A Boy Named Sue Chords by Johnny Cash

[Start]

[Intro]
A E A E A E
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
A E A
■ ■ ■


[Verse]
E                            A          
Well 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 a empty bottle of booze
E                                            
■ 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
     E    A       E                   A       E   
Well ■ he must've thought that it was quite a joke
       D                                       
And it got a lot of laughs from a lots of folks
E                                  A      
Seems I had to fight my whole life through
E A              E          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'll tell ya life ain't easy for a boy named Sue
       A                               
Well I grew up quick and I grew up mean
   D                                 
My fist got hard and my wits got keen
E                                   A     E
Roamed from town to town to hide my shame ■
                           A        E    
But I made me a vow to the moon and stars
D                                 
I'd search the honkytonks and bars
E                                         A   
And kill that man that give me that awful name
            A7            A      
Well it was Gatlinburg in midJuly
      D                                  
And I just hit town and my throat was dry
  E                                  A   
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew
F#m7  A                            
At an old saloon on a street of mud
D                            
There at a table dealin' stud
E7                                    A  
Sat the dirty mangy dog that named me Sue
       A                                   
Well I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
       D                                   
From a wornout picture that my mother'd had
      E    E7                             A       
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye


[Chorus]
F#m7   A                            
He was big and bent and gray and old
      D                                  
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
      E7                               
And I said My name is Sue How do you do
              E7 
Now you gonna die
                            A
Yeah that's what I told him ■


[Verse]
       A                                  
Well I hit him hard right between the eyes
D                                  
And he went down but to my surprise
E7                                             A   E7
Come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear ■ 
      B7                   A7              
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
       D                                           
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
E                                                     A   
Kickin' and agougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer
  A                              
I tell ya I've fought tougher men
D                               
But I really can't remember when
               Bm            E7  E    E7 A        
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a  crocodile


[Chorus]
                                       E   
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss
       D                                       
And he went for his gun and I pulled mine first
E  E7                                  A7       
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile
    A7         
And he said Son
              A    
This world is rough
                                  D             
And if a man's gonna make it he's gotta be tough
                         E7                A    
And I know I wouldn't be there to help you along
E7           A                               
■  So I give you that name and I said goodbye
  D                                  
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
    E                             E7       A     
And it's that name that helped to make you strong
E7                  A                                  
■  Yeah he said Now you just fought one hell of a fight
           D                                
And I know you hate me and you got the right
   E7      E                        E7         A 
To kill me now and I wouldn't blame you if you do
E         A                            
■ But you oughtta thank me before I die
        D                                          
For the gravel in your guts and the spit in the eye
               E                 
'cause I'm the that named you Sue
                                  A 
Yeah what could I do What could I do
      A                                    
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
D                                        
Called him my pa and he called me his son
    E7                                    A   
And I come away with a different point of view
E7       A                           
■  And I think about him now and then
      D                              
Every time I try and every time I win
                           E7        E             
And if I ever have a son I think I'm gonna name him
               E                                      
Bill or George Anything but Sue I still hate that name
    E                        
All right thank you very much
                  E                                                                           
Just before I ask the Statler Brothers to come back out we'd like to ask the Carter Family and
                                       
Carl to help us out on a fine scripture
A7                              
Look we got a lot in the Valley'


[End]