Chords for Kenny Rogers - Coward Of The County (Audio)

[C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ 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 called him [C] Yellow.
_ _ Something always told [G] me 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] to 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 weak [F#] if you turn [C#] the other cheek.
I hope you're [F#] old enough to [G#] understand. _
Son, you don't have to fight to [C#] be a man. _
[D] The Gatlin boys just laughed at him [G] 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] 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 boy [D] was standing.
_ He said this once for Becky [A] as he watched the [D] last one fall.
I heard him say, I promised your dad [G] not 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 [G] I sure hope you [A] understand. _
Sometimes you gotta fight when [D] you're a man. _
_ Everyone considered him [G] the coward of the county.
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _