Coward of the county   Kenny Rogers

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
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 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, son, not to do the things I've done
Walk away from trouble if you can
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 working
The Gatlin boys came calling
They took turns at Becky
And there was three of them

Tommy opened up the door, and saw Becky crying
The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand
He reached above the fireplace
And took down his daddy's picture
As his tears fell on his daddy's face
He heard these words again(*)

The Gatlin boys just laughed at him
When he walked into the barroom
One of them got up and 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 drop
When Tommy stopped and locked the door

Twenty years of crawling were bottled up inside him
He wasn't holding nothing back
He let'em have it all
When 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
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 should hope you understand
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man"

Everyone unconsidered him the coward of the county

郡裡的懦夫   肯尼羅傑斯

大家都認為他是郡裡的懦夫
他也從來沒有機會證明郡裡的人們是錯的
他母親將他取名為"湯米"
但村民都叫他"膽小鬼"
但有些事讓我覺得他們都誤解了湯米

他的父親死在獄中的時候，他才十歲大
後來，我照顧湯米
因為他是我哥哥的兒子
我依然記得哥哥臨終前對湯米說的話：
「孩子，我就快死了
但你的人生才剛開始

答應我，兒子！不要步我的後塵
盡可能遠離是非
那並非表示你無能
如果你把另一邊臉頰轉向對方
我希望你年紀夠大，能了解這些話
孩子，你不必靠打架來證明你是男人」

每個人都有愛人
湯米的愛人是貝琪
在她懷裡，他不需要證明自己是男人
有一天，他正在工作
蓋特林村的男孩前來叫陣
他們剛輪流上了貝琪
他們一夥共有三個

湯米打開了門，看見哭泣的貝琪
被撕破的衣服、憔悴的容顏使他再也按捺不住
他爬到壁爐上面
取下父親的遺照
當他的眼淚滴落在父親的臉上
他又聽到了父親的遺言：

蓋特林村的男孩嘲笑他
當他走進酒吧的時候
其中一個站了起來，在半路上攔住他
當湯米轉身走開，他們說著：
「聽好！誰都不准張揚出去！」
當湯米停下腳步，把門鎖上
酒吧裡靜得聽的到針掉在地上的聲音

二十年來的屈辱積存在他心裡
他已經沒有顧忌
一股腦兒全都發洩出來
當湯米離開酒吧時
蓋特林村的男孩全都躺平
他說著：「這一拳是為貝琪打的！」
當他看著最後一個倒下時
我聽到他說：

「我答應過你，爹地
不會步你的後塵
我盡可能的遠離是非之地
如今，請別以為我很無能
我沒有把另一邊臉頰轉向敵人
爸爸，但願你能了解
如果你是男人，有時候就是必須戰鬥！」

再沒有人認為他是郡裡的懦夫