This Is One Fucked Up Kenny Rogers Song

The majority of Kenny Rogers' early '80s crossover pop hits, such as "I Don't Need You," "Love Will Turn You Around," "Love The World Away" (from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack), the previously discussed Lionel Richie collaboration "Lady," and, dare I forget, the Kim Carnes duet "Don't Fall In Love With a Dreamer," were rather lyrically safe and sedate.



And then, there was "Coward of the County":

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, the folks just called him yellow,
But 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 is 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"

OK, so his dad's a felon and all his neighbors are jerks. Unpleasant, but not so bad yet.

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 workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'
They took turns at Becky, and there was three of them

"Took turns"? You mean "raped"? Damn it, Kenny, I'm sitting here at breakfast trying to enjoy a nice country song and you just made me spit out my corn flakes.

Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky cryin'
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
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"

So this guy's choices are 1) let the men who brutally raped your girlfriend go unpunished, or 2) retaliate, but betray your father's dying wishes. This is what you might call a "lose-lose situation."

The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom
One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the floor
When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look! ol' yellow's leavin' "
But you coulda heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and blocked the door

Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up inside him
He wasn't holdin' nothin' back; he let 'em have it all
When Tommy left the barroom not a Gatlin boy was standin'
He said, "This one's for Becky," as he watched the last one fall
And I heard him say,

"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you 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"

Honestly, in this case, I think your father probably would have understood. But I have to wonder: has anyone in this county ever heard of something called "law enforcement"?