|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            |        |F               |C     |
Promise me son  not to do the things I've done
|F             |C             |G      |
walk away from trouble if you can
    |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
|                  |G7         |C    |
you don't have to fight to be a man

        |C          |             |F              |C
There's someone for every one and Tommys love was Becky
|              |              |              |G   |
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man
    |C               |           |F               |C       |
One day while he was workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'
|                  |       |G          |      |C
They took turns at Becky   There was three of them

|          |               |F            |C        |
Tommy open up the door and saw his Becky cryin'
    |              |                 |                  |G     |
The torn dress the shattered look was more than he could stand
   |C                |                   |F              |C      |
He reached above the fire place and took down his daddys picture
       |                 |              |G                  |C
as the tears fell on his Daddys face he heard these words a-gain


|             |        |F               |C     |
Promise me son  not to do the things I've done
|F             |C             |G      |
walk away from trouble if you can
    |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
|                  |G7         |C    |
you don't have to fight to be a man

    |D               |                      |G              |D
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room
|                 |                |                     |A7     |
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                     D   
But you could-a heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door

|D              |            |G            |D        |
Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up in-side him
   |              |                   |           |A7   |
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                  D
He said this one's for Becky as he watched the last one fall

And I heard him say.
  |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             |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