About The Song
The song “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” isn’t credited to a single artist. There are two possibilities:
- David Allan Coe Version: This is the most likely source you’re thinking of. The song was written by Steve Goodman and John Prine. Here’s what we know about this version:
- Released in 1975 on David Allan Coe’s album “Once Upon a Rhyme”
- Genre: Country
- Lyrical Theme: A woman laments about a one-sided relationship where the man doesn’t even call her by name. She questions his affection despite all she’s done for him (“Sometimes it seemed so useless to repay / But you don’t have to call me darling darling / You never even called me by my name”).
- Steve Goodman Version: The song was originally written by Steve Goodman and John Prine, but Prine reportedly didn’t want credit because he thought it was a “goofy, novelty song.”
Here’s what you can do to find the right information:
- If you’re looking for the David Allan Coe version, you can search for “David Allan Coe – You Never Even Called Me By My Name” on streaming platforms or YouTube.
- If you’re curious about the original version by Steve Goodman (if it exists), it might be less readily available. You could search for “Steve Goodman – You Never Even Called Me By My Name” online, but finding an official recording might be difficult.
Let me know if you’d like to explore David Allan Coe’s version or if you have any other questions about this song!
Video
Lyrics
🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤
Well, it was all
That I could do to keep from crying’ Sometimes it seemed so useless to remain But you don’t have to call me darlin’, darlin’ You never even called me by my nameYou 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 fighting’ sideAnd 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 called me by my nameWell, I’ve heard my name
A few times in your phone book (hello, hello) And I’ve seen it on signs where I’ve played But the only time I know I’ll hear “David Allan Coe” Is when Jesus has his final judgment daySo 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 called me by my nameWell, a friend of mine named Steve Goodman wrote that song
And he told me it was the perfect country & western song I wrote him back a letter and I told him it was not the perfect country & western song Because he hadn’t said anything at all about mama Or trains, or trucks, or prison, or getting’ drunk Well, he sat down and wrote another verse to the song and he sent it to me And after reading it I realized that my friend had written the perfect country & western song And I felt obliged to include it on this album The last verse goes like this hereWell, I was drunk the day my mom got out of 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 trainAnd I’ll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standing’ in the rain, no But you don’t have to call me darlin’, darlin’ You never even called me Well, I wonder why you don’t call me Why don’t you ever call me by my name
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