Replies

Those deputies should all have listened to Kenny Rogers
“Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man”:

“Coward Of The County”

Everyone considered him
The coward of the county
He’d never stood one single time
To prove the county wrong
His mama called 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 took care of 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
And there was three of them

Tommy opened up the door
And saw his 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 bar room
One of them got up
And met him half way ‘cross the floor
Tommy turned around they said
“Hey, look, old yellow’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

I only see two options for their future (the cowardly deputies):
- (1) They may commit suicide, and I won’t be able to blame them if they do, or
- (2) they need to devote their lives to making up for their cowardice, if they are willing to face the world day after day. It would take a miracle to give them a second chance big enough to redeem them, but God specializes in miracles.

Coward County