A Boy Named Sue
Johnny Cash Lyrics

Well my daddy left home when I was three
My father ran away when I was just a toddler

Didn't leave much to my mom and me
He didn't leave us with anything other than an old guitar and an empty bottle of booze

Except this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze
The only things he left behind were an old guitar and an empty bottle of liquor

Now, I don't blame him 'cause he run and hid
I don't hold it against him for running away and hiding

But the meanest thing that my daddy ever did
The worst thing he ever did was to name me Sue

Was before he left, he went and named me Sue
Before he left, he gave me the name Sue, which made my life difficult

He must've thought that it was quite a joke
He probably found it amusing to name me Sue

And I got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk
Everyone got a laugh at my expense when they heard my name

Seems I had to fight my whole life through
I had to struggle and fight my entire life as a result of my name

Some gal would giggle and I'd turn red
Women would laugh at me and I would feel embarrassed

And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head
Men who laughed at me often ended up getting punched in the face

I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named Sue
Being a boy named Sue is tough, and life is not easy as a result

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean
I learned how to grow up quickly and become tough to survive

My fist got hard and my wits got keener
I became physically and mentally stronger as I grew up

Roam from town to town to hide my shame
To avoid being laughed at and ridiculed, I moved from place to place

But I made me a vow to the moon and stars
I promised myself under the moon and stars that I would kill the man who named me Sue

I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
I traveled from place to place, looking for the man who named me Sue

And kill that man that gave me that awful name
I was determined to find and kill the man who gave me the name Sue

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
I ended up in Gatlinburg in July

And I just hit town and my throat was dry
I got thirsty as soon as I arrived in town

Thought I'd stop and have myself a brew
I decided to stop at a saloon and have a drink

At an old saloon on a street of mud
I found an old saloon on a street that was muddy

There at a table, dealing stud
At a table, someone was playing poker

Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me Sue
The man who named me Sue was sitting there, and he looked dirty and unkempt

Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
I realized that the man who named me Sue was actually my own father

From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had
I recognized him from an old picture that my mother had

Knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye
I recognized his scar and his wicked look in his eyes

He was big and bent and gray and old
He was a large and old man, who appeared worn-out and unwell

And I looked at him and my blood ran col
I became nervous and frightened when I saw him

And I said, "my name is Sue, how do you do?
I introduced myself and told him my name was Sue

Now you gonna die"
And then I told him that he was going to die

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
I punched him in the face with all my might

And he went down, but to my surprise
He fell down after the punch, but he quickly got up

He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear
He pulled out a knife and sliced off a chunk of my ear

Then I busted a chair right across his teeth
I smashed a chair over his head

And we crashed through the walls and into the street
We fought furiously, destroying walls and eventually spilling out onto the street

Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer
We kicked and punched and drew blood while rolling around in the mud and beer

Well I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
I assured him that I had fought many tougher men than him

But I really can't remember when
But I couldn't recall when it happened

He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile
Despite his age, he fought like an animal, kicking like a mule and biting like a crocodile

I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss
He laughed and then started cursing at me

And he reached for his gun but I pulled mine first
He tried to pull out his gun, but I was faster and pulled out mine first

He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile
He stood there looking at me with a smile on his face

And he said, "son, this world is rough
He then told me that life was tough

And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And that in order to survive, a man must be strong and tough

And I knew I wouldn't be there to help you along
He knew that he wouldn't be able to be there for me

So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
That's why he gave me the name Sue and then left

And I knew you'd have to get tough or die
He knew that I had to either become strong or die trying

It's that name that helped to make you strong"
He believed that my name had helped me become tough

He said, "now you just fought one heck of a fight
He then complimented me on the fight I just gave him

And I know you hate me, and you got the right
He acknowledged that I had a reason to hate him

To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do
He even told me that he wouldn't blame me if I killed him right then and there

But you ought to thank me, before I die
But he also told me that I should be grateful to him

For the gravel in ya gut and the spit in ya eye
For helping me become strong and tough by giving me the name Sue

'Cause I'm the, that named you Sue"
And then he explained again that he was the one who named me Sue

What could I do?
At this point, I was at a loss and didn't know what to do

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
Overwhelmed by emotions, I dropped my gun and became teary-eyed

I called him my pa, and he called me his son
I then referred to him as my father, and he called me his son

Come away with a different point of view
After our fight and conversation, I had a completely different feeling about my name and my father

And I think about him, now and then
To this day, I still think about my father from time to time

Every time I try and every time I win
Especially when I have a challenge to overcome and succeed

And if I ever have a boy, I'll name him
And if I ever have a son, I won't name him Sue, but something like Bill or George or Frank

Bill or George or Frank, anything but Sue, Petor, I hate that name, thank you
I have a strong dislike for the name Sue and would never name my son that