A Boy Named Sue - Live Version

Well, my daddy left home when I was three
 And he didn't leave much to ma and me
 Just this 'ol guitar and an empty bottle of booze
 Now I don't blame him 'cause he run and hid
 But the meanest thing that my daddy ever did
 Was before he left, he went and named me Sue
 Well, he musta thought that it was quite a joke
 And it got a lot of laughs from a lot's a 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, 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 honky-tonks and bars
 And kill that man that gave me that awful name
 Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
 And I'd 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 grey 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 walls and into the street
 Kickin' and a gougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer
 I'll 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 reached for his gun, but I pulled mine first
 He stood there lookin' at me, and then I saw him smile
 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 gave you that name and I said goodbye
 And 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 ya got t'right
 To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do
 But ya ought to thank me before I die
 For the gravel in your gut and the spit in the eye
 'Cause I'm the son of a bitch that named you Sue"
 Yeah, what did I do? What could I do?
 I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
 I 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 boy, I think I'm gonna name him
 Bill or George, any damn thing but Sue
 I still hate that man, yeah
 Thank you
 Alright, thank you very much