ARTIST: Roger Bowling and Billy Edd Wheeler
TITLE: Coward of the County
Lyrics and Chords
Everyone considered him
The coward of the county
He never stood one single time
To prove the county wrong
His mama named him Tommy
But folks just called him Yella
Something always told me
They were reading Tommy wrong
/ A - / D A / - - / A E - / A - / D A / - - / E A /
Now, he was only ten years old
When his daddy died in prison
And I took care of Tommy
'Cause he was my brother's son
I still recall the final words
My brother said to Tommy
"Son my life is over
But yours has just begun"
{Refrain}
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
Walk away from trouble if you can
Now, it don't mean you're weak
If you turn the other cheek
And I hope you're old enough to understand
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man
/ A - D A / D A E - / 1st / A D E - / E7 - A - /
There's someone for everyone
And Tommy's love was Becky
In her arms he didn't have
To prove he was a man
One day while he was working
The Gatlin boys came calling
They took turns at Becky
And there were three of them
Tommy opened up the door
And saw his Becky crying
The torn dress, the shattered look
Was more than he could stand
He reached above the fireplace
Took down his daddy's picture
As the tears fell on his daddy's face
I heard these words again
{Refrain}
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him
When he walked into the bar room
One of them got up and met him
Half way 'cross the floor
Tommy turned around, they said
"Hey look old Yella's leaving"
But you could've heard a pin drop
When Tommy stopped and locked the door
Twenty years of crawling
Was bottled up inside him
He wasn't holdin' nothing back
He let 'em have it all
When Tommy left the bar room
Not a Gatlin boy was standing
He said, "This one's for Becky"
As he watched the last one fall
And I heard him say
I promised you dad not to do the things you've done
I'll walk away from trouble when I can
Now please don't think I'm weak
I couldn't turn the other cheek
Papa, I sure hope you understand
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man
Everyone considered him the coward of the county
How to read these chord charts