A Boy Named Sue chords by Johnny Cash (Ver. 2)

Verse 1:
D
Well my daddy left home when I was three
G
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
A                      D
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
D
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
G
But the meanest thing that he ever did
A                     G
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."

Verse 2:
D

Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
G
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
A                   D
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
D
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
G
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
      A                D
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."

Verse 3:
D
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
G
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
A                   D
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
D
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
G
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
A                    D
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.

Verse 4:
D
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
G
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
A                  D
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
D
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
G
There at a table, dealing stud,
A                    D
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."

Verse 5:
D
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
G
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
A                     D
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
D
He was big and bent and gray and old,
G
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
A                D
And I said: "My name is 'Sue! ' How do you do!

Now your gonna die!! "

Verse 6:
D
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
G
And he went down, but to my surprise,
A                   D
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
D
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
G
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
A                          D
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.

Verse 7:
D
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
G
But I really can't remember when,
A                    D
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
D
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
G
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
A                     D
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.

Verse 8:
D
And he said: "Son, this world is rough
G
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
A                     D
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
D
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
G
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
A                     D
And it's the name that helped to make you strong. "

Verse 9:
D
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
G
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
A                        D
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
D
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
G
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
A                      D
Cause I'm the son-of-a-b**ch that named you "Sue.'"

Verse 10:
D
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
G
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
A                     D
And I came away with a different point of view.
D
And I think about him, now and then,
G
Every time I try and every time I win,
N.C.
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
        D
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!