Copperhead Road - explanation of line

Subject: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Roughyed
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 05:16 PM

The fourth line of the second verse of Steve Earle's Copperhead Road goes 'Just shot a coat of primer and he looked inside' as far as I can discover. Maybe I'm being dense but I can't make out what this means. The context is as follows:

'Now Daddy ran whisky in a big black Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Masons Lodge
Johnson County sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside.'

The only sense I can make of this is that it should be 'short a coat of primer' i.e. to paint over the sherriff's logo but none of the versions I can find say this. Anyone got an explanation?

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 05:43 PM

The line, if I am not mistaken is "loaded" inside... which is meant to be with moonshine liquir..

Hey, I might be wrong, but I've been playin' this song for many a year and that's the way I learned the danged thing.

Bobert

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: open mike
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 06:06 PM

oh i thought you were maybe one of the over seas mud cats not knowin' what a copper head was...i think they are pit vipers...

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Roughyed
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 06:29 PM

I am an overseas Mudcatter, but then we all are to someone else! I did know what a copperhead was, thanks. I think the choice of that name for the road gives it a nice threatening edge which fits in with the fact that people keep disappearing down there.

Bobert's line makes sense and I'm quite happy with that if no-ones got any better explanations. I hate singing lines I don't understand. I'd never considered singing this particular song but I found the riff works brilliantly on the Irish bouzouki my wife just bought me and it was too much funto pass up.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 06:50 PM

Swan: I've heard Steve Earle sing it live and I think you'll be okay with "loaded".

I've always enjoyed playin' it but ya' gotta keep yer (copper)head on it. You can't fake it 'cause the words come fast and furious. I don't play mandolin but play it in D Model tuning my way. It's still Steve Earle'ish but badly Boberdized.

I love the song but, heck, there ain't much that Steve has written that I don't love. I was the one who stared the "Favorite Steve Earle Song" thread.

Speakin' of Steve Erale, Mudcat has it's Eric Kelly, who has a real DSteve Earle sound of his own. He sent me a CD and I loved it....

Bobert

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Roughyed
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 06:59 PM

Thanks Bobert. I think you have to make a song your own to perform it, even if it's written by someone else and I'd love to hear your version. You're right about the words. You have to get the phrasing right or you're a few words over at the end of the line. Be well and happy.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Midchuck
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 07:06 PM

Just a shock coat of primer when you looked inside.

That is, he primed the interior quick to keep it from rusting, and didn't feel he needed to do any further interior finish work...it was strictly a working vehicle.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: ciarili
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 09:00 PM

I musta heard this album a thousand times, as it's what my caving buddies always played on the way to going caving. My brother bought me the tape way back when after I told him about that. Here's the verse in question from Copperhead Road:

Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big black Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road

It makes more sense when you see the whole thing. He used the primer to get rid of the Johnson County Sheriff mark!

www.steveearle.net/lyrics.htm

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Dec 02 - 09:09 PM

Well, Swan, Peter is somewhat right but you're original lines apparently is coorect. I have checked with Steve Eare's "unofficial " web site and I'm sitting here with the LP (as in vynal) and the words are inside and the line is:

"Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside"

Hmmmmm? Been doing the song "Bobertized" more than I thought. I personally like my line better (Sorry, Steve...) but I think I know what he meant and I'm speakin' from some level of experience here in that I have bought many a police cars and sold 'em to a guty in New York for cabs. So, I reckon Steve was talkin' about the day his daddy bought the car at the auction at the Mason's Lodge. Well, when they sell 'em 'round these parts they do sometimes spary paint over where the official insignia was. So I reckon he could have gone to the auction, noticed the car with the spray paint on it and "looked inside".

But now if ya' think I'm gonna change the way I do Steve's song, it ain't gonna happen. I'll have to write him and tell him that we Catfolk have found an errant or poorly worded line in one of his songs.

Bobert

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,truckerdave
Date: 08 Dec 02 - 01:33 AM

That don't make sense at all and i don't think steve earle would put a line in a song that didn't make sense. Maybe i heard it wrong but i thought he said "shot a coat of primer then he let things slide".You know, just primed over the sheriff logo and let it be. You wouldn't waste much time on cosmetics on a moonshine runners car. I've seen quite a few old police cars that way. Perhaps the lyrics on the album are wrong? Wouldn't be the first time by far. I also thought it was "headed down to knoxville with the weekend load." Maybe this is on the misheard lyrics website. I play the rythym in open G on a dobro capoed up to the fifth fret with a friend playing kind of lead on acoustic guitar. Try it with a pick, the harmonics ring like a bell. We were pretty proud of our version until i heard steve earle and another guy on NPR one day playing it exactly the same way. Like to fell out of my chair. Here i will place the obligatory computer terminology for an expression of great amusement and surprise, "LOL". Steve Earle has a dobro too i discovered.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: ciarili
Date: 08 Dec 02 - 02:43 PM

If he had let things slide, would he have torn the engine down?

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,truckerdave
Date: 08 Dec 02 - 06:32 PM

I went back and listened to 2 different versions. Sure enough he says "then he looked inside". For what, only steve earle knows. Still don't make any sense to me and i know how to paint cars. For one thing no one primers the inside of a car unless you are completely restoring it. I assume that line is taken into the context of primering over the sheriff logo. If you look inside a car you're looking for something. If you've already bought it and brought it back to your shop you know darn well what's in it unless he maybe meant looking under the back seat to figure out what to remove to make more room for a whiskey load. They would cut out parts of the back seat to make more room for the load and hop up the motors. The cars already had heavy duty police suspension and brakes. That would be the only thing i could think of and that's probably what steve meant, however that line as you guys have demonstrated is completely lost on most folks in the year 2002 that are not familiar with bootleggers and dry counties in the US. If you're a savvy used car dealer you always check under the back seat. There could be anything from jewelry to a gun back there. I found $500 worth of gold jewelry under one and a friend found a Nazi SS dagger under another. I'll continue to sing it the way i always did, just tell steve earle i "fixed" it for him. If anyone is interested there is a show coming on the History Channel tomorrow night about bootleggers, moonshine runners, etc.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Raptor
Date: 09 Dec 02 - 11:03 AM

I've got a question!

Do any of you U.S. fans own steve's album "Shut up and Die like an Aviator" recorded in Kitchoner Ontario?

If so does it have a Maple leaf on the cover?

Raptor

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Stu
Date: 09 Dec 02 - 11:23 AM

I like the idea of playing this on a bouzouki – are there any chords and standard notation anyone can point me to?

stigWeard

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Jenny the T
Date: 09 Dec 02 - 03:49 PM

Well, I don't know, now, but it seems obvious to me:

He took care of the outside (obliterating the old sheriff's logo) with a quick 'n' easy coat of primer. Then he moved on to the more time-consuming part, inside the engine compartment ("he looked inside"), rebuilding the engine and souping it up so it'd go well enough to outrun the revenooers when necessary.

That's what it says to me, anyhow ...

JtT

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From:
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 04:27 AM

The line is, "shot a coat of primer on the left-hand side" My ancestors ran everclear - a passing police car would only see the left-hand side. get it?

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Willie-O
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 06:35 AM

I'm with Jenny T. The diction isn't great but the meaning is obvious--gave it a quick spray-coat of primer, then (well, the next day) got under the hood and worked on the motor.

What would be the point of spraying the left side only? Cops aren't always in the other lane, at least half the time they're sitting on the shoulder, on your right.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: richlmo
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 10:41 PM

Jenny T. has it. I always thought the looked inside meant ,looked inside the hood.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: richlmo
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 10:45 PM

By the way, a copperhead is a pit viper. Very plentiful in North Carolina , where I live. Pretty poisonous, too.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 05:52 PM

Not much difference to what is said, but I'll say it anyhoo....

Just shot a coat of primer -- Only did enough to get it able to be driven without looking like Roscoe P. Coltrain -- then he looked inside... basically I think that the interior of the car was completely secondary to the purpose of the car, basically that it was bought based on the potential engine and heavy duty chassis, and who gave a dang about the inside of it... basically, refers to it being an afterthought after he already purchased it...

(When I perform the song, by the way, I always change the "Johnson County" line to a local county name, one that is a tad bit backwoods... always gets a great response... Right along with "Sweet Home Albert County / Where the moonshine burns so blue / Sweet Home Albert County / The RCMP are looking for you!".. but I digress)

Brian.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Sep 09 - 07:01 PM

Johnson country sherif painted on the side - painted being a metaphore for shooting

Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside -- shot his primer (ammo) at the dodge, 'coating' it, then he looked inside

i always take it that john lee petimore dad gets shot 2 crap bonnie and clide style

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Amergin
Date: 13 Sep 09 - 07:14 PM

Wow...some people like to read more into lyrics than there actually are....

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 13 Sep 09 - 08:31 PM

Hmmmmmmm??? I thought it pretained more to the auction where they bought the car... Lotta ex-cop cars go to auction and make darned good cars to use for taxis or for "grocery getter" stock car racers... I donno???

Bobert

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: romanyman
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 05:03 PM

when my mate from texas comes over to see me and he is a real petrol head, what ever car or truck ive got , he has to tinker with it to make it run better and he always always says pop the hood ill take a look inside, hmm perhaps the line refers to painting out the sheriff logo then looking inside the engine bay before the engine tear down, just a thought, but when he came over last time he said the same thing to the friend he brought with him to visit me and as soon as he said ill just take a look inside, his buddy walked straight to the front of the car to pop the hood, maybe a texas thing dunno

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: SharonA
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 08:01 PM

"Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside"

Since the next two lines have to do with the car's engine...
"Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound"
...it seems perfectly obvious that "he looked inside" means "he opened the hood of the car and examined the engine with the intention of rebuilding it".

By the way, I take the rest of the verse to mean that the character's father died in the wreck of the whiskey-filled car (possibly after a police chase); anything less, such as his arrest, would not have caused the character's mother such grief. Am I correct in this assumption?

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: robomatic
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 10:45 PM

SharonA I agree with your interpretation and your surmise. That song is a novel in three and a half minutes! Love it Love it Love it.

If you ever watched the series "The Wire" Steve Earle has a part in it as a twelve steps partner to one of the main characters. One of his songs made the soundtrack.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: open mike
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 02:49 PM

as a follow up on the zoological references..
the copper head is related to the cottonmouth and water moccasin

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/copperhead.htm
http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/snakes/copperh.htm

http://www.wf.net/~snake/moccasin.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_piscivorus

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: semi-submersible
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 06:20 PM

I like the way Jenny the T and SharonA explain the line. No other explanation made as much sense.

I misunderstood the rest of the verse at first, but I agree with you, SharonA:

Line 6: The child (who was to become the narrator) remembers the uniquely deep rumble of the souped-up engine after his Daddy and uncle finished their rebuild.

7: A sheriff came in the night, to tell Mama about Daddy's accident.

8: Mama's reaction woke the child, and forewarned him of the bad news he was about to hear.

9, 10: The last lines of the verse about Daddy give images of the scene which ended his life.

The vivid sense of Daddy's character and the narrator's home, the irony, powerful imagery, and the natural way in which the "Copperhead Road" refrain and other structural elements of the song fit into a compelling story, all show the writer's mastery.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: SharonA
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 06:43 PM

Hi, Semi-Sub. Yes, that's exactly the way I think of that verse.

This, of course, follows the death of the character's grandfather at the hands of the revenue man, in verse 1.

Now the tone is set for the character's "brand new plan" in verse 3 -- a plan to avenge the deaths of the previous two John Lee Pettimores and to carry on the family business of dealing in illegal substances. He uses the tricks he learned from the North Vietnamese about boobytrapping and sniping in order to kill anyone from the DEA who attempts to destroy his marijuana crop or arrest him at his home on Copperhead Road.

But as you say, Semi-Sub, Earle says all of that in a masterfully crafted song -- not only in the lyrics but also in the tune and the arrangement.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: SharonA
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 06:51 PM

Oops -- my bad -- I should have read the lyrics more carefully. The character's home may or may not have been on Copperhead Road (up the holler from the town), but the moonshine still and the marijuana field definitely were.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 07:27 PM

Well, yeah, his daddy did burn up...

It all makes sense when Earle wrote the last verse in sayin', "and I came home with a brand new plan" and then even implyin' that he, unlike his daddy "and his daddy before" he'd be ready for John Law...

BTW, I do this song on my CD "13 Shades of Blues" (Sidewalk Bob) which can be purchased (or sample heard) at CDBaby... (shameless plug)...

B~

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Arthur Stiffy
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 08:14 PM

Why the **** is song this not yet a movie ?
In the hands of a good indie writer/director team
it would be a potential classic.

Even John Mellencamp turned out a pretty good personal movie project
back in the 90's.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: RobbieWilson
Date: 16 Sep 09 - 08:29 AM

Sharon, I have always taken the first verse to say that the revenue man never came back from Copperhead Road, the second to be about an ambush of his daddys weekly run and the third verse to be a return to his grandaddy's defiance.

Incidentally I play this on a standard tuned guitar, but with capo on the first five strings, second fret. This is a bit like playing in dropped D and gives a great drone on the open E string. It also means that when you play your G shape you play it as normal, unlike when you actually drop the string down to D. This is how SE played it when I saw him at Brampton festival a couple of years back.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,SM
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 02:55 PM

"Shot a coat of primer" is correct. Painting cars is done with a spray gun, so you would 'shoot' or 'spray' a coat of primer on the auto body. 'Shot' is just past tense.

All in all it means that his daddy bought an ex-police car (already high performance), sprayed over the logo with just primer, and then turned their attention to the engine, tearing down a high mileage engine for a re-ring, maybe boring out the block, or other preformance modifications.

In fact, NASCAR racing has its roots from bootleggers who did performance modifications to their cars.

Also, it's "big block Dodge" not "big black Dodge". This refers to they type of engine, a "big block" engine.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 05:29 PM

"Big block Dodge".... Hmmmmm??? Well, okay... Reckon I'll have to change that next time I do the song... Makes sense seein' as police cars haven't been black since forever...

B~

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: fumblefingers
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 06:05 PM

He probably used the line because it was all he could think of that rhymed and fit at the time.

"Just shot a coat o'primer..." doesn't actually say that he only painted over the logo. A "coat" indicates that he primed the whole thing.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,SM
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 08:15 PM

use your google-fu:

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22shoot+a+coat+of+primer%22

The present tense is fairly common as a phrase. If you use the verbatim song line, though, you'll get a lot of lyrics pages.

I agree, a 'coat' indicates the whole car was covered, not just the logo.

Also, "big black" vs. "big block" isn't helped any by the actual video for the song, because the car shown is black.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,haywire
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 09:12 PM

I knew a kid in college who ran 'shine in Georgia during his summers to dry counties around Atlanta. He would put several platic gas cans of whiskey in the trunk and remove most of the interior and stick cans in there as well. Maybe the interior space of a full-size dodge was appealing as well.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Apr 10 - 11:10 PM

He just painted over everything on the car then in the next verse it explains that they took the engine apart and made it run on moonshine

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 22 Apr 10 - 01:00 PM

Sorry, but I ain't buyin' that one, GUEST... A gallon of good shine will fetch upwards of a hunnert dollars... A gallon of race fuel about $7...

The reason that they torn that engine down was to modify it to get more horsepower... Lotta ways to do that but the common ones are:

*cylindar boring and bigger pistons
*stroking with different crankshaft to get a longer stroke
*bigger valves to allow more air/gas in thru the intake valve and more exhaust out
*millin' the head to increase comprssion ratio
*tuned exhaust headers to get the exhaust out
*different camshaft with more life and longer duration
*larger intake manifold with options for mutliple carburators

You do that to an engine and now yer ready to outrun Smokey... But beware of Smokey's radio... It's real quick... lol...

B~

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: jeffp
Date: 23 Apr 10 - 10:44 AM

It's no surprise that the first stock car drivers were former moonshine runners.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Damn Yankee Pete
Date: 10 May 10 - 12:11 AM

Big Black Dodge!! or Big Block Dodge!! I love it either way. I spent 15 years (I'm only 29, first heard this song at 8!) building and painting derby cars for various fellers. One guy I had worked with, nothing but Chrysler's, Dodge's. pretty much the strongest cars I ever saw, run them 2 times a night, bring 'em back 2 nights later for the 2nd day, run them 2 more times, and maybe the following year. I want that big black 69 Coronet late in the video....best looking car ever.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Robin
Date: 08 Jun 10 - 01:26 AM

Sharon's explanation is the one and it's big block Dodge. This song could be my dad's life. He's gone now, so I can tell it. He ran whiskey to upper East Tenn. from Knoxville in the 1980s (dry counties in Ky. & no liquor in our part of Tn.). That's after he built and raced Mopars for years.
Shot a coat of primer (like with a spray gun) was enough to cover the sheriff logo like somebody said. The car was for practical purposes -- outrunnin' the law. And cars don't run on moonshine. I'm not a musician but the lyrics/diction, choice of bagpipes and ghostly echo embody such a life. I cannot hear it without weeping.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Jun 10 - 09:53 PM

So, Robin... What do you think about the line "looked in side"??? I been doing the song since, well, forever and I always sing "loaded inside"???

But I did know about the "shot of coat of primer" 'casue when they sell these cars at auctions they have sherriff decals on 'um...,

I also sing "big black dodge: cause alot of cop cars were black but I now believe it to be "big block dodge" 'cause it's been a long time since cop cars were black... I actaully did buy a "twuz-a-fzz" '74 Dodge and it was blue... Had a big ol' 440 engine... Wouldn't win no drag races but top out at a buck forty...

B~

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Whistle Stop
Date: 09 Jun 10 - 01:57 PM

I used to be a member here, just decided to drop by and see what's going on. Big Steve Earle fan.

Those of us with roots in the southern (or mid-southern) US might have an easier time than Brits at interpreting American slang. I agree that it was a "shot coat of primer" (a single coat from a spray gun; quick and easy, doesn't have to be pretty), and then he "looked inside" to rebuild the engine, and maybe also to take out the seats for more carrying capacity (you don't need the room for passengers, you need it for cargo). The context makes it seem pretty obvious to me.

As for "copperhead," yes, it's a poisonous snake, but it's also something else. In the American Civil War, which still informs a lot of our American mythology, antiwar Northerners who advocated that the South be allowed to secede were called Copperheads. Most of them lived in or near border areas, like West Virginia and Kentucky, where sympathies were mixed, and which also happen to be areas where moonshining (distilling illegal liquor) was big. Copperheads were ostracized by other northerners, which added to their already strong sense of isolation and lawlessness. I always figured that Steve was using the name "Copperhead Road" to strengthen the Appalachian links in the story and underscore the suggestion that this was outlaw territory.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: mkebenn
Date: 09 Jun 10 - 04:50 PM

Bobert, I believe "looked inside" is poppin' the hood to check the mill. And Open Mike, a copperhead can't be related to a water moccasin and a cottonmouth, 'cause they're the same critter. They are pit vipers like all the rattlesnakes, though. Mike

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Guest, KaraokeSC
Date: 10 Oct 10 - 03:03 PM

There are two separate actions here. "Shot a coat of primer," and "looked inside." Of course the primer is to change the apearance of the outside of the car - make it plain and inconspicous. As a hot-rodding mechanic will say, "Looked inside" is the next critical step for the car - looking inside the engine compartment - this is confirmed by the next line: "him and my uncle tore that engine down."

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Don in NC
Date: 15 May 11 - 03:30 PM

You are correct, shot a coat of primer is just covering up the Johnson's County Sheriff logo on the door of the car. Primer is a base coat that goes on prior to laying the actual color coat. It is used as a sanding coat to smooth out the imperfections before the shiny goes on. It is cheap, flat in color, and easy to spray on. Looking inside is seeing what is under the hood to see what you have to work with from a power perspective. Steve Earle and I are both within a few years of the sane age. Law enforcement agencies in the late 50's and 60's used Dodge and Plymouth cars because they were so big and powerful. They even spent their own money on their patrol cars to try and get them to the point so they could keep up with the ne'er do wells. I was one of the the ne'er do wells. I did not haul liquor, but I have raced and outran many of them. My grandfather did not make it, but he gave others free ride on his property to make it. He had good land, plenty of natural springs, and plenty of natural cover. He even had corn to sell if the time and price was right.

I am replying to a string that is about four years old. I just ran across something that interested me. I hope someone sees it.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Jayto
Date: 16 May 11 - 08:30 AM

Now Daddy ran whisky in a big black Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Masons Lodge
Johnson County sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside.'


Around my area the term "shot" is really common. It is used whenever anything is thrown, pitched or covered with something. It is used in a bunch of different ways. So I always took it as he coated the car with primer. I am in Western KY and it is a pretty common saying around here. I have to admit I am reading this in a rush. Am I correct that the word in question is "shot"?

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 17 May 11 - 08:14 AM

Thanks a lot I used to play this over and over, now I know what I have been dancing to.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 17 May 11 - 12:47 PM

I have had time to read through most of the comments. "Then he looked inside" just means he looked under the hood of the car. The next line is about the engine. That is another common phrase in the US Southeast. It just means to look inside the hood of the car to look at the motor. Basically he bought the car and then after coating it in primer he took a look inside the motor compartment (or under the hood) to start juicing up the engine.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 17 May 11 - 06:30 PM

I was somehow logged off. The above Guest was me Jayto.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 05:02 PM

It has to be a big black dodge, because dodge didn't come out with a big block motor unti ( I think) the 413 in 1963. So daddy had a small block of sometype, maybe a small hemi. Only the third pettimore could have bought a big block dodge at a police auction.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 05:36 PM

Good point, GUEST, guest... You oughtta be on the sequel to "My Cousin Vinny"...

B~

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Jan 12 - 09:25 PM

It is "big block Dodge". They "shot a coat of primer" to hide the Johnson County Sheriff logo because then it wouldn't be a far step from that to figure out who bought the car. And they "looked inside" the hood and were pleasantly surprised to find a big block Dodge engine which had just started production in the late 50s.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Jan 12 - 11:03 PM

I donno???

Steve had already said that he'd bought a "big block dodge" so why would he be surprised to find that it was a "big block"???

I don't think so...

I think he "looked inside" the car itself to checkout the interior... Maybe to figure out how to stash the shine tanks???

B~

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 09 Jan 12 - 12:20 AM

Sounds like he says "big black Dodge" to me, but what the hell do I know.
"Shot a coat of primer" just shows they didn't give a damn about how it looked.
"Looked inside" shows the equal disdain they had for the interior of the car. Don't think it's a way of saying they were looking under the hood...if it was the local Sheriff's car, they already knew what they were getting.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Texan til I die
Date: 10 Jan 12 - 02:34 PM

Back then all police cars were "black".

Look inside does definitely mean to look under the hood. You didn't look under the hood at the auction. You bought em' cheap and "asis". Looking under the hood meant you didn't know what you were doin at an auction. Everybody knew who the shiners were and veteran shiner would nevr look under the hood. Cops would note who would look under the hood as a newbie and that's how first arrests were made.

As for the line "shot a coat of primer" - Shiners used primer for one reason. It's not shiny. Black primer doesn't reflect light and when you're getin' run down by the sheriff you get away as fast as you can, raise as much dust as you can skid out off a side road, ditch yer lights and let the sheriff roll right by you. If the sheriff realizes he's passed you up he'll come back shining his searchlight both ways looking for the first shiny reflection to nail you.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: moecurlythanu
Date: 11 Jan 12 - 12:52 PM

It clearly says "big block Dodge." I've been listening to this song since it came out, and never once heard it as "big black." Might I recommend some wax remover? ;-)

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: gnu
Date: 11 Jan 12 - 02:06 PM

Primer is also used up country so that a vehicle is less visible in moonlight. Everything is primed except windows and lights (crossing main roads is always done with the side windows down). Taillights power wiring is cut and connectors installed. Powerful lights on a rooftop lightbar are mounted facing mostly backwards. Side mirrors removed. Gastanks are "modified" (trucks with dual tanks).

And, of course, the chainsaw is fueled and starts first pull. The waterproof GMRS have fresh batteries (these guys never go swimmin alone, eh, on accounta "safety first, eh).

Speakin a saftey... I stay away from them guys. Great guys to drink with but too rough around the edges fer me.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Jan 12 - 07:23 PM

Texan's responses feel right to me, so Im going w his explanation, plus Steve ain't ashamed to be from Texas either

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Jan 12 - 08:05 PM

Well, I bought a twas-a-fuzz "big block dodge"... It was a '74 model... And I bought it at a county auction... Back then they would take a spray can of black primer and paint over the insignia/decal on the front doors... I knew it had a "big block" V-8 (440 cu inches)... I didn't need to see that but if you have ever been to a car auction you'll see folks looking inside the car at the interior... People are looking to see if the air conditioner is working or if there is stuff missing or the overall condition of the seat covers, carpet, etc... It's part of buying a car...

So I think, in spite of having performed the song for years as "big black Dodge" that it is indeed "big block Dodge", and coat of primer over the insignia and looked at the interior...

B~

Subject: Lyr Add: COPPERHEAD ROAD (Steve Earle)
From: gnu
Date: 11 Jan 12 - 08:51 PM

Has this been posted before?


COPPERHEAD ROAD
(Steve Earle)
As recorded by Steve Earle on "Copperhead Road" (1988)
Well my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He headed up the holler with everything he had
It's before my time but I've been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road

Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road

I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first, 'round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I learned a thing or two from Charlie don't you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Jan 12 - 09:06 PM

For the record, songfile.com lists the songwriter of Copperhead Road as Steve Earle, so I added title and songwriter attribution to the lyrics posted by gnu.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Apr 12 - 03:52 PM

umm...you geeks, "looked inside" refers to the engine/engine compartment!!!

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Sandyant
Date: 12 Apr 12 - 05:17 PM

Top song. Do/did panel beaters and spray painters use a term "shoot a cop"
To describe shooting a Coat Of Primer. ie
C O P.

Subject: copperhead road was based on what movie
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 08 Jun 12 - 02:43 PM

what movie was playing in the background of the song copperhead road

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: gnu
Date: 08 Jun 12 - 03:24 PM

Got a link?

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jun 12 - 08:06 AM

Too many people overthinking the line Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside the meaning of this line is contained in the next line Well him and my uncle tore that engine down. The car was brought as a Police car and wasthen painted in primer to cover the insignia and then the engine of the car was rebuilt for greater power. A classic Q Ship that is a plain car hiding a very powerful motor

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Mopar or NoCar
Date: 19 Nov 12 - 03:44 PM

Dodge first big block was 1958 the biggest Dodge engine before that would have been a 354 used in a truck. The "wedge" big blocks of the Mopar muscle car era started its production in 1958 with a B block 350 & 361 followed a year later by the B block 383 and the RB (raised block) 383 and 413. The RB block "wedge" 426 came out in 63 and RB 440 finally came out in 1966 along with the release of the RB "Hemi" 426. (*race only 426 Hemi's were being used in 64 and 65 but not released to the public til 66) The last of the big blocks to be released was the R block 400 in 1972.

So if ol' John Lee Pettimore volunteered for the Army on his 18th birthday because they draft the white trash first anyway. Based on the way he says "They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway" says to me they had been drafting for a while so the U.S. involvment of the war had been going on for sometime and wan't new. So say it was 67 or 68 when he turned 18 and to be old enough to understand and remember his dad buying a squad car, shotting it in primer, rebuilding the engine and "still remember that rumblin' sound" I would say he would have to be 12 or 13 so it is more likely than not that his dad bought a squad car with a big BLOCK.

I grew up in a car family and my pops ran a bodyshop. We used the terms shot or shooting for pain and primer as in "I shot the first coat of primer last night" or "I just finished shooting the first coat of primer".

"he looked inside" followed by "Well him and my uncle tore that engine down" clearly means he looked under the hood to check the engine and then rebuilt it.

My pops used to buy cars at city and county auctions and all cop cars, fire trucks and school busses I saw at auction always already had the logos painted over with black or gray primer.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Bobert
Date: 19 Nov 12 - 07:23 PM

Great post, MpPar...

I'm a gear-head, too... Not a MoPar guy... Ford guy... But, hey, good stuff... I never realized that the 383 was considered a big block... I thought it was a small block... Guess not...

With Ford motors the 351 was both a small block and a big block... The Windsor was a small block and the Cleveland was a big block...

Get's kinda confusing...

B~

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 17 - 07:38 AM

Looked inside refers to looking at the engine. Souping it up to run faster.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Feb 17 - 06:27 PM

ahh brilliant! So "just shot a coat of primer" means they got rid of the Johnson County Sheriff writing and " looked inside" means they souped up the engine.. love it! brilliant!!!

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 08 Feb 17 - 07:29 PM

Yeah. Late 1960's Dodge Polara 413. Would add a county mountie is not a townie. Daddy bought the pursuit package suspension, brakes &c that comes with. 15s/129mph in the quarter mile, from the factory.

A coat of paint primer to hide the door decal on the outside and "looked inside" is not just under the hood. Throw out the back seat, door panels and other dead weight too. Good times.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Roughyed
Date: 09 Feb 17 - 09:09 AM

I was amazed to see this thread again after I started it over 14 years ago. Thanks to everyone who has contributed over the years, your comments and experience have made a real difference to my understanding and appreciation of the whole song. Isn't the Mudcat wonderful?

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 10 Feb 17 - 12:56 AM

Isn't the Mudcat wonderful?

Excepting, that I've been humming "She Caught the Katy" for three days now, not knowing why...


The Bluesmobile

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: robomatic
Date: 10 Feb 17 - 03:42 PM

Just watched the movie "American Honey" In an early scene the main character is trying to offload two little kids she's looking after so she can hit the road; she intercepts the kids' mother at a joint where they're line dancing to "Copperhead Road". It all fits.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,ripov
Date: 11 Feb 17 - 03:37 PM

I'm pretty sure that any signwriting on a vehicle would be obliterated BEFORE it was sent to auction.
And as an aside "Copperhead" chimes nicely with the "Copper" (although it wasn't always made of that metal, especially when the brew was illict), or boiler, used for heating the mash to boil off the alcohol. The fiddling Doherty brothers were itinerant coppersmiths, who repaired "utensils" on Irish farms.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Steviebeef
Date: 12 Nov 17 - 09:13 AM

Copperhead is a snake, venomous, but not lethal, found on the east coast of the US to the Mississippi.

Shot coat of primer is the car was sprayed with flat black primer and that was it, no color no clear coat.

"Then looked inside"--means he evaluated the engine and what to do.

Tore that enigine down, means actulay they rebuilt it--WAY outta spec LOL!

Good tune.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Nov 17 - 10:39 AM

It does depend on who or what gets bit, as to whether a copperhead snake is "lethal." Treat its venom as deadly and leave it alone. It's found in a much larger range than the one mentioned above.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: leeneia
Date: 13 Nov 17 - 06:02 PM

As a longtime Missouri resident, I am almost a southerner, and I just want to say that i don't believe anybody ever named a road for a copperhead.

Do we name roads for skunks, mosquitoes or poison ivy? No, we don't. And whether we are northern or southern, we don't name them for poisonous snakes, either.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says that nobody has ever died of a copperhead bite in Missouri. Of course they are to be avoided nonetheless.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: Greg F.
Date: 13 Nov 17 - 06:35 PM

Well Leeneie, check

Here

And Here

Plenty more of them, and skunks, and rattlesnakes & all sorts of critters memorialized in road names.....

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Davie M
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 05:01 AM

The trouble is you guys are all muzos and not car people. The line is

"Just a shot coat of primer when you looked inside."

It means that the inside has been stripped out so that it can carry more and also to get rid of all the combustible upholstery. Then the inside has been tidied up with a quick spray of primer (a shot coat).

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Davie M
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 05:06 AM

For what it's worth, I think the term comes from giving metal a quick spray of primer immediately after shot blasting just to stop it rusting until the proper finish can be applied. The car wouldn't have been shot blasted or anything but it just means that the inside had been stripped and then had a quick blow over with primer. No need to do anything more. Main requirement is a for a good running engine, so they strip it down and perk it up a bit.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Mark Bluemel
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 08:58 AM

I'm afraid I disagree Davie M.

Nearly every set of lyrics I can find agree with my ears that it's "just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside".

The interpretation of the dull paint job to give the car a "stealth" finish, and "looking inside" to get the most out of the engine, make most sense to me.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 01:59 PM

Dave M.: "The trouble is you guys are all muzos and not car people."

"For what it's worth, I think...

Whereas I think the 'trouble' may lie elsewhere...

Removes back seat as "fire hazard." Replaces with glass jars of high-proof distilled spirits. Hmmmmmmm.

fwiw: Pneumatic paint sprayer = air gun; paint gun. Ergo paint = shot.

Hiding the door decal is required by the auction rules or done by the county before the sale and bootleggers don't add useless, dead weight primer on the inside.

Or so I've been told anywho ;)

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,NUGE
Date: 29 Oct 18 - 10:26 PM

i think he looks inside the car to get one last look at the cop car that was always up his ass as a kid before he starts running shine in it.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Mike
Date: 25 Mar 20 - 01:43 AM

“Shot a coat of primer” to me means sprayed quickly a
coat of primer. What is a muzo?

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 25 Mar 20 - 11:41 AM

"What is a muzo?"

Musician.

Subject: RE: Copperhead Road - explanation of line
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Aug 20 - 06:55 AM

I live on Blacksnake Road, so named because it has so many twists and turns and is a bit dangerous in some sections.