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Sing This ...
Jun. 25th, 2021 08:10 pm ... to Kenny Rogers' Coward of The County:-
Everyone considered him the coward of the county.
He never thought to waste his time to prove the county wrong.
His mama named him Tommy, but his Daddy named him Terror -
Something always told me we were readin' Tommy wrong.
Now he was only ten years old when his Dad was executed.
I taught Tommy huntin', 'cause he was my brother's son.
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy -
He said "Son, you've lost the battle, every time you use a gun.
"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
Leave no forensic traces, if you can.
Now it won't mean you're weak if you don't cut some bastard's cheek.
I hope you're old enough to understand -
There's better ways to fight than hand to hand."
There's someone for everyone, and Tommy's love was Becky.
On the hunt, he didn't have to prove he was a man.
One day, while he was working, the Gatlin boys came callin'.
They tried to fridge his Becky ... but she was onto them.
When Tommy opened up the door, one Gatlin boy was dyin'.
The blood stains, the shattered look, the Gatlin's missin' gland.
He reached above the fireplace, and took down his Dad's machete.
As a weird look crossed Becky's face, he heard these words again.
"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
Leave no forensic traces, if you can.
Now it won't mean you're weak if you don't cut some bastard's cheek.
I hope you're old enough to understand -
There's better ways to fight than hand to hand."
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom.
One of them got up and met him halfway across the floor.
When Tommy turned around, they said "Hey look, old Yeller's leavin'!"
But you coulda heard a pin drop when Becky stopped and locked the door.
Twenty years of training was bottled up inside them.
They wasn't holdin' nothin' back; they let 'em have it all.
When Tommy left the barroom, the boys were chunky salsa.
He smiled just once at Becky, as they watched the blood drops fall.
And I heard him say -
"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you'd done.
I left no forensic traces, when I can.
Now please don't think I'm weak, I cut those bastards nose to cheek.
And Papa, I should hope you'll understand -
You always help your wife to kill a man."
Everyone considered him the coward of the county ...
