Coward Of The County
[Alvin]:
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
But something always told me
They 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 to Tommy
[Theodore]:
What'd he say?
[Alvin]:
"Son, my life is over
But yours is just begun"
[Alvin & Male Singers]:
"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
[Alvin]:
You don't have to fight to be a man"
The Gatlin boys were bullies
And they beat up Tommy's best friend
The torn shirt, the shattered look
Was more than he could stand
He reached above the fireplace
Took down his daddy's picture
As his tears fell on his daddy's face
As he heard these words again
[Alvin & Male Singers]:
"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
[Alvin]:
You don't have to fight to be a man"
The 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 leavin'"
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 Tommy left the bar room
Not a Gatlin boy was standing
He said, "This one's for my buddy"
As he watched the last one fall
And I heard him say
[Alvin & Male Singers]:
"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 couldn't turn the other cheek
Papa, I should hope you understand
[Alvin]:
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man"
Everyone considered him
[Alvin & Male Singers]:
The coward of the county