When Steve Goodman and David Allan Coe performed this song they both gave it a long introduction which included talk of writing songs together and of ending up worshiping at the porcelain throne. They'd tell how Steve wrote the first couple of verses and sent them to his buddy David Allan Coe ("The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy") telling him he had written the perfect country song. Coe writes back telling Steve he had not written the perfect country song because he left out Mom, prison, trains, trucks, and gettin' drunk. Then Steve creates the last verse. Coe was pleased with the result.

Bob, it sounds to me like someone lifted the whole routine since the monologue was often longer than the song.