Lyrics Coward Of The County (Remastered 2006).lrc Kenny Rogers
[id: pshkmapv]
[ar: Kenny Rogers]
[al: The Best Of Kenny Rogers: Through The Years]
[ti: Coward Of The County (Remastered 2006)]
[length: 04:19]
[00:10.87]Everyone considered him the coward of the county
[00:17.02]He’d never stood one single time to prove the county wrong.
[00:23.62]His mama named him Tommy, but folks just called him yellow,
[00:30.45]Something always told me they were reading Tommy wrong.
[00:37.34]He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison;
[00:43.71]I took care of Tommy, ’cause he was my brother’s son.
[00:50.45]I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy,
[00:56.79]”Son my life is over, but yours has just begun”.
[01:03.63]”Promise me, son, not to do the things I’ve done
[01:09.06]Walk away from trouble if you can.
[01:14.46]It won’t mean you’re weak if you turn the other cheek
[01:19.39]I hope you’re old enough to understand,
[01:24.63]Son, you don’t have to fight to be a man.”
[01:29.97]There’s someone for everyone, and Tommy’s love was Becky.
[01:36.68]In her arms he didn’t have to prove he was a man.
[01:42.85]One day while he was working, the Gatlin boys came calling
[01:49.67]They took turns at Becky, (and there was three of them).
[01:56.40]Tommy opened up the door, and saw Becky crying.
[02:02.77]The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand.
[02:09.33]He reached above the fireplace, and took down his daddy’s picture.
[02:15.91]As the tears fell on his daddy’s face, he heard these words again:
[02:22.58]”Promise me, son, not to do the things I’ve done
[02:27.95]Walk away from trouble if you can.
[02:32.72]It won’t mean you’re weak if you turn the other cheek
[02:37.91]I hope you’re old enough to understand,
[02:43.45]Son, you don’t have to fight to be a man.
[02:48.81]The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom;
[02:55.17]One of them got up and met him half way cross the floor.
[03:02.01]When Tommy turned around they said, “Hey look! old yeller’s leaving,”
[03:08.87]But you could’ve heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door.
[03:15.19]Twenty years of crawling were bottled up inside him.
[03:21.50]He wasn’t holding nothing back — he let ’em have it all.
[03:27.67]When Tommy left the bar room, not a Gatlin boy was standing.
[03:34.21]He said, “This one’s for Becky, as he watched the last one fall. (And I heard him say,)
[03:40.93]”I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you’ve done
[03:46.31]I walk away from trouble when I can
[03:51.11]Now please don’t think I’m weak, I didn’t turn the other cheek,
[03:56.88]And papa, I should hope you understand
[04:01.91]Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man”.
[04:07.35]Everyone considered him the coward of the county.
[04:15.25]Year of Release: 2011