David Allan Coe – I’m An Ohio Boy

                                  D
You know I was born in Akron, Ohio
G
And I grew up in Cleveland
D                                           
Spent some time in Florida and lived in Texas for awhile

Then I moved to North Carolina then

Back to Nashville, Tennessee but

What I’m tryin’ to tell you is.

Chorus:
            D
I’m An Ohio Boy
            G
I’m An Ohio Boy
A           D              
I’m An Ohio Boy
                 G                      
Make no mistake about it 
A           D       
I’m An Ohio Boy
       G
I’m An Ohio Boy
A           D       
I’m An Ohio Boy
                 G
Make no mistake about it
A           D
I’m An Ohio Boy.

D G A D X4
You know I got outta prison in 1967 I went to Nashville, Tennessee 
I met Kris Kristofferson 
He asked me to go on tour with him
First place we played was in New Jersey
On the show that night was a guy named Bruce Springsteen
I was back in the dressing room with a couple of my buddies John Prine and Steve Goodman, 
we where playin’ songs for each other, and Bruce come back and asked 
John he said where you from and John said I’m from Kentucky, and he asked Stevie 
said where you from and Stevie said I’m from Chicago, Illinois, and he looked at my drunk ass 
and he said were are you I know were your from, I said yeah where’s that dude he said you’re from Texas, 
I said fuck dude I’m from Ohio.

Chorus2:
G
I’m An Ohio Boy
A           D              
I’m An Ohio Boy
                 G                      
Make no mistake about it 
A           D       
I’m An Ohio Boy
       G
I’m An Ohio Boy
A           D       
I’m An Ohio Boy
                 G
Make no mistake about it
A           D
I’m An Ohio Boy.

D G A D X3
Nine years old I was a the Boys Industrial School in Lancaster, Ohio
I turned fourteen in Mansfield Reformatory 
I turned sixteen on death row in the Ohio State Penitentiary  
I was at Chillicothe Reformatory 
My sentence was community from death row to life in prison
1965, I was sent to Marion Correction Institution in Marion, Ohio
In 1967 I was granted a parole
In 1987 with the help from some of my friends 
Who signed a petition, for me to the governor of the state of Ohio
I was granted my final release from parole
And I was restored to my rights as an American citizen.

Chorus2:

D G A D X17
1968, my parole officer allowed me to go to Nashville, Tennesse and just send in written reports to him
So I went there, I was livin’ in the back of an old hurst parkin’ in it in front of the Grand Ole Opry 
puttin’ money in the meter. People would ask me for my autograph I’d sign The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy. 
Guy wrote a story about me in the Nashville paper
And Shelby Singleton who owned Sun Records sent some people out to find me, they said the wanted to hear my songs
So I played my songs for he and he said you got any more I said I yeah but they were back in Ohio. 
He gave me a thousand dollars first time I ever seen a hundred dollar bill in my life 
Told me to go back and get my songs 
So I went back and got my songs and I made my first album for Sun Records it was called Penitentiary Blues
After that I did an album that I wrote in prison called Requiem for a Harlequin and it was probably 
the first rap album that was ever made it said things like:
Now the bright lights shinin’ The Asphalt Jungle and gamers are 
staltin’ the prey. Where crime is king of everything and the 
doomed weak to stay. You know I learned the laws of The Asphalt 
Jungle and I also know its code and I was beatin’ up chumps and 
rollin’ drunks when I was ten years old. You know the street were I lived 
was shattered with sin a relative jungle were escape was thin. 
Many survive and many give in where bare foot children dress in rags 
Learn very early the jungle drag and shameless women offer no price 
and the rats multiple like the roaches and lice.  Yes I’m a product of The Asphalt Jungle as if you didn’t know, 
my mom named me David Allan but my friends call me Killer Coe.  
Yes I grew up with the help of the state in them fine industrail schools 
and I learned to fight without throwing a punch and I learned that old police ain’t fools. 
And my education from prison to prison has well recorded my fame. And there’s a lot of people fightin’ 
to death at the mention of my name. You know I played in every pool room I knew every slick in town. 
I’ve drank with every drunkard and I’ve laughed with every clown.  
You know I’ve pimped and played both girls and guys the dollar was my goal. 
And my skin is white my eyes are blue but there’s black blood in my soul. And black blood you can’t control.   

I’m An Ohio Boy
I’m An Ohio Boy
Make no mistake about it 
I’m An Ohio Boy
I’m An Ohio Boy

?'s buffdixie@yahoo.com