"Coward of the County" is a song written by Roger Bowling and Billy Ed Wheeler, and recorded by American country music singer Kenny Rogers. The song was released in November 1979 as the second single from Rogers' multi-platinum album Kenny. It became a major crossover hit, topping the BillboardCountry chart and reaching #3 on the Hot 100 chart; it also topped the Cash Box singles chart and was a Top 10 hit in numerous other countries worldwide topping the chart in Canada, the UK, and also in Ireland where it stayed at #1 for six consecutive weeks.
Content
Rogers sings in narration about his ward and nephew Tommy, a young man with a prominent reputation for never standing up for himself; his pacifism earned him the derisive nickname "Yellow" from others throughout the county, but Rogers hinted that he always felt there was something about Tommy that the rest of the county did not see. Tommy's non-violent attitude was greatly influenced by his father who died in prison when Tommy was ten years old; during his last visit his father, from his deathbed, pleads with Tommy to not make the same mistakes he made, telling him that "turning the other cheek" is not a sign of weakness, and advising him, "Son, you don't have to fight to be a man". Years later, Tommy is in a relationship with a woman named Becky who loves and accepts him as he is. One day while Tommy was at work, the three Gatlin Brothers assault Becky and gang rape her. When he returns home and finds Becky crying and worse for wear, he is faced with the dilemma of having to choose between defending Becky's honor or upholding his father's plea to "walk away from trouble when he can". Realizing he cannot ignore his predicament, Tommy goes to the barroom where the Gatlins hang out, but they only laugh at him when he walks in. After one of them meets him halfway across the floor Tommy turns around, and they assume he is going to walk away yet again until he stops and locks the front door. Fueled by his long-bottled-up aggression, Tommy cuts loose and furiously fights all three Gatlin boys, leaving none of them standing by the time he left. Tommy then reflects on his late father's plea, addressing him respectfully that while he did his best to avoid trouble, he hopes his father understands that "Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man."
Controversy regarding "The Gatlin Boys" lyric
It has been claimed that mention of the "Gatlin boys... there was three of them" in the song was a reference to The Gatlin Brothers. However, in The Billboard Book of Number One Country Singles, Rogers stated that he did not realize the connection, and that had he done so, he would have asked for the name to have been changed. Larry Gatlin also gave the song a positive review. Writer Billy Edd Wheeler denied that the lyric was a reference to the Gatlin Brothers. Larry Gatlin claimed in an interview on The Adam Carolla Show that the song’s co-writer, Roger Bowling, had a personal grudge against him for reasons unknown. Gatlin then explained to Carolla that when Bowling won song of the year for "Lucille" during the 1977 CMA Awards, he approached Bowling to congratulate him for winning. Gatlin told Carolla: "He said, 'fuck you, Gatlin!' I said, 'What?' He said, 'Fuck you!' I said, 'Let me tell you something, hoss. If we weren't in the Grand Ole' Opry House dressed up in tuxedos, I would just open a boot shop in your ass.'" Gatlin further stated that those particular exchange of words with Bowling resulted in Gatlin‘s inclusion in the lyrics to “Coward of the County.”
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Cover versions
covered the song with several lyric changes for their 1981 album Urban Chipmunk. Jamaican dancehall musician Sister Nancy performed a version on her 1982 album "One, Two" as "Coward of the Country ." Her version also includes elements of the songs "Banana Boat Song" and "In the Ghetto."
Film adaptation
The song inspired a 1981 television movie of the same name, directed by Dick Lowry, who also directed all but the last of The Gambler television movie saga pentalogy. The film starred Rogers as Tommy's uncle, Reverend Matthew Spencer, and featured Fredric Lehne as the troubled Tommy Spencer; Largo Woodruff as Becky, the object of Tommy's affection; and William Schreiner as James Joseph "Jimmy Joe" Gatlin, the lead bully in the Gatlin family clan. The movie added several characters not mentioned in the song, including Car-Wash, a friend of the Spencers; Violet, another local girl who was also in love with Tommy; and Lem Gatlin, the equally-nemesis father of the Gatlin boys. Set in small-town Georgia during the onset of America's involvement in World War II, the film's plot expanded on the story in the song, in which Jimmy Joe Gatlin publicly proclaimed Becky to be "his girl," though Becky repeatedly stated that she was not. That rejection, along with the fact that Becky and Tommy started dating and became engaged while Jimmy Joe and his brother Luke were away at basic training, would serve as motive for Jimmy Joe and his brothers to assault Becky just days before she and Tommy were to be married. The film culminates in a huge barroom brawl between the Gatlins and Tommy, and Tommy prevails with Matthew's help as he had just stepped down from his pulpit. After the Gatlin brothers are convicted for gang-raping Becky, Tommy joins the Marines and is shipped off immediately after his wedding to Becky, and the church deacons have all decided that they want Matthew back leading the parish, which he accepts.
