Bear Family continues its David Allan Coe reissue program with 1983's Castles in the Sand and Hello in There; both albums were produced by Billy Sherrill. Castles in the Sand is one of Coe's most underrated and consistent. Coming well after his glory... and scandal years in the 1970s, Coe and producer Billy Sherrill integrated their partnership into a seamless whole. Coe wrote a big chunk of the album and his tunes are as solid as the material on 1982's Rough Rider and D A C The standouts include "Son of a Rebel Son," and the utterly haunted title song written as a tribute to Bob Dylan, followed by a funky country read of Dylan's own "Gotta Serve Somebody" with Lacy J. Dalton, who adds a certain depth and wildness to the mix. More than on any of their other collaborations, Sherrill showcases Coe as a fine, understated, interpretive singer. One of the eeriest covers Coe ever cut is of the J.B. Detterline, Jr./Gary Gentry classic "The Ride," about the ghost of Hank Williams making an appearance to offer advice to a young Turk. "Missin' the Kid" is a self-penned waltz that is sad and hunted, full of regret and remorse over the loss of his daughter when his second marriage broke up, something he never got over. It's also one of the most sensitive things he's ever written, as it is full of empathy for a daughter he hasn't seen in over ten years. Also included here is "I Can't Let You Be a Memory," an early original by Warren Haynes, the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule guitarist who played with Coe for 15 years. The album closes with two love songs, the bittersweet Karen Sue Brooks/Coe tune "Don't Be a Stranger," a duet with Eve Shapiro, and Coe's own "For Lovers Only (Part 1)." Like a Tom Waits ballad, the keyboard whispers as Coe begins to sing from a barstool, offering a portrayal of himself trying to write the song in some gin mill... asking an imaginary waitress for a Jack Daniels and water, and a pencil with an eraser on it. He stumbles, flubs, and finds his way through a fond wish for those who dare to love and not give up, no matter how rough the breaks can be.

Hello in There is less a concession to radio country than Castles in the Sand, it's wilder in some senses and less focused, but no less compelling a listen. Divided into two sections, a country side and a city side, Coe explores the rocking side of country and the country side of rock conversely. Coe wrote only four tunes on the album, but his interpretive singing is so idiosyncratic and authoritative he makes them his own. The set opens with Paul Kennerley's honky tonk reverie "Crazy Old Soldier," that juxtaposes regret, defiance, acceptance and resignation. "Out of Your Mind" is one of Coe's better broken love songs and "Drinkin' to Forget" is the other side of the equation. The title track written by John Prine feels strange being on the "city side" of the record, but Coe's interpretation is wonderful. He turns the lyric inward, like a reflection in a mirror. "For Lovers Only (Part II) is the sequel to a tune with the same name on Castles in the Sand .DAC comes off as if he is writing the song during its recording, and though gimmicky, it works. There is an immediacy and warmth that carries it to the listener whole. The CD closes with the profoundly beautiful "My Father Smoked His Pipe," a leftover from the session. It's a deep meditation on the ever - hanging nature of family and its labyrinthine twists and turns. Once more there is evidence that Coe's entire period with Columbia and his partnership with Sherrill resulted in consistently high-level work despite the fact that Nashville was changing around him and his trademark brand of restless yet utterly faithful country music was being squeezed from the picture.

Lyrics:

Cheap Thrills
They judge a boy by his friends
And all of mine are trash
They say you find your own level
Well I'm a snake in the grass
But I can't help the things I do
I've always been attracted to

Cheap thrills
Don't you know I like
Cheap thrills
Night after night
Cheap thrills
Well if you ain't supposed to do it I will

I got a low reputation
And a bad attitude
Cuz all I want to do is something
That I ain't supposed to do
Well I can't change the things I love
I guess I'm just a victim of

Cheap thrills
Don't you know I like
Cheap thrills
Night after night
Cheap thrills
Well if you ain't supposed to do it, I will

Son of a Rebel Son
I am the son of a rebel son
He was a son of a gun
I am the son of a rebel son
He was a son of a gun

I am the son of a rebel son
He was a son of a gun
I am the son of a rebel son
Son of a rebel son

My grandpa was a rebel back in ‘61
My daddy was the rebel son of a rebel son
My grandpa fought for freedom but he never won
Anything but medals from the War

They gave them to his wife one day
After they took his life away
What did the words on the tomb stone say
Here lies the rebel son

I am the son of a rebel son
He was a son of a gun
I am the son of a rebel son
Son of a rebel son

I am the son of a rebel son
He was a son of a gun
I am the son of a rebel son
Son of a rebel son

I said

I am the son of a rebel son
He was a son of a gun
I am the son of a rebel son
Son of a rebel son

Thank you

Castles in the Sand

Yeah, I've seen you face in magazines
Yeah I've read all of those press room queens descriptions
I can't believe the lies they tell
But truth is not the way to sell subscriptions

After all the smoke had cleared away
Did not take me long to find out what you had to say
This is just a game
And I'm glad i finally learned to play
By the rules
Do they think we're fools

They put you down behind my back
Distorting all the honest facts about you
While searching through your lyric sheets
For secret meanings too discreet to doubt you

Isn't it a shame they never heard
They finally wrote you off as really being too absurd
While all the time you sacrificed your rhymes
To find a word they could not see
Hidden in your melodies

Like a tree that could bend with the wind
Like a river that flows around the bend
Like a dream
Like a song
They all cross right or wrong
They just keep on building castles in the sand

Then just like you they told me lies
And offered corporate alibis to change me
My songs were taken through the mill
While managers were hired to rearrange me

They led me to the slaughter like a lamb
I just kept pretending that I did not give a damn
Now this situations gotten too far out of hand
To be real
I don't wanna make a deal

Parasites reach for your heart
Each one must try do their part to drain you
You give them your best autograph
On pictures knowing well they're gonna frame you

Don't you know it happens every time
Little did they know I could read between the line
You told them times were changing
But they did not heed the signs
I'm not that green
Bobby do you know what I mean

I'm Like a tree that can bend with the wind
I'm like a river that flows around the bend
I'm like a dream
Like a song
That I've crossed right or wrong
And I'll just keep on building castles in the sand

They drove me in their limousines
My pockets bursting at the seems with money
They said i could take your place
By putting makeup on my face like honey

Now don't you know it chilled me to the bone
They even had the nerve to ask me if i could re-write like a rolling stone
Thats when I told they the should leave my ass alone
Its plan to see
I just wanted to be free

Like a tree that can bend with the wind
Like a river that flows around the bend
Like a dream
Like a song
That I cross right or wrong
And I'll just keep on building castles in the sand

And every song i write my friend
I play it with my band

Gotta Serve Somebody
(With Lacy J Dalton)

You may be an ambassador
To England or France
You might like to gamble
You might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight
Champion of the world
You might be a socialite
With a long string of pearls

But you’re gonna have to server somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
It might be the Devil
Or it might be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

You might be a rock and roll star
Prancin’ on a stage
Plenty of drugs at your command
Women in a cage
You might be a business man
Or some high D grade thief
They may call you Doctor
They may call you Chief

But you’re gonna have to server somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
It may be the Devil
Or it might be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Now you may be a state trooper
You might be a young Turk
You may even be the head of some great big TV network
You may be rich or poor
And you may be blind to change
You may be living in another country under another name

But you’re gonna have to server somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
It may be the Devil
Or it might be the Lord
But you’re still gonna have to serve somebody

May be a construction worker
Workin’ on a home
Might be living in a mansion
You might live in a dome
You may own guns
You may even own tanks
You may be somebody landlord
You may even own banks

But you’re gonna have to server somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
It may be the Devil
Or it might be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Now you can call me Jerry
Or you might call me Moe
You may call me David
Or you might call me Coe
You call me RJ
You can call me Ray
You can call me anything
I don’t care what you say

But you’re gonna have to server somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
It may be the Devil
Or it might be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

You might be a rock and roll star
Prancin’ on a stage
Plenty of drugs at your command
Women in a cage
You might be a business man
Or some high D grade thief
They may call you Doctor
They may call you Chief

But you’re gonna have to server somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
It may be the Devil
Or it might be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

It may be the Devil
It might be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Serve somebody
Whoa man you’re gonna have to serve someone
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
Serve somebody
It might be the Devil
Serve somebody
Oh it might be the Lord
Serve somebody

The Ride
Well, I was thumbin' from Montgomery
I had my guitar on my back
When a stranger stopped beside me in an antique Cadillac
Well he was dressed like 1950
Half drunk and hollow-eyed
He said "Its a long walk to Nashville
Would you like a ride, son?"
And well I sat down in the front seat, he turned on the radio
Them sad old songs comin' out of them speakers was solid country gold
And I noticed the stranger was ghost-white pale
When he asked me for a light
And I knew there was something strange about this ride

(Chorus)
He said "Drifter can ya make folks cry when you play and sing?
Have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues?
Can you bend them guitar strings?"
He said "Boy, can you make folks feel what you feel inside?
Cause if you're big star bound let me warn ya, its a long, hard ride"

Then he cried just south of Nashville
And he turned that car around
He said "This is where you get off boy,
Cause I'm goin' back to Alabam'"
As I stepped out of that Cadillac
I said "Mister, many thanks"
He said "You don't have to call me Mister, Mister.,
The whole world called me Hank

Chorus x2

If you're big star bound
Let me warn ya its a long, hard ride

I Can't Let You Be a Memory
Spent a lot of time playing the field
Thinkin’ I knew all there was to know
But I never knew that love was real
Till I watched you come and go

There’s been so many women by my side
Most of them just came along for the ride
They all left and I never cried
I think I’m about to

I can’t let you be a memory
You just can’t remain a used to be
I would rather be a fool for you
I’ll do anything you want me to

Girl you let me take your heart and run
Never knowing you’re the only One
And I can’t let you slip away from me
I can’t let you be a memory

There’s been so many scares on this ol’ heart
Piece by piece they’ve torn it apart
But girl what’s left you’ve had from the start
They couldn’t take it away

I can’t let you be a memory
You just can’t remain a used to be
I would rather be a fool for you
I’ll do anything you want me to

Girl you let me take your heart and run
Never knowing you’re the only One
And I can’t let you slip away from me
I can’t let you be a memory

I can’t let you be a memory
You just can’t remain a used to be
I would rather be a fool for you
I’ll do anything you want me to

Missin' the Kid
I can’t believe after all of these years I still miss you
Why won’t your memory leave me the same way you did
Taking all but my pride honey one things for certain
Missing you’s nothing compared to missing the kid

She was the light of my life she could brighten the darkness
If not for her we’d have nothing to show for it all
You took what’s left of what once was my reason for livin’
Livin’ without her is no reason for living at all

Someday shell ask you to answer a lot of old questions
What will you tell her about me if she wants to know
She was too young to remember the reason you left me
If you found a reason to tell her I’d sure like to know

I tell myself that it’s all for the best if I don’t try to see her
Seeing her now would not make up for all she’s been through
Watching two people she once called her mother and father
Acting like stranger that’s something I just could not do

I can’t believe after all of these years I still miss you
Why won’t your memory leave me the same way you did
Taking all but my pride one things for certain
Missing you is nothing compared to missing the kid

Don't Be a Stranger
(with Evelyn C Shapiro)

Its 5 in the mornin’
And I’ve been waiting up all night
Left with no warning
And baby you know that ain’t right

Don’t be a stranger
We’ve been together much too long
Don’t be a stranger
Come on back where you belong

Its 5 in the morning

Have you found another
Is that the reason I’m alone
Have you found a lover
Is that the reason you’re not home

Don’t be a stranger
We’ve been together much too long
Don’t be a stranger
Come on back where you belong

Have you found another

Until I hear you say you don’t want me
I’ll never be the one to set you free

I sit and I wonder
Have we lost the love we’ve known for years
It’s pullin’ me under
To think I’ll drown in all of tears

Don’t be a stranger
We’ve been together much too long
Don’t be a stranger
Come on back where you belong

6 in the mornin’
You left with no warnin’
I sit and I wonder;
Don’t be a stranger
Don’t be a stranger
8 in the mornin’
Don’t be a stranger
Don’t be a stranger
Don’t be a stranger
Don’t be a stranger
Don’t be a stranger

For Lovers Only
(spoken)
Hey betty bring me a jack daniel’s and water will ya

(sung)
This song’s for lover only…
For lovers every where

(spoken)
Uh Betty you got a pencil with an eraser
Ok lets just start over

(sung)
This song’s for lover only…

(spoken)
Yeah that’s very good

(sung)
This song’s for lover only…
For lovers every where
I hope you’ll never be
I hope you’ll never be
I hope you’ll never…never be lonely
(spoken)
Yeah that’s it
Thanks
(sung)
This songs for lovers only

(up tempo shift)
(sung)
Let yourself go
Don’t be afraid of your feelings
You ought to know by now
If this is love

Don’t take a chance on loosing
Now is the time for choosing
Give this romance
All of the love you’ve got

Don’t be a fool
Unless you’re fools for each other
Don’t be afraid
To reach out for each other hand

Don’t be ashamed
Of anything you do together
Loves just a chance
Take it as far as you can

Learn how to laugh
Learn how to do things together
You ought to know by now
If this is love

As long as you’re both trying
Love won’t have time for dying
Give this romance
All of the love you’ve got

Don’t be a fool
Unless you’re fools for each other
Don’t be afraid
To reach out for each other hand

And don’t be ashamed
Of anything you do together
Loves just a chance
Take it as far as you can

(scat singing to sax)

For Lovers Only (part II)
The last verse was the hardest the hardest to get through
This verse for old lost lovers this song I wrote for you
She's at the point of no return there's no more candles left to burn
She's broken every chain that bound her to your soul
She doesn't care what's right or wrong you've been her victim for too long
She knows you're too weak to be strong you'll lose control
Nothing seems to bother her she's as cool as cool has ever been
She knows she can handle you you've been her fool since God knows when
[ sax ]
There's no more chances left to take you're just another heart she'll break
You're not the first one or the last to come along
She knows exactly how you feel you think you got a dirty deal
You left your heart where she could steal it for a song
[ sax - banjo ]