20 Best DBT Daddy Lyrics

I don’t want y’all to think this newsletter is only about sibling incest and white men who say the n-word. We’re also here to have some fun. Which is why I embarked on a very frivolous mission to count all of the Drive-By Truckers songs with the word “daddy” in the lyrics. I also ranked them and made a playlist!

First, a note about the word “daddy,” which always makes me feel awkward. I cannot remember a time when I called my father “daddy,” though I’m told that it might have happened when I was very young. To me, he has always been “dad.”

But many folks in the South have a very different relationship to the word “daddy.” It’s a term of endearment as much as it is a title. My mom, who grew up in Lumberton, Mississippi, refers to her parents as “mama and daddy” — even long after they’ve been gone. I’ve heard other Southern relatives say “mother and daddy.” Famous fictional Southerner and Golden Girl Blanche Devereaux called her father "big daddy."

Like many words, the word “daddy” sounds better in a Southern accent. And as Drive-By Truckers demonstrate, the two-syllable “daddy” sounds better in songs.

By my best estimate, DBT has used the word “daddy” more than 70 times in 32 songs, including Jason Isbell’s contributions. Four songs have the word “daddy” in the title. In verses both funny and poignant, DBT sing about themselves as daddies, about their own daddies, or about fictional and historical daddies.

Below, I’m counting down what I think are the 20 best DBT daddy lyrics. I did my best to evaluate the lyrics on their merits, without allowing my feelings about each song to impact my choices, but no promises. Turns out, this endeavor inspired me to listen to a few songs I'd previously neglected, and I discovered some new favorites.

20.

Her Daddy always said she was the one
Who made the light the stars could wish upon

— From "Rosemary With a Bible and a Gun" (Patterson Hood)

19.

My Mama told me, “your life is such a wreck”
“You're dumber than dogshit” is what my Daddy said
I was just thirteen when they showed me the door
I keep their picture but don't look at it no more

— From "The Company I Keep" (Hood)

18.

She had them hearing old Dixie driven down in every note of Barry’s baritone
And strangle-holding pearls in the clutches of their liver spotted hands
She made PC worse to Mama than the VD Daddy brought home from the rodeo
She made it look so easy all Fat Donnie had to do was wear the pants

— From "Sarah’s Flame" (Mike Cooley)

17.

Between your mama's drive and daddy's belt
It don't take smarts to learn to tune out what hurts more than helps

— From "Birthday Boy" (Cooley)

16.

Gossip is a-flying and his son starts to thinking
He sees his Daddy's new wife driving around in a Lincoln
There's a lot he'd like to ask if he could get the chance
But he's scared he might have to kill the old man

— From "Go-Go Boots" (Hood)

15.

Daddy used to empty out his shotgun shells and fill 'em full of black-eyed peas
He'd aim real low and tear out your ankles or rip right through your knees

— From "Never Gonna Change" (Isbell)

14.

Before I could walk, I had a wrench in my hand
I was my Mama's little angel and my Daddy's second chance

— From "Daddy’s Cup" (Cooley)

13.

My sister’s marrying in the spring and everything will be fine
Mama’s planning the wedding, Daddy’s planning on crying

— From "Primer Coat" (Cooley)

12.

If Daddy's quiet, it probably means he's thinking way too much

– From "Eyes Like Glue" (Cooley)

11.

My daddy was shot right in front of his house
He had no one to fall on but me

— From "Decoration Day" (Isbell)

10.

Now, I ain't the type to hold it against, but he better stay off my farm
‘Cause it was my Daddy's and his Daddy's before
And his Daddy's before and his Daddy's before
Five generations and an unlocked door and a loaded burglar alarm

— From "Sinkhole" (Hood)

9.

John Henry was a steel-driving bastard
But John Henry was a bastard just the same
An engine never thinks about his daddy
And an engine never needs to write its name

— From "The Day John Henry Died" (Isbell)

8.

Who will Mom and Daddy find to continue the family name?
Who will stand there taking credit, who will lay there passing blame?

— From "Lookout Mountain" (Hood)

7.

My Daddy played poker on a stump in the woods back in his younger days
Prohibition was the talk, but the rich folks walked to the woods where my Daddy stayed

— From "Where the Devil Don’t Stay" (Cooley)

6.

Daddy needs a drink to deal with all the beauty
To deal with all the madness, to keep from blowing up

— From "Daddy Needs a Drink" (Hood)

5.

Your Daddy is a deacon down at the Salem Church of Christ
And he makes good money as long as Reynolds Wrap keeps everything wrapped up tight

— From "Zip City" (Cooley)

4.

Daddy used to tell me, everything comes down
To what they say about you when you're not around
And I wish that he was here now, I'm sure he would be proud
No one talks about me now; the voices are too loud

— From "Dead, Drunk, and Naked" (Hood)

3.

It's enough to make a man not want to be nobody's daddy,
When all he thinks he's got left to hand down is guilt and shame

— From "When the Pin Hits the Shell" (Cooley)

2.

I know your Daddy hates me
And I got a room in hell reserved

— From "Your Daddy Hates Me" (Hood)

And number one . . .

Well, my daddy didn't pull out, but he never apologized
Rock and roll means well, but it can't help tellin' young boys lies.

— From "Marry Me" (Cooley)

Give a listen to my playlist and let me know what songs and lyrics you think deserve a spot on this list and which ones don't.

As always, I urge anyone who can afford it to please purchase Drive-By Truckers music on Bandcamp, on vinyl, or in whatever analog or digital format you prefer.