A Boy Named Sue

[Verse 1]
A
My daddy left home when I was three
D
And he didn't leave much to ma and 
me
E                                 
Just this old guitar and an empty 
          A
bottle of booze.
A
Now, I don't blame him cause he run 
and hid
D
But the meanest thing that he ever 
did
E                             
Was before he left, he went and 
            A
named me "Sue."

[Verse 2]
A
Well, he must o' thought that is 
quite a joke
D
And it got a lot of laughs from a' 
lots of folk,
E                              
It seems I had to fight my whole 
       A
life through.
A
Some gal would giggle and I'd get 
red
D
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust 
his head,
           E                       
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a 
         A
boy named "Sue."

[Verse 3]
A
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up 
mean,
D
My fist got hard and my wits got 
keen,
E                                 
I'd roam from town to town to hide
    A
 my shame.
A
But I made a vow to the moon and 
stars
D
That I'd search the honky-tonks and 
bars
E                                 
And kill that man who gave me that
       A
 awful name.

[Verse 4]
A
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
D
And I just hit town and my throat 
was dry,
E                                 
I thought I'd stop and have myself
   A
 a brew.
Continúa después del anuncio
A
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
D
There at a table, dealing stud,
E                                 
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that 
      A
named me "Sue."

[Verse 5]
A
Well, I knew that snake was my own 
sweet dad
D
From a worn-out picture that my 
mother'd had,
E                                 
And I knew that scar on his cheek 
        A
and his evil eye.
A
He was big and bent and gray and 
old,
D
And I looked at him and my blood ran
 cold
E                              A
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How 
do you do!

Now you gonna die!!"

[Verse 6]
A
Well, I hit him hard right between 
the eyes
D
And he went down, but to my 
surprise,
E                                 
He come up with a knife and cut 
    A
off a piece of my ear.
A
But I busted a chair right across 
his teeth
D
And we crashed through the wall and 
into the street
E                                 
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud 
                  A
and the blood and the beer.

[Verse 7]
A
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
D
But I really can't remember when,
E                              
He kicked like a mule and he bit 
         A
like a crocodile.
A
I heard him laugh and then I heard 
him cuss,
D
He went for his gun and I pulled 
mine first,
E                                 
He stood there lookin' at me and I
         A
 saw him smile.

[Verse 8]
A
And he said: "Son, this world is 
rough
D
And if a man's gonna make it, he's 
gotta be tough
E                                 
And I knew I wouldn't be there to 
        A
help ya along.
A
So I give ya that name and I said 
goodbye
D
I knew you'd have to get tough or 
die
E                              
And it's the name that helped to 
           A
make you strong."

[Verse 9]
A
He said: "Now you just fought one 
hell of a fight
D
And I know you hate me, and you got 
the right
E                                 
To kill me now, and I wouldn't 
              A
blame you if you do.
A
But ya ought to thank me, before I 
die,
D
For the gravel in ya guts and the 
spit in ya eye
E                                 
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that 
           A
named you "Sue.'"

[Verse 10]
A
I got all choked up and I threw down
 my gun
D
And I called him my pa, and he 
called me his son,
E                              
And I came away with a different 
           A
point of view.
A
And I think about him, now and then,
D
Every time I try and every time I 
win,
[No Chords]
And if I ever have a son, I think 
I'm gonna name him
                A (keep strumming)
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I 
still hate that name!