A Boy Named Sue (Johnny Cash)

Written by Shel Silverstein

Chords Used: A-D-E



Capo 2

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

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

[A]Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I [D]just hit town and my throat was dry,
I [E]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,
Sat the [E[dirty, mangy dog that named me [A]"Sue."

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

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

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

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

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

[A]I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I [D]called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I [E]came away with a different point of [A]view.
[A]And I think about him, now and then,
Every [D]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! [A]I still hate that name!

A short version with Shel Silverstein himself: