Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers - Coward of The County guitar tab

"Coward of the County" - by Kenny Rogers (1979)

Words and Music by Roger Bowling & Billy Edd Wheeler

SIMPed by Alex Rudd - ahrjj@cunyvm.cuny.edu

Chords:

A D E E7

E ---0------2------0------0-----

B ---2------3------0------3-----

G ---2------2------1------1-----

D ---2------0------2------2-----

A ---0-------------2------2-----

E -----------------0------0-----

Capo 3rd Fret

(In a moderate country half-time)

A D A

Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county.

E

He'd never stood one single time to prove the county wrong.

A D A

His mama named him Tommy, the folks just called him yellow,

E A

but something always told me they were reading Tommy wrong.

A D A

He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison.

E

I looked after Tommy 'cause he was my brother's son.

A D A

I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy:

E A

"Son, my life is over, but yours is just begun.

A E A

Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.

D A E

Walk away from trouble if you can.

A D A

It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.

D E

I hope you're old enough to understand:

E7 A

Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."

[Slide capo to 4th fret]

A D A

There's someone for ev'ryone and Tommy's love was Becky.

E

In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man.

A D A

One day while he was workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'.

E [Spoken] A

They took turns at Becky.... There was three of them!

A D A

Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky cryin'.

E

The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand.

A D A

He reached above the fireplace and took down his daddy's picture.

E A

As his tears fell on his daddy's face, he heard these words again:

A E A

"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.

D A E

Walk away from trouble if you can.

A D A

It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.

D E

I hope you're old enough to understand:

E7 A

Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."

[Slide capo to 5th fret]

A D A

The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom.

E

One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the floor.

A D A

When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look! ol' yellow's leavin'."

[Whole line spoken] E A

But you coulda heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the door.

A D A

Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up inside him.

E

He wasn't holdin' nothin' back; he let 'em have it all.

A D A

When Tommy left the barroom not a Gatlin boy was standin'.

E A

He said, "This one's for Becky," as he watched the last one fall.

[Spoken]

And I heard him say,

A D A

"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you done.

E

I walk away from trouble when I can.

A D A

Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek,

D E

and Papa, I sure hope you understand:

E7 A

Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man."

A D [No chords] A

Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county.

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