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