The coward of the county

Everyone considered him the coward of the county.
He never stood one single time to prove the county wrong.
His mama named him Tommy, but folks just called him yellow,
But something always told methey were reading 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 toTommy:
“Son, my life is over, but yours is 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.
Ihope 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 daywhile he was working the gambling boys came calling.
“They took turns at Becky.... there was three of them!”

Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky crying.
The torn dress, the shatteredlook, 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 thethings 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 gambling 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 yellow’s leaving.But you could’ve heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door.

Twenty years of crawling was bottled up inside him.
He wasn’t holding nothing back; he let ‘em have it all.
When Tommyleft the bar room not a gambling boy was standing.
He said: “this one’s for Becky”, as he watched the last one fall I heard him say,

I promised you, dad, not to do the things you've done.
I...