Everyone considered him
The coward of the county
He’d never stood one single time
To prove the county wrong
His mama named him Tommy
The 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 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 is just begun

Promise me son, not to do the things I’ve done
Walk away from trouble if you can
Now it won’t mean you’re weak
If you turn the other cheek
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 workin’
The gatlin boys came callin’
They took turns at Becky
There was three of them

Tommy opened up the door
And saw his Becky cryin’
The torn dress, the shattered look
Was more than he could stand
He reached above the fireplace
Find more similar lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.com/fyCAnd took down his daddy’s picture
As his tears fell on his daddy’s face
He heard these words again

"Promise me, son, not to do the things I’ve done
Walk away from trouble if you can
Now it won’t mean you’re weak
If you turn the other cheek
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 barroom
One of them got up
And met him halfway ’cross the floor
When Tommy turned around
They said, "Hey look, ol’ Yellow’s leavin’"
But you could a heard a pin drop
When Tommy stopped and blocked the door

Twenty years of crawlin’
Was bottled up inside him
He wasn’t holdin’ nothin’ back
He let ’em have it all
When Tommy left the barroom
Not a gatlin' boy was standin’
He said, "This one’s for Becky",
As he watched the last one fall

And 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
And papa, I sure hope you understand
Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man"

Everyone considered him
The coward of the county