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Well, my daddy ^Aleft home when I was three and he didn'^Dt leave much for ma and me, just this old^E guitar and an empty bottle of booze. ^A

Now, I don't blame him 'cause he run and hid,

but the mean^Dest thing that he ever did was before he^E left, he went and named me Sue. ^A

Well, he must ^Ahave thought that it was quite a joke, and it go^Dt a lot of laughs from a lots of folks. It s^Eeems I had to fight my whole life through, ^A

Some gal would giggle and I'd get red,

some guy ^Dwould laugh and I'd bust his head, I ^Etell you, life ain't easy for a boy named Sue. ^A

Well, I grew^A up quick and I grew up mean; my fist^D got hard and my wits got keen. ^ERoamed from town to town to hide my shame, ^A

but I made me a vow to the moon and stars,

I'd s^Dearch the honky-tonks and bars, and kil^El that man that gave me that awful name. ^A

Well, it was Gatlinb^Aurg in mid July, and I had just h^Dit town and my throat was dry. ^E I'd thought I'd stop by and have myself a brew. ^A

At an old saloon on a street of mud,

^Dthere at a table dealin' stud, ^Esat the dirty, mangy dog that named me Sue. ^A

Well, I knew^A that the snake was my own sweet dad from a worn-^Dout picture that my mother'd had. And I knew ^Ethe scar on his cheek and his evil eye. ^A

He was big and bent and gray and old,

and I loo^Dked at him and my blood ran cold, and I sai^Ed, "My name is Sue. How do you d^Ao?

Now you gonna die." Yeah, that's what I told him.

Well, I hit^A him hard right between the eyes, and ^D he went down, but to my surprise ^Ehe come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear. ^A

But I busted a chair right across his teeth.

And we smashed^D through the wall and into the street, ^Ekickin' and a gougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer. ^A

I ^Atell you, I've fought tougher men, but I re^Dally can't remember when. He kic^Eked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile. ^A

I heard him laugh and then I heard him cussin',

^D He went for his gun and I pulled mine first. He sto^Eod there lookin' at me and I saw him smile. ^A

And he said, "Son,^A this world is rough, and if a man'^Ds gonna make it, he's gotta be tough. And I knew ^EI wouldn't be there to help you along. ^A

So I gave you that name and I said, 'goodbye'.

I ^Dknew you'd have to get tough or die. And it's ^Ethat name that helped to make you strong." ^A

Yeah, he said, "now, you just ^Afought one hell of a fight, and I kno^Dw you hate me and you've got the right to k^Eill me now and I wouldn't blame you if you do. ^A

But you ought to thank me before I die

for the grav^Del in your guts and the spit in your eye, 'cause I'm ^Ethe son of a bitch that named you Sue." ^A

Yeah, what ^Acould I do? What could I do? ^D I got all choked up and I threw down my ^Egun, called him my pa and he called me his so^An.

And I come away with a different point of view. And I think about him now and then,

ev'ry tim^De I try and ev'ry time I win, ^E And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him... Bill og George. Anything but Sue. ^A

I still hate that name. Yeah! For more Johnny Cash Chords visit www.Unofficial-JohnnyCash.com

Johnny Cash - A boy named sue