Coward of the County
Tom: C
C C F C C
Everyone considered him the coward of the county
C C C G G
He never stood one single time to prove the county wrong.
C C F C C
His mama named him Tommy, the folks just called him yellow,
C C G C C
But someting always told me they were reading Tommy wrong.
C C F C C
He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison;
C C C G G
I looked after Tommy cause he was my brother's son.
C C F C C
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy;
C C G C C
"Son my life is over but yours is just begun"
C C F C
"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done,
C C G G
Walk away from trouble if you can.
C C F C
It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek;
C C G G
I hope you're old enough to understand,
G G C C
Son you don't have to fight to be a man."
D G D
There's someone for everyone and Tommy's love was Becky,
A
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man.
D G D
One day while he was working, the Gatlin boys came callin',
A D
They took turns at Becky, there was three of them!
D G D
Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky cryin',
A
The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand.
D G D
He reached above the fireplace and took down his daddy's picture.
A D
As his tears fell on his daddy's face, he heard these words again;
G D
"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done,
A
Walk away from trouble if you can.
D G D
It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek;
A
I hope you're old enough to understand,
D
Son you don't have to fight to be a man."
G D
The Gatlin Boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room.
A
One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the floor.
D G D
When Tommy turned areound they said, "Hey look ol' yellow's leavin'."
A D
But you coulda heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the door.
G D
Twenty years of crawling was bottled up inside him,
A
He wasn't holding nothin' back he let 'em have it all.
D G D
When Tommy left the bar room not a Gatlin boy was standin',
A D
He said this one's for Becky," as he watched the last one fall.
(And I heard him say)
G D
I promised you Dad not to do the things you done,
A
I walk away from trouble when I can.
D G D
Now please don't think I'm weak I didn't turn the other cheek,
A
And Poppa, I sure hope you understand:
D
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man.
G D
Everyone considered him the coward of the county.
Buy me a Rose
Tom: C
C G F - G
1. He works hard to give her all he thinks she wants,
C G F - G
a three-car garage, her own credit card.
Am G C F
He pulls in late to wake her up, with a kiss goodnight
G F C d
if he could only read her mind, she'd say:
G C Am
Buy me a rose, call me from work,
Dm G
open a door for me, what would it hurt?
C F
Show me you love me by the look in your eyes,
C G C
these are the little things I need the most in my life.
- F - G
C G F - G
2. Now the days have grown to years of feelin' all alone,
C G F - G
and she can't help but wonder what she's doing wrong.
Am G C F
'cause lately she tried anything to turn his head,
G F C - d
would it make a difference if she said :
+ REFRAIN
Am G
And the more that he lives, the less that he tries,
F C
to show her the love that he holds inside.
Am G
And the more that she gives, the more that he sees,
F - - - G
this is the story of you - and me.
C Am
So I bought you a rose on the way home from work,
Dm G
to open the door to a heart that I hurt.
/ C F
And I hope you notice this look in my eyes,
C G C - Am - G
'cause I'm gonna make things right for the rest of your life.
F ~ ~
And I'm gonna hold you tonight - -
C G C - F - C
do all those little things for the rest of your life.
The Gambler
Tom: D
D G D
On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
A
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
D G D
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
G D A D
'til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
D G D
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
A
and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
D G D
And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
G D A D
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."
D G D
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
A
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
D G D
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
G D A D
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.
CHORUS:
D G D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G D A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
D A D G D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
G D A D
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
[Slide capo to 2nd fret]
D G D
Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
A
is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
D G D
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
G D A D
and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."
D G D
And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
A
crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
D G D
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
G D A D
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
CHORUS:
D G D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G D A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
D A D G D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
G D A D
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
[Repeat chorus once and end]
The Gambler (Outro Tom)
Tom: A
A D A
On a warm summer's evening on a train bound for nowhere
D A E
I met up with a gambler. We were both too tired to sleep.
A D A
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
D A E7 A
till boredom overtook us and he began to speak.
A D A
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces
D A E
and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
A D A
So if you don't mind my sayin' I can see you're out of aces,
D A E7 A
for a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."
A D A
So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow.
D A E
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
A D A
And the night got deathly quiet and his face lost all expression.
D A E7
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it
A
right."
CHORUS:
A D A
"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.
D A E
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
A D A D A
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
D A E7 A
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done."
F Bb F
"Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Bb F C
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep.
F Bb F
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner, and ev'ry hand's a loser.
Bb F C7 F
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."
F Bb F
And when he'd finished speakin' he turned back toward the window.
Bb F C
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
F Bb F
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler he broke even.
Bb F C7 F
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
CHORUS:
F Bb F
"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.
Bb F C
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
F Bb F Bb F
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
Bb F C7 F
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
(Repeat CHORUS)
Lucille
Tom:A
|A | | |
In a bar in To-ledo ac-ross from the depot on a
| | |E7 |
bar stool she took off her ring
|Bm | |E7
I thought i'd get closer so I walked on over I
|Bm |E7 |A |
sat down and asked her name
| | | |
When the drinks finally hit her she said I'm no
| | |A7 |D |
quitter but I finally quit livin on dreams
|E7 | | |
I'm hungry for laughter and here ever after I'm
| | | |A
after what-ever the other life brings
|A | | | |
In the mirror I saw him and I closely watched him I
| | |E7 |
thought how he looked out of place
| |Bm | |E7 |
He came to the woman who sat there be-side me he
|Bm |E7 |A |
had a strange look on his face
| | |
The big hands were calloused he looked like a
| | |A7 |D |
mountain for a minute I thought I was dead
|E7 | |
But he started shaking his big heart was
| | | |A
breaking he turned to the woman and said
|A | | |D
You picked a fine time to leave me Lu-cille
| | | |A |
with four hungry children and a crop in the field
|D | | |
I've had some bad times lived through some sad times but
| | |A
this time your hurting won't heal
| |E7 | |A |
you picked a fine time to leave me Lu-cille.
|A | | | |
After he left us I ordered more whisky I thought how she'd
| |E7 |
made him look small
| |Bm | |E7 |
From the lights of the bar room to a rented ho-tel room we
|Bm |E7 |A |
walked without talking at all
| | | |
She was a beauty but when she came to me she
| |A7 |D |
must have thought I'd lost my mind
|E7 | | |
I could'nt hold her 'cos the words that told her kept
| | |A
coming back time after time
|A | | |D
You picked a fine time to leave me Lu-cille
| | | |A |
with four hungry children and a crop in the field
|D | | |
I've had some bad times lived through some sad times but
| | |A
this time your hurting won't heal
| |E7 | |A |
you picked a fine time to leave me Lu-cille.