A Boy Named Sue Chords by Johnny Cash

[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
     F7                                      Bb 
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                                         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                                    F7   Bb
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew ■ 
   Bb                              
At an old saloon on a street of mud
Eb                           
There at a table dealin' stud
F                                     Bb 
Sat the dirty mangy dog that named me Sue


[Chorus]
       Bb                                  
Well I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
       Eb                                  
From a wornout picture that my mother'd had
F                                                 
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


[Verse]
       Bb                                 
Well I hit him hard right between the eyes
Eb                                 
And he went down but to my surprise
F                    F7            F        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
                   Eb           
But I really can't remember when
   F                                    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
       Bb                                       
And if a man's gonna make it he's gotta be tough
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                    F7                 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
F7                            Bb 
'cause I'm the that named you Sue


[Chorus]
                                  Eb
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
                       Bb                     
And I come away with a different point of view
      Bb                          
And I think about him now and then
Eb                                    F
Every time I try and every time I win ■
         F                                         
And if I ever have a son I think I'm gonna name him
                                F                     
Bill or George Anything but Sue I still hate that name
    F                        
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
                              Bb                         
Look we got a lot of requests to do 'Peace in the Valley'