Kenny Rogers - Coward of the County

by Sam
(Saskatoon, SK)

My favourite country music love song is Coward Of The County.

I love the way that the man in the song Tommy has values and has refrained from any violence but when it comes to the woman he loves he considers her more important than the values and morals he was brought up with and defends her honour.

The story behind Coward of the County is about Tommy, he has been raised by his uncle after his father has died in prison. Tommy was only 10yrs old when his father died and the last thing his father said to him was that he wanted him to promise not to be like him, to walk away from trouble and not to consider it a weakness to do that. He wanted him to know that not fighting does not mean he is not a man.

As he grows up Tommy heeds the advice his father gave him and keeps clear of fighting and out of trouble and because of this he is labelled as "yellow" or a coward. He has never once stood and fought to prove them wrong in their assumption. He falls in love with Becky and one day when he is out working some other lads come to where she is and take it in turn to rape her.

When Tommy get back he finds her crying and with her clothes torn, he sees the pain in her expression and it is more than he can bear. He takes his fathers picture in his hands and looks at it in tears as he remembers the promise made to his dad as he died and how he has kept this promise. Then he makes his way to the bar where the lads are and as he goes in they all laugh at him and one of them meets him halfway in. He turns around and they laugh again and say that the coward is leaving but Tommy turns around and all goes silent.

By the time Tommy is finished not one of the lads is left standing and as the last one fell he was heard to say "this one's for Becky". The song ends with Tommy speaking his mind to his father telling him again how he made that promise, kept clear of trouble but on this occasion he had to do something and that he must not be seen as weak because he didn't turn the other cheek this time.

His final words are that sometimes you have to fight to be a man.

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