Coward Of The County
Chords
4.7512 votes
15
Original
Scroll
Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams
1/4
Sound:
Step 1 / 4Position: 1
1 index2 middle3 ring4 pinkyO open
e|---A0------D2------E0------E70-----|
B|---2------3------0------3-----|
G|---2------2------1------1-----|
D|---2------0------2------2-----|
A|---0-------------2------2-----|
E|-----------------0------0-----|
Capo 3rd Fret
(In a moderate country half-time)
[Verse]
AEv'ryone considered him the Dcoward of the Acounty.
He'd never stood one single time to prove the county Ewrong.
His Amama named him Tommy, the Dfolks just called him Ayellow,
but something always told me they were Ereading Tommy Awrong.
AHe was only ten years old when his Ddaddy died in Aprison.
I looked after Tommy 'cause he was my brother's Eson.
I Astill recall the final words my Dbrother said to ATommy:
"Son, my life is over, but Eyours is just Abegun.
[Chorus]
APromise me, son, not to Ddo the things I've Adone.
DWalk away from Atrouble if you Ecan.
AIt won't mean you're weak if you Dturn the other Acheek.
I hope you're old Denough to underEstand:
Son, E7you don't have to fight to be a Aman."
(Slide capo to 4th fret)
[Verse]
AThere's someone for ev'ryone and DTommy's love was ABecky.
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a Eman.
One Aday while he was workin' the DGatlin boys came Acallin'.
E(Spoken) A
They took turns at Becky.... There was three of them!
ATommy opened up the door and Dsaw his Becky Acryin'.
The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could Estand.
He Areached above the fireplace and took Ddown his daddy's Apicture.
As his tears fell on his daddy's face, he Eheard these words Aagain:
[Chorus]
A"Promise me, son, not to Ddo the things I've Adone.
DWalk away from Atrouble if you Ecan.
AIt won't mean you're weak if you Dturn the other Acheek.
I hope you're old Denough to underEstand:
Son, E7you don't have to fight to be a Aman."
(Slide capo to 5th fret)
[Verse]
AThe Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he Dwalked into the Abarroom.
One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the Efloor.
When ATommy turned around they said, "Hey Dlook! ol' yellow's Aleavin'."
(Spoken) E A
But you coulda heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the door.
ATwenty years of crawlin' was Dbottled up insAide him.
He wasn't holdin' nothin' back; he let 'em have it Eall.
When ATommy left the barroom not a DGatlin boy was Astandin'.
He said, "This one's for Becky," as he Ewatched the last one Afall.
(Spoken)
And I heard him say,
[Chorus]
A"I promised you, Dad, not to Ddo the things you Adone.
DI walk away from Atrouble when I Ecan.
Now Aplease don't think I'm weak, I didn't Dturn the other Acheek,
and Papa, I sure Dhope you underEstand:
SomeE7times you gotta fight when you're a Aman."
A DN.C. A
Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county.
COWARD OF THE COUNTY
[Verse]
| C| | F| C|
Ev'ry one con-sidered him the coward of the county
| | | | G|
He never stood one single time to prove the county wrong
| C| | F| C|
His momma named him Tommy the folks just called him yellow
| | | G7| C|
Something always told me they were readin' Tommy wrong
| | | F| C|
He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison
| | | | G|
I looked after Tommy 'cos he was my brothers son
| C| | F| C|
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy
| | | G7| C|
Son my life is over but yours has just beg-un
[Chorus]
| C| G7 C| F| C|
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
| F| C| G|
walk away from trouble if you can
| C| G7 C| F|C
Now it won't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek
| F|G
I hope your old enough to under-stand
| Dm7| G7| C|
you don't have to fight to be a man
[Verse]
| D| | G|D
There's someone for every one and Tommys 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 workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'
| | | | A7|D
They took turns at Becky There was three of them
| | | G| D|
Tommy open 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 fire place and took down his daddys picture
| | | A|D
as the tears fell on his Daddys face he heard these words a-gain
[Chorus]
| D| A D| G D|
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
| G| D A|
walk away from trouble if you can
| D| A D| G D|
Now it don't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek
| D| G| A|
I hope your old en-ough to understand
| | A7|D
Son you don't have to fight to be a man
[Verse]
| D| | G|D
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room
| | | | A7|
one of them got up and met him half way 'cross the floor
| D| | G| D|
when Tommy turned around they said Hey look ol' Yellows leaving
| A7
But you could-a heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the
door
| D| | G| D|
Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up in-side him
| | | | A|
he wasn't holdin' nothin' back he let 'em have it all
| D| | G| D|
when Tommy left the Bar room not a Gatlin boy was standin'
| |A7
He said this one's for Becky as he watched the last one fall
And I heard him say.
[Chorus]
| D| A7 D| G|D
I promised you Dad not to do the things you done
| G| D|A7
I walk away from trouble when I can
| D| A7 D| G| D|
now please don't think I'm weak I did-n't turn the other cheek
| | G| A| A7|
and Poppa I sure hope you understand some-times you've gotta fight
| D|
when your a man
| | | G|D
Everyone considered him the coward of the county
All chords in this song (10)
🎸 Tips from players
Got a tip for playing this song — capo position, easier chords, strumming? Be the first to share one.
Chord Book
670,000+ free guitar chords · free-chords.com
Coward Of The County
by Kenny Rogers
Chords in this song · guitar
A
D
E
E7
C
F
G
G7
Dm7
A7
A D E E7
e|---0------2------0------0-----|
B|---2------3------0------3-----|
G|---2------2------1------1-----|
D|---2------0------2------2-----|
A|---0-------------2------2-----|
E|-----------------0------0-----|
Capo 3rd Fret
(In a moderate country half-time)
[Verse]
A D A
Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county.
E
He'd never stood one single time to prove the county wrong.
A D A
His mama named him Tommy, the folks just called him yellow,
E A
but something always told me they were reading Tommy wrong.
A D A
He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison.
E
I looked after Tommy 'cause he was my brother's son.
A D A
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy:
E A
"Son, my life is over, but yours is just begun.
[Chorus]
A D A
Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
D A E
Walk away from trouble if you can.
A D A
It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.
D E
I hope you're old enough to understand:
E7 A
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."
(Slide capo to 4th fret)
[Verse]
A D A
There's someone for ev'ryone and Tommy's love was Becky.
E
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man.
A D A
One day while he was workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'.
E A
(Spoken)
They took turns at Becky.... There was three of them!
A D A
Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky cryin'.
E
The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand.
A D A
He reached above the fireplace and took down his daddy's picture.
E A
As his tears fell on his daddy's face, he heard these words again:
[Chorus]
A D A
"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
D A E
Walk away from trouble if you can.
A D A
It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.
D E
I hope you're old enough to understand:
E7 A
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."
(Slide capo to 5th fret)
[Verse]
A D A
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom.
E
One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the floor.
A D A
When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look! ol' yellow's leavin'."
E A
(Spoken)
But you coulda heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the door.
A D A
Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up inside him.
E
He wasn't holdin' nothin' back; he let 'em have it all.
A D A
When Tommy left the barroom not a Gatlin boy was standin'.
E A
He said, "This one's for Becky," as he watched the last one fall.
(Spoken)
And I heard him say,
[Chorus]
A D A
"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you done.
D A E
I walk away from trouble when I can.
A D A
Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek,
D E
and Papa, I sure hope you understand:
E7 A
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man."
A D A
N.C.
Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county.
COWARD OF THE COUNTY
[Verse]
C F C
| | | | |
Ev'ry one con-sidered him the coward of the county
G
| | | | |
He never stood one single time to prove the county wrong
C F C
| | | | |
His momma named him Tommy the folks just called him yellow
G7 C
| | | | |
Something always told me they were readin' Tommy wrong
F C
| | | | |
He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison
G
| | | | |
I looked after Tommy 'cos he was my brothers son
C F C
| | | | |
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy
G7 C
| | | | |
Son my life is over but yours has just beg-un
[Chorus]
C G7 C F C
| | | | |
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
F C G
| | | |
walk away from trouble if you can
C G7 C F C
| | | |
Now it won't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek
F G
| |
I hope your old enough to under-stand
Dm7 G7 C
| | | |
you don't have to fight to be a man
[Verse]
D G D
| | | |
There's someone for every one and Tommys 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 workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'
A7 D
| | | | |
They took turns at Becky There was three of them
G D
| | | | |
Tommy open 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 fire place and took down his daddys picture
A D
| | | |
as the tears fell on his Daddys face he heard these words a-gain
[Chorus]
D A D G D
| | | |
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
G D A
| | |
walk away from trouble if you can
D A D G D
| | | |
Now it don't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek
D G A
| | | |
I hope your old en-ough to understand
A7 D
| | |
Son you don't have to fight to be a man
[Verse]
D G D
| | | |
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room
A7
| | | | |
one of them got up and met him half way 'cross the floor
D G D
| | | | |
when Tommy turned around they said Hey look ol' Yellows leaving
A7
|
But you could-a heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the
door
D G D
| | | | |
Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up in-side him
A
| | | | |
he wasn't holdin' nothin' back he let 'em have it all
D G D
| | | | |
when Tommy left the Bar room not a Gatlin boy was standin'
A7
| |
He said this one's for Becky as he watched the last one fall
And I heard him say.
[Chorus]
D A7 D G D
| | | |
I promised you Dad not to do the things you done
G D A7
| | |
I walk away from trouble when I can
D A7 D G D
| | | | |
now please don't think I'm weak I did-n't turn the other cheek
G A A7
| | | | |
and Poppa I sure hope you understand some-times you've gotta fight
D
| |
when your a man
G D
| | | |
Everyone considered him the coward of the county
Get the free app — iPhone: The Chord Book on the App Store · Android: Free Chords on Google Play
Lyrics and compositions © their respective songwriters and publishers. Free for personal practice.
About Coward Of The County Chords by Kenny Rogers
Learn how to play Coward Of The County by Kenny Rogers with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Coward Of The County chords”, “Coward Of The County guitar chords”, or “Kenny Rogers Coward Of The County chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Coward Of The County chords and for experienced players who want accurate Coward Of The County lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include A, D, E, E7, B, G.
FAQ — Coward Of The County by Kenny Rogers
How do I play "Coward Of The County" by Kenny Rogers on guitar?
Open the free chords for "Coward Of The County" by Kenny Rogers on Free Chord Book. Tap any chord to see its diagram, use transpose to change the key, and turn on auto-scroll to play hands-free.
Are the chords for "Coward Of The County" by Kenny Rogers free?
Yes. The chords for "Coward Of The County" by Kenny Rogers are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.
Can I transpose "Coward Of The County" to a different key?
Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "Coward Of The County" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.
Can I see chord diagrams for "Coward Of The County"?
Yes. Tap any chord in "Coward Of The County" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.
Is "Coward Of The County" easy to play on guitar?
Many players learn "Coward Of The County" by Kenny Rogers with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Kenny Rogers below.
What key is "Coward Of The County" in?
The chords for "Coward Of The County" show the original chord names (including A, D, E, E7, B, G). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.