Everyone considered him the coward of the countyHe'd never stood one single timeTo prove the county wrong
His mama named him TommyBut folks just called him "Yellow"Something always told meThey were reading Tommy wrong
He was only ten years oldWhen his daddy died in prisonI 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, sonNot to do the things I've doneWalk away from trouble if you canIt won't mean you're weakIf you turn the other cheekI hope you're old enough to understandSon, you don't have to fight to be a man"
There's someone for everyoneAnd Tommy's love was BeckyIn her arms, he didn't have to prove he was a man
One day while he was workingThe Gatlin boys came callingThey took turns at BeckyAnd there was three of them
Tommy opened up the doorAnd saw his Becky cryingThe torn dress, the shattered lookWas more than he could stand
He reached above the fireplaceAnd took down his daddy's pictureAs his tears fell on his daddy's faceHe heard these words again
"Promise me, sonNot to do the things I've doneWalk away from trouble if you canNow, it won't mean you're weakIf you turn the other cheekI hope you're old enough to understandSon, you don't have to fight to be a man"
The Gatlin boys just laughed at himWhen he walked into the barroomOne of them got upAnd met him half way 'cross the floor
When Tommy turned around they said"Hey look! Old Yeller's leaving"But you could've heard a pin dropWhen Tommy stopped and locked the door
Twenty years of crawlingWas bottled up inside himHe wasn't holding nothing backHe let 'em have it all
When Tommy left the barroomNot a Gatlin boy was standingHe said, "This one's for BeckyAs he watched the last one fallAnd I heard him say
"I promised you, DadNot to do the things you've doneI walk away from trouble when I canNow please don't think I'm weakI didn't turn the other cheekAnd papa, I sure hope you understandSometimes you gotta fight when you're a man"
Everyone considered him the coward of the county