A Boy Named Sue Chords by Johnny Cash

[Start]

[Verse]
Bb                                         
■  Well my daddy left home when I was three
       Eb                            
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
F                                          Bb   
Just this old guitar and a empty bottle of booze
    Bb                                     
Now I don't blame him 'cause he run and hid
        Eb                            
But the meanest thing that he ever did
F                                       Bb 
Was before he left he went and named me Sue
        Bb                                      
Well he must've thought that it was quite a joke
                    Eb                         
And it got a lot of laughs from a lots of folks
F7                                 Bb     
Seems I had to fight my whole life through
     Bb                              
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
    Eb                                    
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head
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I'll tell ya life ain't easy for a boy named Sue
       Bb                              
Well I grew up quick and I grew up mean
   Eb                                
My fist got hard and my wits got keen
F                                Bb      
Roamed from town to town to hide my shame
      Bb                                 
But I made me a vow to the moon and stars
Eb                                
I'd search the honkytonks and bars
F        F7                               Bb  
And kill that man that give me that awful name
            Bb                   
Well it was Gatlinburg in midJuly
      Eb                                 
And I just hit town and my throat was dry
F                                    Bb  
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew
   Bb                              
At an old saloon on a street of mud
Eb7                      Eb  
There at a table dealin' stud
F                                     Bb 
Sat the dirty mangy dog that named me Sue
       Bb                                  
Well I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
       Eb7                                 
From a wornout picture that my mother'd had
F                                              Bb 
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye
       Bb                           
He was big and bent and gray and old
      Eb                                 
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
      F                   Bb           
And I said My name is Sue How do you do
Bb               
Now you gonna die
Bb                         
Yeah that's what I told him
       Bb                                 
Well I hit him hard right between the eyes
Eb                                 
And he went down but to my surprise
F                    F7                     Bb    
Come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear
      Bb                                   
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
       Eb                                          
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
F                                                     Bb  
Kickin' and agougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer
Bb                               
I tell ya I've fought tougher men
    Bb                          
But I really can't remember when
   F7                                   Bb       
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile
  Bb                                       
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss
    Eb                                         
And he went for his gun and I pulled mine first
F                                      Bb       
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile
       Bb      
And he said Son
     Bb            
This world is rough
                     Bb7                        
And if a man's gonna make it he's gotta be tough
                         F                 Bb   
And I know I wouldn't be there to help you along
     Bb                                   
So I give you that name and I said goodbye
  Eb                                 
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
F                                          Bb    
And it's that name that helped to make you strong
Bb                                                  
Yeah he said Now you just fought one hell of a fight
                               Eb           
And I know you hate me and you got the right
F                                              Bb
To kill me now and I wouldn't blame you if you do
Eb      Bb                           
But you oughtta thank me before I die
        Eb                                         
For the gravel in your guts and the spit in the eye
F                             Bb 
'cause I'm the that named you Sue
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Yeah what could I do What could I do
                          F                
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
F7                      Bb               
Called him my pa and he called me his son
           F           Bb                     
And I come away with a different point of view
      Bb                          
And I think about him now and then
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Every time I try and every time I win ■
                                     Bb            
And if I ever have a son I think I'm gonna name him
     Bb                                               
Bill or George Anything but Sue I still hate that name
                    Bb       
All right thank you very much
                              Bb                                                              
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


[Chorus]
        Bb                                               
Look we got a lot of requests to do 'Peace in the Valley'