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
Something always told me
they're reading Tommy wrong.
He was only ten years old
when his dad 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 working,
the Gatlin boys came calling
They took turns at Becky
(there was three of them).
Tommy opened up the door,
and saw Becky crying
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 his 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".
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
When Tommy turned around
they said "Hey look old yellow's leaving"
But you could've heard a pin drop
when Tommy stopped and locked the door.
Twenty years of crawling were bottled up inside him
He would hold nothing back he let'em have it all
When Tommy left the bar room,
not a Gatlin boy was standing
He said this ones for Becky,
as he watched the last one fall
"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
Papa I should hope you understand
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man".
Everyone considered him the coward of the county.
Everyone considered him the coward of the county.