| abstract | - He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison I looked after Tommy 'cause he was my brother's son I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy Theodore: What'd he say? Alvin: "Son, my life is over, but yours is just begun" Alvin & Male Singers: "Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done Walk away from trouble if you can It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek I hope you're old enough to understand Alvin: You don't have to fight to be a man" The Gatlin boys were bullies and they beat up Tommy's best friend The torn shirt, the shattered look was more than he could stand He reached above the fireplace, took down his daddy's picture As his tears fell on his daddy's face as he heard these words again Alvin & Male Singers: "Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done Walk away from trouble if you can It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek I hope you're old enough to understand Alvin: You don't have to fight to be a man" The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room One of them got up and met him half way 'cross the floor When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look! Old Yellow's leavin'" But you could've heard a pin drop When Tommy stopped and locked the door Twenty years of crawling was bottled up inside him He wasn't holding nothing back, he let 'em have it all When Tommy left the bar room, not a Gatlin boy was standing He said, "This one's for my buddy," as he watched the last one fall And I heard him say Alvin & Male Singers: "I promised you, dad, not to do the things you've done I walk away from trouble when I can Now please don't think I'm weak, I couldn't turn the other cheek Papa, I should hope you understand Alvin: Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man" Everyone considered him Alvin & Male Singers: The coward of the county
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