Chords for Coward Of The County

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Everyone considered him [F] a coward of [C] the county. _
_ He'd never stood one single time to prove the [G] county wrong.
_ _ [C] His mama named him Tommy.
[F] The folks just [C] called him Yellow.
_ _ Something always told me [G] they were reading Tommy [C] wrong. _ _
He was only ten years [F] old when his daddy [C] died in prison.
I looked after Tommy, cause he was my [G] brother's son.
_ _ [C] I still recall the final words [F] my brother said,
[C] Tommy, _ _ son, my life is over, [G] but yours has just [C] begun. _ _
_ Promise me, son, [F] not to do the [C] things I've done.
[F] Walk [C] away from trouble [G] if you can. _
[C] It won't mean you're weak [F] if you turn the [C] other cheek.
I hope you're [F] old enough to [G] understand, _
son, you don't have to fight to [C] be a man. _
[C#] There's someone for everyone, [F#] and Tommy's [C#] love was Becky.
_ _ In her arms he didn't have to prove he [G#] was a man.
_ [C#] One day while he was working, [F#] the Gatlin [C#] boys came calling. _ _
They took turns at Becky, [G#] and there [C#] was three of them. _
_ Tommy opened up the [F#] door and saw his [C#] Becky crying.
_ The torn dress, the shattered look, was more than [G#] he could stand.
_ [C#] He reached above the fireplace [F#] and took down his [C#] daddy's picture.
As his tears fell on his daddy's [G#] face, he heard these [C#] words again. _
_ _ Promise me, son, [F#] not to do the [C#] things I've done.
[F#] Walk [C#] away from trouble [G#] if you can. _
_ [C#] It won't mean you're [F#] weak if you turn the other [C#] cheek.
I hope [F#] you're old enough to [G#] understand, _
son, you don't have to fight [C#] to be a man. _
[D] The Gatlin boys just laughed at [G] him when he walked [D] into the bar room.
_ _ One of them got up and met him halfway [A] across the floor.
_ [D] When Tommy turned around, they [G] said,
Hey, look, [D] old yellow's leaving. _ _
But you could have heard a pin drop [A] when Tommy stopped [D] and locked the door. _
_ Twenty years of crawling [G] were bottled [D] up inside him.
He wasn't holding nothing back.
He let them [A] have it all.
_ [D] When Tommy left the bar room, [G] not a Gatlin [D] boy was standing.
_ He said this one's for Becky [A] as he watched the [D] last one fall.
And I heard him say,
I promised your dad [G] not to do the [D] things you've done.
[G] I'll walk [D] away from trouble [A] when I can. _
[D] Now please don't think I'm weak, I [G] didn't turn [D] the other cheek.
And Papa, [G] I sure hope you [A] understand, _
sometimes you gotta fight when [D] you're a man. _
_ Everyone considered him [G] the coward [B] of the county.
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _