[00:00.88]Artist：kenny rogers
[00:02.25]Songs Title：coward of the county
[00:05.25]
[00:11.88]Ev＇ryone considered him the coward of the county.
[00:17.46]He never stood one single time to prove the county wrong.
[00:24.11]His mama named him Tommy, but folks just called him yellow,
[00:31.02]But something always told me they were reading Tommy wrong.
[00:37.98]He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison.
[00:44.44]Well, I looked after Tommy ＇cause he was my brother＇s son.
[00:50.02]And I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy:
[00:54.73]＂Son, my life is over, but yours is just begun.＂
[01:04.89]＂Promise me, son, not to do the things I＇ve done.
[01:09.66]Walk away from trouble if you can.
[01:14.73]Now, it don＇t mean you＇re weak if you turn the other cheek.
[01:20.01]I hope you＇re old enough to understand:
[01:25.28]Son, you don＇t have to fight to be a man.＂
[01:30.61]There＇s someone for ev＇ryone, Tommy＇s love was Becky.
[01:35.93]In her arms he didn＇t have to prove he was a man.
[01:43.66]One day while he was workin＇ the Gatlin boys came callin＇.
[01:49.05]They took turns at Becky, there was three of them!
[01:57.20]Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky cryin＇.
[02:03.62]The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand.
[02:09.95]He reached above the fireplace, took down his daddy＇s picture.
[02:14.40]As the tears fell on his daddy＇s face, he heard these words again.
[02:23.29]＂Promise me son, not to do the things I＇ve done.
[02:28.58]Walk away from trouble if you can.
[02:33.65]Now, it don＇t mean you＇re weak if you turn the other cheek.
[02:38.91]I hope you＇re old enough to understand:
[02:41.55]
[02:44.12]Son, you don＇t have to fight to be a man.＂
[02:49.63]The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom.
[02:53.53]One of them got up and met him halfway ＇cross the floor.
[03:02.50]Then Tommy turned around they said, Hey look ol＇ yellow＇s leavin＇.＂
[03:08.84]But you coulda heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door.
[03:16.04]Twenty years of crawlin＇ was bottled up inside him.
[03:22.31]He wasn＇t holdin＇ nothin＇ back; he let ＇em have it all.
[03:28.71]When Tommy left the barroom not a Gatlin boy was standin＇.
[03:35.81]He said, ＂This one＇s for Becky.＂, as he watched the last one fall.
[03:40.50]And I heard him say:
[03:41.77]＂I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you＇ve done.
[03:46.92]I＇ll walk away from trouble if I can.
[03:49.73]Now please don＇t think I＇m weak, I couldn＇t turn the other cheek,
[03:56.26]And papa, I sure hope you understand:
[04:02.60]Sometimes you gotta fight when you＇re a man.＂
[04:08.25]Ev＇ryone considered him the coward of the county...