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Artist/Band: Flatt And Scruggs
Lyrics for Song: Boy Named Sue
Lyrics for Album: Other Songs - Flatt And Scruggs



Boy Named Sue



Well my daddy left home when I was three

And he didn't leave much for Ma and me

Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze

Now I don't blame him because 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 have thought it was quite a joke

And it got lots of laughs from a lot of folks

It seems I had to fight my whole life through

Some gal would giggle and I'd get red

Some guy would laugh and I'd bust his head

I tell you 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

I roamed from town to town to hide my shame

Well I made my vows to the moon and stars

I'd search the honky tonks and the bars

And kill that man that gave me that awful name



Well it was Gatlinsburg in mid July

And I just hit town and my throat was dry

I'd thought I'd stop and have myself a brew

At an old saloon on a street of mud

There at a table dealing stud

Sat that dirty mangy dog that named me Sue



Well I knew that sneak was my own sweet dad

From a wornout picture that my mother 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're 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 surprice

He came up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear

Well 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 you I've fought tougher men

But I really can't remember when

He kicked like a mule and bit like a crocodile

I heard him laug and I heard him cuss

He went for his gun and I pulled mine first

He stood there looking 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 gave 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



He said you fought one heck of a fight

And I know you hate me and you've got the right

To kill me now I wouldn't blame you if you do

But you oughta thank me before I die

For the gravel in your guts and the spit in your eye

For I'm the son of a bitch that named you Sue

(Lester what the hell that you say)



Yeah what could I do

I got all choked up and I threw down the gun

Called him a Pa and he called me 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'll name him

Well I ain't gonna name him Sue

I'm gonna call him Johnny Cash


Boy Named Sue

Flatt and Scruggs' 1947 recording of 'Boy Named Sue' stands as a seminal work in bluegrass history, marking a pivotal shift toward the genre's modern sound. The track features the band's signature blend of acoustic guitar and banjo, driven by Merle Travis's intricate fingerpicking and Earl Scruggs's innovative three-finger banjo technique. Originally recorded in Nashville, the song captures the raw energy and improvisational spirit of the early 1950s country scene. Its success helped popularize the bluegrass style beyond its regional roots, influencing generations of musicians who would follow. The recording remains a definitive example of the genre's evolution, showcasing the collaborative chemistry that defined the duo's career and cementing their legacy in American folk music.


Album Lyrics: Other Songs - Flatt And Scruggs


Flatt And Scruggs
"Other Songs - Flatt And Scruggs"


1. A Hundred Years From Now
2. Angel Band
3. Another Ride With Clyde
4. Atlantic Coastal Line
5. Baby Blue Eyes
6. Back To The Cross
7. Barrow Gang Will Get You Little Man
8. Before I Met You
10. Big Black Train
11. Blowin' In The Wind
12. Blue Ridge Cabin Home
13. Bound To Ride
14. Boy Named Sue
15. Branded Wherever I Go
16. Bringin' In The Georgia Mail
17. Bummin' On Old Freight Train
18. Cabin In Caroline
19. Cabin On The Hill
21. Coal Miner's Blues
22. Come Back Darling
23. Confessing
24. Cora Is Gone
25. Cryin' Holy Unto The Lord
26. Cryin' My Heart Out Over You
27. Crying Alone
28. Darlin' Corey
29. Detroit City
30. Dig A Little Deeper In The Well
31. Dim Lights Thick Smoke
32. Dixie Home
33. Doin' My Time
34. Don't Get Above Your Raisin'
35. Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
36. Don't Think Twice It's All Right
37. Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky
38. Down The Road
39. Drowned In The Deep Blue Sea
42. East Bound Train
43. Faded Red Ribbon
46. Flint Hill Special
47. Foggy Mountain Top
48. Folsom Prison Blues
50. Four Strong Winds
51. Gentle On My Mind
52. Girl From The North Country
53. Give Me Flowers While I'm Living
54. Give Mother My Crown
55. God Loves His Children
56. Going Across The Sea
57. Gonna Settle Down
58. Good Things (Outweight The Bad)
59. Good Times Are Past And Gone
61. Hard Travelin'
64. Hello Stranger
65. Homestead On The Farm
66. Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance
67. Hot Corn, Cold Corn
68. Houston
70. I Know What It Means To Be Lonesome
71. I Saw Mother With God Last Night
72. I Still Miss Someone
73. I Walk The Line
74. I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
75. I'd Rather Be Alone
76. I'll Be Going To Heaven Sometime
77. I'll Be No Man's Wife
78. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
79. I'll Go Stepping Too
80. I'll Just Pretend
81. I'll Never Love Another
82. I'll Stay Around
83. I'll Take The Blame
84. I'm Gonna Ride That Steamboat
85. I'm Head Over Heels In Love
86. I'm On My Way To Canaan's Land
87. I'm Traveling On And On
88. I'm Troubled
89. I'm Waiting To Hear You Call Me Darling
90. I've Just Seen The Rock Of Ages
91. If I Should Wander Back Tonight
92. If I Were A Carpenter
93. Is It Too Late Now
94. It Ain't Me Babe
95. It Takes One To Know One
96. It Won't Be Long
97. Jackson
98. Jimmy Brown The Newsboy
99. Joy Bells Ringing In My Soul
100. Kansas City
101. Keep On The Sunny Side
102. Last Public Hanging In West Virginia
103. Legend Of The Johnson Boys
105. Let Those Brown Eyes Smile At Me
106. Like A Rolling Stone
107. Maggie's Farm
108. Martha White Theme
110. Memphis Tennessee
111. Mr. Tambourine Man
112. My Little Girl In Tennessee
114. My Saro Jane
117. Nine Pound Hammer
118. Ninety Nine Years Is Almost For Life
119. No Mother In This World
120. Ode To Billie Joe
123. Old Salty Dog
124. On The Rock Where Moses Stood
126. One Too Many Mornings
127. Over The Hills To The Poor House
127. Pearl, Pearl, Pearl
127. Philadelphia Lawyer
127. Picture Of Bonnie
127. Please Don't Wake Me
127. Polka On A Banjo
127. Prayer Bells Of Heaven
127. Preachin' Prayin' Singin'
127. Rainy Day Women Numbers 12 And 35
127. Reunion In Heaven
127. Rock Salt And Nails
127. Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms
127. Rose Conelly
127. Roust-A-Bout
127. Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town
127. Shuckin' The Corn
127. So Happy I'll Be
127. Some Old Day
127. Somehow Tonight
127. Someone Took My Place With You
127. Southbound
127. Starlight On The Rails
127. Stone The Builders Refused
127. Storms Are On The Ocean
127. Sun's Gonna Shine In My Backdoor Someday
127. Take Me Back To Tulsa
127. Take Me In Your Lifeboat
127. Take This Hammer
127. Ten Miles From Natchez
127. That Old Book Of Mine
127. The Ballad Of Jed Clampett
127. The Beverly Hillbillies
127. Thinking About You
127. This Land Is Your Land
127. Til The End Of The World Rolls Round
127. Times They Are A Changin'
127. Tis Sweet To Be Remembered
127. Train That Carried My Baby From Town
127. Troublesome Waters
127. Wabash Cannonball
127. Wait For The Sunshine
127. Wanted Man
127. We'll Meet Again Sweetheart
127. When I Left East Virginia
127. When Papa Played The Dobro
127. When The Angels Carry Me Home
127. When The Saints Go Marching In
127. When You Are Lonely
127. Where Have All The Flowers Gone
127. Who Will Sing For Me
127. Why Don't You Tell Me So
127. Will The Roses Bloom
127. Will You Be Lonesome Too
127. Worried Man Blues
127. Wreck Of The Old 97
127. You Can Feel It In Your Soul
127. You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
127. You're Not A Drop In The Bucket
127. You've Been Fooling Me Baby
127. Your Love Is Like A Flower