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 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

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

Now it don't mean you're weak

If you turn the other cheek

And 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

N'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

Took down his daddy's picture

As his tears fell on his daddy's face

I heard these words again

Promise me, son

Not to do the things I've done

Walk away from trouble if you can

Now it don't mean you're weak

If you turn the other cheek

And I hope you're old enough to understand

Son, you don't have to fight to be a man

The gatlin boys just laughed at him

When he walked into the barroom

One of them got up

And met him half way cross the floor

Tommy turned around they said

Hey look, old yeller's leavin'

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

Tommy left the bar room

Not a gatlin boy was standing

He said, this one's for becky

As he watched the last one fall

N' I heard him say

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