Coward Of The County Chords by Kenny Rogers

[C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Everyone considered [F] him a coward [C] of the county.
_ He'd never stood one single time to prove the county [G] wrong.
_ _ [C] His mama named him Tommy, [F] but folks just called [C] him Yellow. _ _ _
Something always told me [G] they were reading [C] Tommy wrong. _ _
He was only ten years old [F] 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 [F] words my brother [C] said,
Tommy, _ _ son, my life is over, [G] but yours has [C] just 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 [F] weak if you turn [C] the other cheek.
I hope [F] you're old enough [G] to understand, _
_ son, you don't have to fight [C] to be a man. _
_ [C#] There's someone for [F#] everyone, and Tommy's [C#] love was Becky.
_ _ In her arms he didn't have to prove [G#] he 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 Becky [C#] crying.
_ _ The thorned dress, the shattered look, was more [G#] than 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 weak [F#] if you turn [C#] the other cheek.
I hope [F#] you're old enough to [G#] understand, _
son, you don't have to fight to [C#] 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, old [D] 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] was 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 boy [D] 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 not [G] to do the things [D] you've done.
[G] I'll walk away [D] from trouble when [A] I can. _ _
[D] Now please don't think I'm weak, I [G] didn't turn the [D] other cheek.
And Papa, I [G] sure hope you [A] understand, _
sometimes you gotta fight when you're [D] a man. _ _
_ Everyone considered him [G] the coward of the county.
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _