Coward Of The County

Coward of the County - The Country Dance Kings

Written by：Roger Dale Bowling/Billy Edd Wheeler/ Billy Edd Wheeler

Everyone considered him

The coward of the county

He'd never stood one single

Time to prove the county wrong

His mama called him Tommy

But folks just called him Yellow

Something always told me

They were reading Tommy wrong

He was only ten years old

When his daddy died in prison

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

Promise me son

Not to do the things

I've done

Walk away from trouble

If you can

It won'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

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 was three of them

Tommy opened up the door

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

Promise me son not to do

The things I've done

Walk away from trouble if you can

It won't mean you're weak

If you turn the other cheek

I hope you're old

Enough to understand

Son you don't have

To fight to be a man

The gatlin boys just laughed at him

When he walked into the barroom

One of them got up and met him

Half way 'cross the floor

When Tommy turned around they said

Hey look old yeller's leaving

But you could've heard a pin drop when

Tommy stopped and locked the door

Twenty years of crawling

Were bottled up inside him

He wasn't holding 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 walk away from trouble when I can

Now please don't think I'm weak

I couldn't turn the other cheek

And papa I should

Hope you understand

Sometimes you gotta fight

When you're a man

Everyone considered him

The coward of the county