A Boy Named Sue

Well, my daddy left home when I was three
 And he didn't leave much to ma and me
 Just this old guitar and a empty bottle of booze
 Now, I don't blame him 'cause he run and hid
 But the meanest thing that he ever did
 Was before he left, he went and named me Sue
 Well, he must've thought that it was quite a joke
 And it got a lot of laughs from a lots of folks
 Seems I had to fight my whole life through
 Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
 And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head
 I'll tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named Sue
 Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean
 My fist got hard and my wits got keen
 Roamed from town to town to hide my shame
 But I made me a vow to the moon and stars
 I'd search the honkytonks and bars
 And kill that man that give me that awful name
 Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
 And I just hit town and my throat was dry
 I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew
 At an old saloon on a street of mud
 There at a table, dealin' stud
 Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me Sue
 Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
 From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had
 And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye
 He was big and bent and gray and old
 And I looked at him, and my blood ran cold
 And I said, "My name is Sue! How do you do?
 Now you gonna die!"
 Yeah, that's what I told him!
 Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
 And he went down, but to my surprise
 Come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear
 But I busted a chair right across his teeth
 And we crashed through the wall and into the street
 Kickin' and a-gougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer
 I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
 But I really can't remember when
 He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile
 I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss
 And he went for his gun and I pulled mine first
 He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile
 And he said, "Son
 This world is rough
 And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
 And I know I wouldn't be there to help you along
 So I give you that name and I said goodbye
 I knew you'd have to get tough or die
 And it's that name that helped to make you strong"
 Yeah, he said, "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
 And I know you hate me, and you got the right
 To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do
 But you oughtta thank me, before I die
 For the gravel in your guts and the spit in the eye
 'Cause I'm the - that named you Sue"
 Yeah, what could I do? What could I do?
 I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
 Called him my pa, and he called me his son
 And I come away with a different point of view
 And I think about him, now and then
 Every time I try and every time I win
 And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
 Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
 "All right, thank you very much
 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.
 Look, we got a lot of requests to do 'Peace in the Valley'."