''Ko-Ko Joe'' is a song written and recorded by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

artist Jerry Reed. It was released in August 1971 as the lead single from the album of the same name, ''Ko-Ko Joe''. The

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

reached peaks of number 11 on the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

chart and number 51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the follow-up to his country chart number 1 hit, When You're Hot, You're Hot.

Content

The song, composed by Reed himself, begins with the description of a man living on the banks of the

Etowah River The Etowah River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 waterway that rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, ...

, (as Reed calls it " cottonmouth country"). As the locals seem to tell it, he's a long-haired, dirty-clothed

survivalist Survivalism is a social movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists, doomsday preppers or preppers) who proactively prepare for emergencies, such as natural disasters, and other disasters causing disruption to social order (that is, ...

who drinks homemade brew and eats exotic meats. He is ostracized by these same locals who think of him as both a bum and 'crazy'. Reminiscent of the 'maligned' character's 'redemption' found in

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

' 1953 song, "Be Careful of Stones That You Throw" (in that case a

woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

), the third verse tells us about the day (one year before the song's telling), when the

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

on the river burst, washing away everything in its path. We learn from the headlines of that day about a

mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

who told of how Ko-Ko pulled her son from the flood waters, saving the boy's life. Reed leaves it ambiguous as to whether Ko-Ko survived.

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1971 singles Jerry Reed songs Songs written by Jerry Reed Song recordings produced by Chet Atkins 1970 songs