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A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash
A Boy Named Sue
G
My daddy left home when I was three
C
And he didn't leave much to Ma and me
D G
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
G
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
C
But the meanest thing that he ever did
D G
Was before he left, he went and named me 'Sue.'
Well, he must o' thought that is was quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named 'Sue.'
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made me a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man that give me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me 'Sue.'
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
>From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' how do you do! Now you gonna die!"
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down but, to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I know I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said good-bye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's that name that helped to make you strong."
He said: 'Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you 'Sue'.'
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I come away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but sue! I still hate that name!
------------------
version 2
Tuning:E A D G B E
Key:Bb
Capo:1st fret
Tuning: Standard (EADGBe)
[Verse 1]
A
My daddy left home when I was three
D
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
E A
Just this old guitar and an empty 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 A
Was before he left, he went and 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 A
It seems I had to fight my whole 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 A
I tell ya, life ain't easy for 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 A
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
A
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
D
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
E A
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.
[Verse 4]
A
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
D
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
E A
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
A
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
D
There at a table, dealing stud,
E A
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that 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 A
And I knew that scar on his cheek 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 A
He come up with a knife and cut 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 A
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud 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 A
He kicked like a mule and he bit 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 A
He stood there lookin' at me and I 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 A
And I knew I wouldn't be there to 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 A
And it's the name that helped to 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 A
To kill me now, and I wouldn't 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 A
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that 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 A
And I came away with a different 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!
------------------
version 3
Tuning:E A D G B E
Capo:no capo
[Verse 1]
D
Well my daddy left home when I was three
G
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
A D
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
D
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
G
But the meanest thing that he ever did
A D
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."
[Verse 2]
D
Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
G
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
A D
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
D
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
G
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
A D
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."
[Verse 3]
D
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
G
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
A D
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
D
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
G
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
A D
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.
[Verse 4]
D
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
G
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
A D
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
D
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
G
There at a table, dealing stud,
A D
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."
[Verse 5]
D
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
G
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
A D
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
D
He was big and bent and gray and old,
G
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
A D
And I said: "My name is 'Sue! ' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!! "
[Verse 6]
D
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
G
And he went down, but to my surprise,
A D
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
D
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
G
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
A D
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
[Verse 7]
D
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
G
But I really can't remember when,
A D
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
D
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
G
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
A D
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
[Verse 8]
D
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
G
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
A D
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
D
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
G
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
A D
And it's the name that helped to make you strong. "
[Verse 9]
D
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
G
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
A D
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
D
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
G
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
A D
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"
[Verse 10]
D
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
G
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
A D
And I came away with a different point of view.
D
And I think about him, now and then,
G
Every time I try and every time I win,
N.C.
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
D
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
------------------
version 4
Capo:no capo
intro
e|-------------------|------------------|------------------------|
B|----3---3---3---3--|---8---8---8---8--|----10---10----10---10--|
G|----3---3---3---3--|---8---8---8---8--|----10---10----10---10--|
D|----3---3---3---3--|---8---8---8---8--|----10---10----10---10--|
A|--1-------1--------|-6-------6--------|-8-----------8----------|
E|------1-------1----|-----6-------6----|-------8----------8-----|
e|-------------------|
B|----3---3---3---3--|
G|----3---3---3---3--|
D|----3---3---3---3--|
A|--1-------1--------|
E|------1-------1----|(repeat for the whole song)
Well, my daddy left home when I was three
Didn't leave very much to my mom and me
Except this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze
Now I don't blame him 'cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that my daddy ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me Sue
Well, he must've thought that it was quite a joke
And I got a lot of laughs from a lots of folk
Seems I had to fight my whole life through
Some gal would giggle and I'd turn red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head
I tell you, life ain't easy for a boy named Sue
But I grew up quick and I grew up mean
My fist got hard and my wits got keener
Roam from town to town to hide my shame
But I made me a vow to the moon and stars
I'd search the honky tonks and bars
And kill that man that gave me that awful name
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry
Thought I'd stop and have myself a brew
At an old saloon on a street of mud
There at a table, dealing stud
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me Sue
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn out picture that my mother had
Knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye
He was big and bent and gray and old
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said, "My name is Sue, how do you do?
Now you gonna die", that's what I told him
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear
Then I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the walls and into the street
Kicking and a-gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer
Well, I tell you, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile
Well, I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss
And he reached for his gun but I pulled mine first
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile
And he said, "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
I knew I wouldn't be there to help you along
So I give you that name, and I said goodbye
And I knew you'd have to get tough or die
It's that name that helped to make you strong"
He said, "Now you just fought one heck of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right to kill me now
And I wouldn't blame you if you do
But you ought to thank me, before I die
For the gravel in ya gut and the spit in ya eye
'Cause I'm the son of a bitch that named you Sue"
What could I do?
Well, I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
I called him my pa, and he called me his son
Come away with a different point of view
And I think about him, now and then
Every time I try and every time I win, and if I ever have a-
Well, if I ever have a boy, I'll name him
Frank or George or Bill or Tom, anything but Sue
I don't want him go around, man call him Sue all his life
That's a horrible thing to do to a boy trying to get a hold in the world
Named a boy a Sue
------------------
version 5
e-------------------|------------------|------------------------|
B----3---3---3---3--|---8---8---8---8--|----10---10----10---10--|
G----3---3---3---3--|---8---8---8---8--|----10---10----10---10--|
D----3---3---3---3--|---8---8---8---8--|----10---10----10---10--|
A--1-------1--------|-6-------6--------|-8-----------8----------|
E------1-------1----|-----6-------6----|-------8----------8-----|
e-------------------|
B----3---3---3---3--|
G----3---3---3---3--|Repeat for the whole song
D----3---3---3---3--|
A--1-------1--------|
E------1-------1----|
G
My daddy left home when I was three
C
And he didn't leave much to Ma and me
D G
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
G
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
C
But the meanest thing that he ever did
D G
Was before he left, he went and named me 'Sue.'
Well, he must o' thought that is was quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named 'Sue.'
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made me a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man that give me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me 'Sue.'
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: ?My name is 'Sue!' how do you do! Now you gonna die!?
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down but, to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: ?Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I know I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said good-bye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's that name that helped to make you strong.?
He said: 'Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you 'Sue'.'
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I come away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but sue! I still hate that name!
-----------