EVERYONE
CONSIDERED HIM
THE COWARD OF
THE COUNTY
HE NEVER STOOD
ONE SINGLE TIME
TO PROVE THE COUNTY
WRONG
HIS MAMA
NAMED HIM TOMMY
BUT FOLKS JUST
CALLED HIM YELLOW
BUT SOMETHING
ALWAYS TOLD ME
THEY WERE READING
TOMMY WRONG
HE WAS ONLY
TEN YEARS OLD
WHEN HIS DADDY DIED
IN PRISON
I LOOKED AFTER
TOMMY
CAUSE HE WAS
MY BROTHER'S SON
I STILL RECALL
THE FINAL WORDS
MY BROTHER
SAID TO TOMMY
SON MY LIFE IS OVER
BUT YOUR'S
HAS JUST BEGUN
PROMISE ME SON
NOT TO DO
THE THINGS I DONE
WALK AWAY
FROM TROUBLE
IF YOU CAN
IT WON'T MEAN
YOU'RE WEAK
IF YOU TURN
THE OTHER CHEEK
I HOPE YOU'RE OLD
ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND
SON YOU DON'T
HAVE TO FIGHT
TO BE A MAN
THERE'S SOMEONE
FOR EVERYONE
AND TOMMY'S LOVE
WAS BECKY
IN HER ARMS
HE DIDN'T HAVE
TO PROVE
HE WAS A MAN
ONE DAY
WHILE HE WAS WORKIN'
THE GATLIN BOYS
CAME CALLIN'
THEY TOOK TURNS
AT BECKY
AND THERE WAS
THREE OF THEM
TOMMY OPENED UP
THE DOOR
AND SAW HIS BECKY
CRYIN'
THE TORN DRESS
THE SHATTERED LOOK
WAS MORE
THAN HE COULD STAND
HE REACHED ABOVE
THE FIREPLACE
AND TOOK DOWN HIS
DADDY'S PICTURE
AS HIS TEARS FELL
ON HIS DADDY'S FACE
HE HEARD THESE
WORDS AGAIN
PROMISE ME SON
NOT TO DO
THE THINGS I DONE
WALK AWAY
FROM TROUBLE
IF YOU CAN
NOW IT WON'T MEAN
YOU'RE WEAK
IF YOU TURN
THE OTHER CHEEK
I HOPE YOU'RE
OLD ENOUGH
TO UNDERSTAND
SON YOU DON'T HAVE
TO FIGHT
TO BE A MAN
THE GATLIN BOYS
JUST LAUGHED AT HIM
WHEN HE WALKED INTO
THE BARROOM
ONE OF THEM GOT UP
AND MET HIM HALFWAY
'CROSS THE FLOOR
WHEN TOMMY
TURNED AROUND
THEY SAID
HEY LOOK
OL' YELLOW'S LEAVIN'
BUT YOU COULD HAVE
HEARD A PIN DROP
WHEN TOMMY STOPPED
AND LOCKED THE DOOR
TWENTY YEARS
OF CRAWLIN'
WERE BOTTLED UP
INSIDE HIM
HE WASN'T
HOLDIN' NOTHIN' BACK
HE LET 'EM
HAVE IT ALL
WHEN TOMMY
LEFT THE BARROOM
NOT A GATLIN BOY
WAS STANDING
HE SAID
"THIS ONE'S FOR BECKY"
AS HE WATCHED
THE LAST ONE FALL
AND I HEARD HIM SAY
I PROMISED YOU DAD
NOT TO DO
THE THINGS YOU DONE
I WALK AWAY
FROM TROUBLE
WHEN I CAN
NOW PLEASE DON'T
THINK I'M WEAK
I DIDN'T TURN
THE OTHER CHEEK
AND PAPA
I SURE HOPE
YOU UNDERSTAND
SOMETIMES
YOU GOTTA FIGHT
WHEN YOU'RE A MAN
EVERYONE
CONSIDERED HIM
THE COWARD
OF THE COUNTY