Coward Of The County Chords by Kenny Rogers

[C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Everyone considered [F] him the coward [C] of the county.
_ He never stood one single time to prove the [G] county wrong.
_ _ [C] His mama called him Tommy, [F] but folks just [C] called him Gellar.
_ _ Something always told me [G] they were reading [C] Tommy wrong. _
Now he was only ten years [F] old when his daddy [C] died in prison.
_ I took care of Tommy, cause he was my [G] brother's son.
_ [C] I still recall the final [F] words my brother [C] said to 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] Now we don't mean you're weak if [F] you turn the [C] other cheek.
And 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#] Tommy's [C#] love was Vicki.
_ In her arms he didn't have to prove he was [G#] a man.
_ _ [C#] One day while he was working, [F#] the Gatlin boys [C#] came crawling.
_ _ Victor turned to Vicki, _ [G#] and there were [C#] three of them. _ _ _
Tommy opened up the door [F#] and saw his [C#] Vicki crying.
_ The torn dress, the shattered look, was more than he [G#] could stand.
_ [C#] He reached above the fireplace [F#] and took down his [C#] daddy's picture.
_ As the tears fell on his daddy's [G#] face, I heard these [C#] words again. _ _ _
Promise me son, [F#] not to do the [C#] things I've done.
[F#] Walk [C#] away from trouble if [G#] you can. _ _
[C#] Now we don't mean you're weak if [F#] you turn the [C#] other cheek.
And I hope you're [F#] old enough to [G#] understand. _
Son, you don't have to fight to be [C#] a man. _ _
[D] The Gatlin boys just laughed at him [G] when he walked into [D] the bar room.
_ One of them got up and had him halfway across [A] the floor.
_ _ [D] Tommy turned around and said,
[G] Hey, look, old [D] yellow's leaving.
_ _ She could have heard a pin drop.
[A] Tommy stopped and locked [D] the door. _ _ _
Twenty years of crawling [G] was bottled up [D] inside him.
_ He wasn't holding nothing back.
He let them have [A] it all.
_ [D] Tommy left the bar room.
[G] Not a Gatlin boy [D] was standing.
_ _ He said this once for Vicki, [A] as he watched the last [D] one fall.
And I heard him say,
I promised you 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] couldn't turn the other [D] cheek.
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 [D] the county. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _ _