About The Song
Billy Ed Wheeler earned a brief bit of glory in 1964 by hitting #3 on the Billboard country chart with “Ode To The Little Brown Shack Out Back.” Though he continued his recording career, he has been much more successful as a songwriter. In 1963, The Kingston Trio picked up a pop hit with Wheeler’s “Reverend Mr. Black,” in ’67 his song “Jackson” delivered a Grammy award for Johnny Cash & June Carter, and Elvis Presley scored with “It’s Midnight,” a 1974 Top Ten record. By ’79, Wheeler was writing with Roger Bowling, and they came up with an interesting idea for a song which they targeted for Kenny Rogers from the outset.
The idea began during a drive along a mountain road, as Bowling hummed a chorus he had titled “The Promise.” It was a pledge from a son to his father, with religious overtones. Wheeler felt that a story with an underdog theme might work, and he and Bowling tried to fit that idea with “The Promise.” It proved to be a difficult task, and they wrote three different versions before they finally created a storyline they were happy with. In fact, they continued making changes just before Kenny Rogers recorded it for the album “Kenny.”
“Coward Of The County” caused problems for singer Larry Gatlin, who performed with his two brothers Steve and Rudy as “Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers.” The song implicated three fictitious Gatlin boys in a rape sequence.
“It was really a great song,” remembers Larry, “but after it came out, we started getting accused of being rapists. Even my mother came home one day and said she heard a song that accused her boys of rapin’ somebody. It kind of made me mad. I think they could have showed a little good taste and used somebody else’s name.”
None of the three major players connected with the song (writers Wheeler and Bowling and singer Rogers) claim to have considered the implication, but I must confess that I instantly thought of Larry, Steve and Rudy Gatlin when I first heard this song upon its release in late ‘79, and I’m with Larry in thinking that they could have and should have used a different name. Especially after it was later revealed that Larry Gatlin had once dated a girl named Becky (the name of the girl who was violated in the song), and had earlier written a song about her! That, of course, tied together the already tense situation even closer.
The writers claim that other names were considered (such as “Barlow”) but “Gatlin” was the one that had the best-sounding ring to them, and which was deemed “more gritty” (whatever that means). Well, Larry didn’t buy that explanation, and once confronted Kenny Rogers about it on live television. Rogers exclaimed “Don’t blame me, I didn’t write it!”
Controversy notwithstanding, “Coward Of The County” reached the #1 position on Billboard’s country singles chart on January 5, 1980, where it remained for three weeks (Kenny’s ninth of twenty-one #1 country hits). The record went on to top out at #3 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” pop chart, a sensational showing for a country release. In fact, this was Kenny’s third biggest pop record, behind his two number ones: “Lady” and his million-selling duet with Dolly Parton “Islands In The Stream.” On the “Hot 100,” “Lucille” peaked just a bit lower at #5, his breakthrough hit “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town” reached #6 and “The Gambler” came in even farther down the list at #16
Video
Lyric
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.
There was three of them.Tommy opened up the door
And saw his 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,“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 bar room.
One of them got up
And met him half way ‘cross the floor.
When Tommy turned around they said,
“Hey, look, old Yellow’s leaving.”
But you could’ve heard a pin drop
When Tommy stopped and locked the door.Twenty years of crawling
Was 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.
N’ 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.
yenhu