EVERYONE CONSIDERED HIM
THE COWARD OF THE COUNTY
HE'D NEVER STOOD
ONE SINGLE TIME
TO PROVE THE COUNTY WRONG
HIS MAMA NAMED HIM TOMMY
BUT FOLKS JUST
CALLED HIM YELLOW
BUT SOMETHIN' ALWAYS TOLD ME
THEY WERE READIN'
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 YOURS HAS JUST BEGUN
PROMISE ME, SON
NOT TO DO THE THINGS I'VE 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'VE 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
THE GATLIN BOYS
JUST LAUGHED AT HIM
WHEN HE WALKED
INTO THE BAR ROOM
ONE OF THEM GOT UP AND MET
HIM HALFWAY 'CROSS THE FLOOR
WHEN TOMMY TURNED AROUND
THEY SAID, HEY LOOK
OLD YELLA'S LEAVIN'
BUT YOU COULDA HEARD
A PIN DROP WHEN TOMMY
STOPPED AND LOCKED THE DOOR
TWENTY YEARS OF CRAWLIN'
WAS BOTTLED UP INSIDE HIM
HE WASN'T HOLDIN'
NOTHIN' BACK
HE LET 'EM HAVE IT ALL
WHEN TOMMY
LEFT THE BAR ROOM
NOT A GATLIN BOY WAS STANDIN'
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'VE 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...