Capo 3rd fret

Standard (EADGBE)

Well I remember William

We weren't much more than kids

His family lived in a run down shack

Like the rest of the white trash did

Now me and ole William

We used to smoke out behind the barn

Til his daddy caught him stealing cigarettes

I still think he broke William's arm

When I was drinkin my first beer

Ole William was getting high

He got kicked out of school for fightin and drugs

And he stayed out late at night

He never said too much about home

Or the bruises on his back

I asked him about em one time

But he never answered back

Chorus

Yeah William

You grew up hard and mean

You weren't the apple of your mama's eye

And your daddy was a burned out fiend

For what it's worth now William

I know you could've had a heart of gold

But I don't think you ever knew that you had one

I don't think you were ever told

He spent a year in reform school

Cause he broke in a hardware store

Now me and William lost track of each other

I never saw him much anymore

The last time I seen William

He was married and had two kids

He tried to raise em like he was supposed to

But sometimes he raised em like his daddy did

Yeah William

You grew up hard and mean

You weren't the apple of your mama's eye

And your daddy was a burned out fiend

For what it's worth now William

I know you could've had a heart of gold

But I don't think you ever knew that you had one

I don't think you were ever told

Well just last Sunday mornin

Momma called me on the phone

Said there's a story in the paper about William

She just thought I might like to know

He got shot by a city cop

While he was robbin a local drugstore

He was survived by two hungry kids, a wife

and a pool of blood on the floor

Yeah William

You grew up hard and mean

You weren't the apple of your mama's eye

And your daddy was a burned out fiend

For what it's worth now William

I know you could've had a heart of gold

But I don't think you ever knew that you had one

I don't think you were ever told