Bb Eb F Bb Bb F Well I remember William Eb Bb We weren't much more than kids Eb Bb His family lived in a run down shack F Eb Like the rest of the white trash did Bb F Now me and ole William Eb Bb We used to smoke out behind the barn Eb Bb Til his daddy caught him stealing cigarettes F Bb I still think he broke William's arm Bb F When I was drinkin my first beer Eb Bb Ole William was getting high Eb Bb He got kicked out of school for fightin and drugs F Eb And he stayed out late at night Bb F He never said too much about home Eb Bb Or the bruises on his back Eb Bb I asked him about em one time F Eb But he never answered back Chorus: Eb Yeah William F Bb You grew up hard and mean Eb Bb You weren't the apple of your mama's eye F Eb And your daddy was a burned out fiend Bb F For what it's worth now William Eb Bb I know you could've had a heart of gold Eb Bb But I don't think you ever knew that you had one F Bb Eb F Bb I don't think you were ever told Bb F He spent a year in reform school Eb Bb Cause he broke in a hardware store Eb Bb Now me and William lost track of each other F Eb I never saw him much anymore Bb F The last time I seen William Eb Bb He was married and had two kids Eb Bb He tried to raise em like he was supposed to F Eb But sometimes he raised em like his daddy did (Chorus) Bb F Well just last Sunday mornin Eb Bb Momma called me on the phone Eb Bb Said there's a story in the paper about William F Eb She just thought I might like to know Bb F He got shot by a city cop Eb Bb While he was robbin a local drugstore Eb Bb He was survived by two hungry kids, a wife F Eb and a pool of blood on the floor (Chorus)