A Boy Named Sue [C] - Johnny Cash 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 bottle of [A]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 named me "[A]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 life [A]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 boy named [A]"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 my [A]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 awful [A]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. [A]At an old saloon on a street of mud, [D]There at a table, dealing stud, [E]Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "[A]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 and his [A]evil eye. [A]He was big and bent and gray and old, [D]And I looked at him and my blood ran cold [E]And I said "My name is 'Sue!' [A]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 off a [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 and the blood and [A]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 like a [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 saw him [A]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 help ya [A]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 make you [A]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 blame you if you [A]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 named you "[A]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 point of [A]view. [A]And I think about him, now and then, [D]Every time I try and every time I win, [Outro (No Chords)] And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him Bill or George! [A]Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!