Rogers Kenny

Rogers Kenny - Coward Of The County guitar chord

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Date: Sun, 02 Oct 1994 12:35:15 -0400 (EDT)

From: Alex Rudd

"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.

From: raybailey@mistral.co.uk (Raymond Bailey)

Subject: CRD: C&W Coward Of The County

Date: Sat, 07 Oct 1995 04:51:14 GMT

        COWARD OF THE COUNTY

|C            |               |F            |C       |

Ev'ry one con-sidered him the coward of the county

   |               |              |                |G     |

He never stood one single time to prove the county wrong

    |C              |         |F                    |C      |

His momma named him Tommy the folks just called him yellow

|               |                 |       G7    |C     |

Something always told me they were readin' Tommy wrong

|           |                      |F            |C       |

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

|              |             |               |G      |

I looked after Tommy 'cos he was my brothers son

  |C               |              |F              |C       |

I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy

|              |        |          G7      |C        |

Son my life is over but yours has just beg-un

|C            | G7  C    |F               |C     |

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

|F             |C             |G      |

walk away from trouble if you can

    |C                   |  G7 C     |F           |C

Now it won't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek

                   |F           |G

I hope your old enough to under-stand

|Dm7                |G7         |C    |

you don't have to fight to be a man

        |D          |             |G              |D

There's someone for every one and Tommys love was Becky

|              |              |              |A    |

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

    |D               |           |G               |D       |

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

|                  |       |              |A7      |D

They took turns at Becky   There was three of them

|          |               |G            |D        |

Tommy open up the door and saw his Becky cryin'

    |              |                 |                  |A     |

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

   |D                |                   |G              |D      |

He reached above the fire place and took down his daddys picture

       |                 |              |               A   |D

as the tears fell on his Daddys face he heard these words a-gain

|           |  A   D    |G                     |

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

|              |D                   |

walk away from trouble if you can

    |                  |    A  D       |G                 |

Now it don't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek

  |D                 |G               |A    |

I hope your old en-ough to understand

    |                   |        A7  |D

Son you don't have to fight to be a  man

    |D               |                      |C              |D    

The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room

|                 |                    |                    |     |

one of them got up    and met him half  way 'cross the floor

     |D                 |              |G               |D      |

when Tommy turned around they said Hey look ol' Yellows leaving

    |                                                   A7

But you could-a heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the

door

|D              |            |G            |D        |

Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up in-side him

   |              |                   |           |A   |

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

     |D                 |          |G                  |D    |

when Tommy left the Bar room not a Gatlin boy was standin'

   |                                           |A7

He said this one's for Becky as he watched the last one fall

And I heard him say.

  |D              | A7  D    |G                  |D

I promised you Dad  not to do the things you done

  |G             |D                 |A7

I walk away from trouble when I can

    |D                         |  A7  D       |G              |D |

now please don't think I'm weak I did-n't turn the other cheek

    |               |G          |A       |A7                     |

and Popa I sure hope you understand some-times you've gotta fight

            |D      |

when your a man

|            |               |G            |D

Every one considered him the coward of the county

Ray From Sussex England.

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