[Verse 1]
A
So many mouths to feed on the farm
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Sonny was the second to the last one born
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His mamma ran away and his daddy beat him bad
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And he grew up wild good love he never had
[Verse 2]
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He had a left like henry's hammer
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A right like betty bamalam
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Rode with the muggers in the dark and dread
A
And all them sluggers went down like lead
[Verse 3]
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Well he hung with the hoods he wouldn't stroke the fans
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But he had dynamite in both his hands
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Boom bam like the slammer door
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The bell and the can and the bodies on the floor
[Verse 4]
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Beware the bear's in town Somebody's money says
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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
[Verse 5]
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The writers didn't like him The fight game jocks
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With his lowlife backers And his hands like rocks
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They didn't want to have A bogey man
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They didn't like him And he didn't like them
[Chorus]
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
[Verse 6]
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
[Verse 7]
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Joe Louis was his hero He tried to be the same
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But a criminal child Wears a ball and chain
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So the civil rights people Didn't want him on the throne
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And the hacks and the copsWouldn't leave him alone
[Verse 8]
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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
[Verse 9]
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At the foot of his bed With his feet on the floor
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There was dope in his veins And a pistol on the drawer
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There was no investigation As such
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He hated needles But he knew too much
[Chorus 2]
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
[Verse 10]
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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]
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They never could be sure About the day he was born
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A motherless child Set to working on the farm
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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