A
boy named Sue ( KDM 110)
Chris Froggatt (Johnny Cash) 1969
PLUS
OPENER
Well my daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to Ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze
Now, I don't blame him that he run and hid
Cause the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me Sue (Circle Left)
Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk
(Allemande Left and Promenade)
So I made me a vow to the moon and stars
I’d search those honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man that gave me that awful name
FIGURE 1 & 2
Heads you Promenade and go, Halfway round the ring you do
Side 2 gonna do the Right and Left Thru
Now Tch. 1/4, Boys
Run Right
Relay the Deucey
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd
laugh and I'd bust his head
Swing that corner, Promenade
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean
My fist got hard and my wits got keen
I tell ya, life ain’t easy for a boy
named Sue
MIDDLE BREAK
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry
I thought I’d stop 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 (Circle Left)
He was big and bent and grey and old
I looked at him and my blood ran cold
(Allemande Left and Promenade)
I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do
you do!
Now you gonna die!" Yeah,
that’s what I told him!
FIGURE 3 LYRICS
Relay the Deucey
Well, I hit him hard right between the
eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise
Swing your corner, Promenade
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
FIGURE 4 LYRICS
Relay the Deucey
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when
He kicked like a mule and bit like a
crocodile
Swing your corner, Promenade
I
heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first…
CLOSER and TAG
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
you along
So I give you that name and I said
goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you
strong (Circle Left)
I got all choked up and I threw down my
gun
Called him my Pa,
and he called me his son
(Allemande Left and Promenade)
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!
ORIGINAL LYRICS
My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just 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 he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue".
Well, he must o' thought
that is 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 a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave 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're 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 knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the 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 came 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!