Coward of the County Chords by Juanita Du Plessis

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