Coward of the Country
Ray Dylan Lyrics

Everyone considered him the coward of the county
Everyone thought that Tommy was a coward because he never stood up for himself or his loved ones

He'd never stood one single time to prove the county wrong
Tommy was afraid to stand up to anyone and had never defended himself or his loved ones before

His mama named him Tommy, but folks just called him yellow
Although Tommy's given name was Tommy, people called him 'yellow' or a coward because of his fear of confrontation

Something always told me they were reading Tommy wrong
Despite what people thought, there was more to Tommy than his outward fearfulness and cowardice

He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison
Tommy's father died when he was young and was never there to guide him through life

I looked after Tommy, 'cause he was my brother's son
The singer felt responsible for looking after Tommy because he was his nephew

I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy
The singer remembered the last advice that Tommy's father gave him before he died

"Son, my life is over, but yours has just begun"
Even though Tommy's father died, he believed that his son had a bright future ahead of him

"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done
Tommy's father wanted him to make better choices and not follow in his footsteps

Walk away from trouble if you can
Tommy's father advised him to avoid confrontations whenever possible

It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek
According to Tommy's father, it wasn't a sign of weakness to turn the other cheek in a conflict

I hope you're old enough to understand
Tommy's father hoped that his son was mature enough to understand his advice

Son, you don't have to fight to be a man"
Tommy's father wanted him to know that true strength did not come from fighting or violence

There's someone for everyone, and Tommy's love was Becky
Tommy had found love with a woman named Becky

In her arms, he didn't have to prove he was a man
Tommy was comfortable being himself and did not feel the need to prove his manhood when he was with Becky

One day while he was working, the Gatlin boys came calling
While Tommy was at work, a group of men called the Gatlin boys came to visit him

They took turns at Becky, n'there was three of them
The Gatlin boys assaulted Becky while Tommy was away

Tommy opened up the door, and saw his Becky crying
When Tommy returned home, he found Becky in distress

The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand
The sight of Becky's torn dress and distraught expression made Tommy angry and upset

He reached above the fireplace, and took down his daddy's picture
Tommy retrieved a picture of his father from above the fireplace

As the tears fell on his daddy's face, he heard these words again
While looking at the picture of his father, Tommy thought about the advice his father had given him years before

"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done
Tommy remembered his father's advice to make better choices

Walk away from trouble if you can
His father's words echoed in his mind as he considered his next move

Now, it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek
Tommy remembered that it was okay to avoid violence even if others saw it as a sign of weakness

I hope you're old enough to understand
Tommy's father had hoped he was mature enough to understand his advice about avoiding violence

Son, you don't have to fight to be a man"
True manhood did not come from fighting or violence, according to Tommy's father's advice

The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom
The Gatlin boys taunted and laughed at Tommy when he entered the bar

One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the floor
One of the Gatlin boys stood up and approached Tommy as he walked into the room

When Tommy turned around they said, "hey look, old yeller's leaving"
The Gatlin boys made fun of Tommy, calling him 'yellow' or a coward

But you could've heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door
The room fell silent when Tommy locked the door, showing that he meant business

Twenty years of crawling was bottled up inside him
Tommy had been bottling up his anger and frustration for twenty years

He wasn't holding nothin' back, he let 'em have it all
Tommy unleashed all of his anger and frustration on the Gatlin boys

When Tommy left the barroom, not a Gatlin boy was standing
After the fight, all of the Gatlin boys had been defeated, and Tommy emerged victorious

He said, "this one's for Becky, as he watched the last one fall
Tommy fought for Becky's honor, and took his revenge on the men who had hurt her

(And I heard him say) "I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you've done
Tommy reflected on his father's advice and remembered that he had promised to make better choices

I walk away from trouble when I can
Although he had fought the Gatlin boys, Tommy still believed in avoiding violence whenever possible

Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek
Tommy wanted his father to know that he had not backed down or 'turned the other cheek' out of fear or weakness

And papa, I sure hope you understand
Tommy hoped his father would be proud of him and understand why he had fought the Gatlin boys

Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man"
Despite his desire to avoid violence, Tommy had to fight in order to defend himself and the people he loved