Coward of the County

E17627

Coward of the County is a popular country song by Kenny Rogers that tells the story of a gentle man pushed to defend his honor and that of his loved one.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
adaptation 1981 television film Coward of the County
album Kenny
associatedAct The Gatlin Boys (fictional antagonists in lyrics)
associatedGenreMovement late 1970s country-pop crossover
chartPosition number 1 on Billboard Hot Country Singles chart
number 1 on Canadian RPM Country Tracks
number 1 on Irish Singles Chart
number 1 on UK Singles Chart
number 3 on Billboard Hot 100 chart
countryOfOrigin United States
followedBySingle Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer
genre country
hasMusicVideo no traditional music video (pre-MTV era)
hasPlotElement assault on protagonist's loved one
protagonist avoids fighting due to promise to his father
protagonist finally fights to defend loved one
hasRefrain "Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done"
"Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man"
includedIn Kenny Rogers greatest hits compilations
language English
length 4:20
mainCharacter Becky
Tommy
narrativeLocation rural American South
narrativePerspective first-person narrator
notableFor moral dilemma of violence versus pacifism
storytelling lyrics
partOf album Kenny
performer Kenny Rogers
performerNationality American
precededBySingle You Decorated My Life
producer Larry Butler
recordingDate 1979
recordLabel United Artists Records
relativeOfMainCharacter Tommy's father
releaseDate 1979-11
sideAOrB A-side single in many markets
televisionFilmFormat made-for-TV movie
televisionFilmStar Kenny Rogers
theme courage
family
honor
nonviolence
revenge
vocalist Kenny Rogers
writer Billy Ed Wheeler
Roger Bowling

Referenced by (9)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Kenneth Ray Rogers
Kenny Rogers
notableWork
Coward of the County ("1981 television film Coward of the County")
adaptation
The Gatlin Boys (""Coward of the County"")
antagonistsIn
The Gatlin Boys (""Coward of the County"")
appearsInWork
Kenny
hasTrack
Kenny
includesHitSingle
Greatest Hits (Kenny Rogers album)
includesTrack
Kenny Rogers
notableSingle

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