Song For Sonny Liston

A So many mouths to feed on the farm A Sonny was the second to the last one born A His mamma ran away and his daddy beat him bad A And he grew up wild good love he never had A He had a left like henry's hammer A A right like betty bamalam A Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread A And all them sluggers went down like lead A Well he hung with the hoods he wouldn't stroke the fans A But he had dynamite in both his hands A Boom bam like the slammer door A The bell and the can and the bodies on the floor A Beware the bear's in town Somebody's money says A The bear's going down Yeah, the bear never smiles A A/G Sonny's going down For miles and miles A/F# A/F Sonny's going down For miles and miles A The writers didn't like him The fight game jocks A With his lowlife backers And his hands like rocks A They didn't want to have A bogey man A They didn't like him And he didn't like them D Black cadillac Alligator boots A Money in the pockets Of his sharkskin suits A/G Some say the bear Took a flop A/F# A/F They couldn't believe it When they saw him drop A He had a left Like henry's hammer A A right like betty bamalam A Rode with the muggers In the dark and dread A And all them sluggers Went down like lead A Joe Louis was his hero He tried to be the same A But a criminal child Wears a ball and chain A So the civil rights people Didn't want him on the throne A And the hacks and the copsWouldn't leave him alone A Beware the bear's in town Somebody's money says A The bear's going down Yeah, the bear never smiles A A/G Sonny's going down For miles and miles A/F# A/F Sonny's going down For miles and miles A At the foot of his bed With his feet on the floor A There was dope in his veins And a pistol on the drawer A There was no investigation As such A He hated needles But he knew too much D Criss-crossed On his back A Scars from his daddy Like slavery tracks A/G The second-last child Was the second-last king A/F# A/F Never again was it the same In the ring A He had a left Like henry's hammer A A right like betty bamalam A Rode with the muggersIn the dark and dread A And all them sluggers Went down like lead Verse 11 A They never could be sure About the day he was born A A motherless child Set to working on the farm A And they never could be sure About the day he died A The bear was the king They cast aside Verse 12 A Beware the bear's in town A Somebody's money says The bear's going down A Yeah, the bear never smiles A A/G Sonny's going down For miles and miles A/F# A/F A Sonny's going down For miles and miles