Coward of the County

“Coward of the County” is a song written by Roger Bowling and Billy Edd Wheeler, and recorded by American country music singer Kenny Rogers. The song was released in November 1979 as the second single from Rogers’ multi-platinum album Kenny. It became a major crossover hit, topping the Billboard Country chart and reaching #3 on the Hot 100 chart; it also topped the Cash Box singles chart and was a Top 10 hit in numerous other countries worldwide topping the chart in Canada, the UK, and also in Ireland where it stayed at #1 for six consecutive weeks.The narrator sings about his ward and nephew Tommy, a young man with a prominent reputation for never standing up for himself; his pacifism earned him the derisive nickname “Yellow” from others throughout the county, but the narrator hints that he always felt there was something about Tommy that others did not see.Tommy’s non-violent attitude was greatly influenced by his father who died in prison when Tommy was ten years old; during his last visit his father, from his deathbed, pleads with Tommy to not make the same mistakes he made (“promise me, son, not to do the things I’ve done…”), telling him that “turning the other cheek” is not a sign of weakness, and advising him, “Son, you don’t have to fight to be a man”. Years later, Tommy is in a relationship with a woman named Becky who loves and accepts him as he is. One day while Tommy was at work, the three Gatlin Brothers assault Becky and gang rape her. When he returns home and finds Becky crying and worse for wear, he is faced with the dilemma of having to choose between defending Becky’s honor or upholding his father’s plea to “walk away from trouble when he can”. Realizing he cannot ignore his predicament, Tommy goes to the barroom where the Gatlins hang out, but they only laugh at him when he walks in. After one of them meets him halfway across the floor Tommy turns around, and they assume he is going to walk away yet again until he stops and locks the front door. Fueled by his long-bottled-up aggression, Tommy cuts loose and furiously fights all three Gatlin boys, leaving none of them standing by the time he left (the lyrics are ambiguous as to whether the Gatlins were dead or just unconscious, or if it was a gunfight or a fistfight). Tommy then reflects on his late father’s plea, addressing him respectfully that while he did his best to avoid trouble, he hopes his father understands that “sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man.” It has been claimed that mention of the “Gatlin boys … there was three of them” in the song was a reference to The Gatlin Brothers. However, in The Billboard Book of Number One Country Singles, Rogers stated that he was unaware of the connection, and that he would have otherwise asked for the name to be changed. Larry Gatlin also gave the song a positive review (“It’s a good song”). Writer Billy Edd Wheeler denied that the lyric was a reference to the Gatlin Brothers. Larry Gatlin later claimed in an interview on The Adam Carolla Show that the song’s co-writer, Roger Bowling, had a personal grudge against him for reasons unknown. Gatlin then explained to Carolla that when Bowling won song of the year for “Lucille” during the 1977 CMA Awards, he (Gatlin) approached Bowling to congratulate him for winning. Gatlin told Carolla: “He said, ‘fuck you, Gatlin!’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Fuck you!’ I said, ‘Let me tell you something, hoss. If we weren’t in the Grand Ole’ Opry House dressed up in tuxedos, I would just open a boot shop in your ass.'” Gatlin further stated that those particular exchange of words with Bowling resulted in Gatlin‘s inclusion in the lyrics to “Coward of the County.”