd have to go along w/ Joe on the Prine thing. John has written some pretty goofy stuff (most of which I liked). I don't think he would deny credit for a reason like that. JMO!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: Peter Fisher
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 05:11 PM

I heard John Prine sing this song in the home of Glenn Ohrlin in Mountain View Arkansas in about 1970 or 71 and I swear he recited a version of the "spoken" section reported above as copied from the David Alan Coe album. I was sure at the time that Prine was claiming that he had told Goodman about needing trains/prison/mama etc., and in fact I thought Prine claimed he (Prine)then wrote the last verse, which he sang that night just as transcribed above from the Coe version. He certainly didn't do anything to dispel the impression that he had helped write the song. That same night he sang Dear Abbey, and a couple of other goofy sangs, so I agree the "too goofy" argument doesn't hold water.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Call Me By My Name
From: longhair
Date: 20 Dec 99 - 09:10 PM

Peter, he(Prine) was in Mt. View last year. He was doing a film w/ Billy Bob Thorton close by. A buddy of mine and his wife were there and saw him in Joshua's Resturant. Nobody knew who he was, except my buddy, who sat and talked w/ him for a spell. Yep, I was jealous, as I'm a big Prine fan. This ain't got nothin' to do w/ the thread, but I figured I'd tell it anyhow!!! That and I was surprised to see anything about Mt. View on here. have a good'un!!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: You Never Even Called Me by My Name?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Apr 20 - 09:40 PM

Proof from John Prine himself that Prine participated in writing this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMiLqHTvbKE

Subject: RE: ADD: You Never Even Call Me by My Name (1987)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 09 Apr 20 - 01:23 AM

Well, “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” didn’t quite make it to #1 (it officially hit #8 in country), but it did make Steve Goodman a healthy chunk of cash, leaving Goodman feeling guilty for not cutting Prine in. So in lieu of royalty payments, Goodman bought a top-of-the-line 1942 all- wooden Victory model Wurlitzer jukebox for Prine. And here it is;

John Prine juke box

Subject: RE: ADD: You Never Even Call Me by My Name (1987)
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 09 May 20 - 11:53 AM

Is there a reason Coe sometime omits the 3rd verse? I hear 2 versions of this song on radio, one with 3rd verse and one without.
Is it because he wanted to shorten it for time sake on radio or what?