A perfeita canção country

Canção: "You never even called me by my name"

Intérprete: David Allen Coe

Compositor: Steve Goodman

Essa canção, inicialmente, traz o sofrimento comum em muitas canções do gênero, e cita alguns nomes tradicionais da música country. Mas a partir da 6ª estrofe, o cantor começa uma narrativa sobre o compositor desta canção, que alegava ser esta a perfeita canção country. O cantor rebate dizendo que faltam nela muitos elementos típicos do gênero [falar sobre a mãe, trens, caminhões, prisão e ficar bêbado] para ela ser a perfeita canção country.

O compositor então decide escrever uma última estrofe e envia-la ao cantor [a penúltima estrofe na letra abaixo.]. E nessa estrofe, ele coloca em apenas quatro versos, de uma só vez, todos aqueles elementos típicos da música country que, até então, faltavam na canção. 

Então o cantor passa a concordar com o compositor: "Após ler esses versos, percebi que meu amigo tinha escrito a perfeita canção country.".

Claramente, o melhor momento desta canção e o seu maior mérito são o efeito cômico a partir da 6ª estrofe [a crítica do cantor] e da estrofe que se segue [que o compositor acrescentou]. 

Letra completa:

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 name 

You 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' side 

And 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 name 

Well, 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 day 

So 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 name 

Well, 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 here: 

Well, 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 train 

And 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.