Coward of the County

Roger Bowling and Billy Edd Wheeler wrote "Coward of the County," and Kenny Rogers recorded it for his album Kenny. Released in November 1979 as the second and final single from that record, it topped the Billboard Country chart, reached number three on the Hot 100, and also led the Cash Box singles chart. It went to number one in Canada, the UK and Ireland, and landed in the Top 10 in numerous other countries.

The song tells the story of Tommy, a young man widely considered a coward because of his refusal to fight. His father, who died in prison when Tommy was ten, had pleaded with him from his deathbed to avoid the mistakes he had made, telling him that turning the other cheek was not weakness and that a man did not have to fight. Years later Tommy's partner Becky is assaulted by three brothers while he is at work, forcing him to choose between his father's plea and defending her. Tommy locks the barroom door and defeats all three, saying "this one's for Becky" as the last one falls, before reflecting that sometimes a man has to fight.

The lyric's mention of "the Gatlin boys" caused trouble. Many assumed it referenced the Gatlin Brothers, which created tension between them and Rogers, though Rogers said he was unaware of any connection and would have asked for a name change otherwise. Wheeler denied the reference, but Larry Gatlin later claimed co-writer Bowling held a grudge against him, pointing to a run-in at the office of Rogers' producer Larry Butler.