{"id":17308,"date":"2023-09-05T18:40:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T18:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/?p=17308"},"modified":"2026-03-01T23:31:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T23:31:34","slug":"a-boy-named-sue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/a-boy-named-sue\/","title":{"rendered":"A Boy Named Sue"},"content":{"rendered":"

LISTEN ON YOUTUBE<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Song: [A] Boy Named Sue\r\n<\/span>Artist: Johnny cash\r\n<\/span>Tuning: Standard ([E][A][D][G]Be)\r\n<\/span>Capo on 1st fret\r\n\r\nNOTE:  ON TENOR UKE:  PLAY CHORDS C F G instead of A D E\r\n<\/span> \r\n[Verse 1]  <\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>My daddy left home when I was three\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> A<\/span>nd he didn't leave much to ma and me\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of [A]<\/span> booze.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>But the meanest thing that he ever did\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>Was before he left, he went and named me [A]<\/span> \"Sue.\"\r\n<\/span><\/span> \r\n[Verse 2]\r\n<\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>It seems I had to fight my whole life [A]<\/span> through.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>Some gal would giggle and I'd get red\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,\r\n<\/span><\/span>I [E] tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named [A]<\/span> \"Sue.\"\r\n<\/span><\/span> \r\n[Verse 3]\r\n<\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>My fist got hard and my wits got keen,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>I'd roam from town to town to hide my [A]<\/span> shame.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>But I made a vow to the moon and stars\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> A<\/span>nd kill that man who gave me that awful [A]<\/span> name.\r\n<\/span><\/span> \r\n[Verse 4]\r\n<\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D] A<\/span><\/span>nd I just hit town and my throat was dry,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span><\/span>I thought I'd stop and have myself a [A]<\/span> brew.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A] A<\/span><\/span>t an old saloon on a street of mud,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D] <\/span><\/span>There at a table, dealing stud,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me [A]<\/span> \"Sue.\"\r\n<\/span><\/span> \r\n[Verse 5]\r\n<\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> A<\/span>nd I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil [A]<\/span> eye.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>He was big and bent and gray and old,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>And I looked at him and my blood ran cold\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>And I said: \"My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!\r\n<\/span><\/span>Now [A]<\/span> <\/span>you gonna die!!\"\r\n<\/span> \r\n[Verse 6]\r\n<\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>And he went down, but to my surprise,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my [A]<\/span> ear.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>But I busted a chair right across his teeth\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D] A<\/span><\/span>nd we crashed through the wall and into the street\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the [A]<\/span> beer.\r\n<\/span><\/span> \r\n[Verse 7]\r\n<\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>I tell ya, I've fought tougher men\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>But I really can't remember when,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>He kicked like a mule and he bit like a [A]<\/span> crocodile.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him [A]<\/span> smile.\r\n<\/span><\/span> \r\n[Verse 8]\r\n<\/span>[A] A<\/span><\/span>nd he said: \"Son, this world is rough\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D] A<\/span><\/span>nd if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E] A<\/span><\/span>nd I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya [A]<\/span> along.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>So I give ya that name and I said goodbye\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>I knew you'd have to get tough or die\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>And it's the name that helped to make you [A]<\/span> strong.\"\r\n<\/span><\/span> \r\n[Verse 9]\r\n<\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>He said: \"Now you just fought one hell of a fight\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D] A<\/span><\/span>nd I know you hate me, and you got the right\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you [A]<\/span> do.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>But ya ought to thank me, before I die,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E]<\/span> <\/span>Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you [A]<\/span> \"Sue.'\"\r\n<\/span><\/span> \r\n[Verse 10]\r\n<\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>I got all choked up and I threw down my gun\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D]<\/span> <\/span>And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[E] A<\/span><\/span>nd I came away with a different point of [A]<\/span> view.\r\n<\/span><\/span>[A]<\/span> <\/span>And I think about him, now and then,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[D] E<\/span><\/span>very fight I try and every time I win,\r\n<\/span><\/span>[No Chords]\r\n<\/span>And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him<\/span>\r\n<\/span>Bill or George! Anything but Sue!<\/span>  [A] <\/span><\/span><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LISTEN ON YOUTUBE\u00a0   Song: [A] Boy Named Sue Artist: Johnny cash Tuning: Standard ([E][A][D][G]Be) Capo on 1st fret NOTE: ON TENOR UKE: PLAY CHORDS C F G instead of A D E [Verse 1] [A] My daddy left home when I was three [D] And he didn’t leave much … CLICK TO VIEW SONGA Boy Named Sue<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133,126,13,56,200,116,117,115,98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-baritone-bill","category-bass-guitar-night","category-x-bill-chase","category-country-western","category-johnny-cash","category-live-baritone","category-live-piano","category-live-tenor","category-name-night"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17308"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30027,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17308\/revisions\/30027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.net\/songs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}