A Better Place To Be Version 2 chords by Harry Chapin

Chords with lyrics

A augmentedA Better Place To Be
  D MajorD       D MajorD
It was an early morning barroom
      D7D7         G+G
And the place had just opened up
    E minorEm       E minorEm
And a little man came in so fast
   E minorEm          A7A7
And he started at his cups
     D MajorD          D MajorD
And the broad who served the whiskey
     D7D7        G+G
She was a big old friendly girl
   E minorEm         E minorEm
Who tried to fight her empty nights
 E minorEm          A7A7
By smiling at the world
    G+G           A augmentedA
And she said "Hey, bub, it's been a while
F# minorF#m           B7B7
Since you've been around
     E minorEm        A augmentedA
Where the hell you been hiding
   G+G          D MajorD
And why you look so down
     G+G      A augmentedA
Well, the little man sat there
      G+G   A augmentedA      D MajorD
Like he'd never heard a sound
   C minorCm         G+G
The waitress she gave out with a cough
  Bb majorBb         FF         E minorEm   A augmentedA
And acting not the least put off she spoke once again
     D MajorD          G+G
She said "I don't want to bother you
  E minorEm         E minorEm ?" E minorEm  - E minorEm
Consider it's understood
 A augmentedA      E minorEm ?" E minorEm  - E minorEm
I know I'm not no beauty queen
   A augmentedA   E minorEm A7sus4A7sus4   D MajorD
But I sure can listen good



    G+G
And the little man
     A augmentedA
Took his drink in his hand
    E minorEm          D MajorD
And he raised it to his lips
  G+G          D MajorD
He took a couple sips
      E minor 7Em7     A augmentedA     D MajorD
And then he told the waitress this story
 D MajorD           A minorAm     C majorC    G+G       D MajorD
I am the midnight watchman down at Miller's Tool and Die
      G+G       F# minorF#m   B minorBm           C majorC
And I watch the metal rusting, I watch the time go by
 A augmentedA         G+G  F# minorF#m           B7B7
A augmentedA week ago at the diner I stopped to get a bite
   E minorEm        A augmentedA     G+G    E minor 7Em7  A augmentedA  D MajorD
And this here lovely lady she sat two seats from my right
  G+G   G+G   E minor 7Em7   G+G   G+G  E minor 7Em7   D MajorD
And Lord, lord, lord, (Lord, Lord, Lord)  she was alright

 D MajorD           A minorAm             C majorC   G+G    D MajorD
You see she was so damn beautiful that she could warm a winters frost
   G+G          F# minorF#m    B minorBm      C majorC
But she looked long past lonely and well nigh onto lost
   A augmentedA         G+G     F# minorF#m      B7B7
Now I'm not much of a mover or a pick'em up easy guy
    E minorEm         A augmentedA      G+G E minor 7Em7    D MajorD
But I decided to glide on over and give her one good try
  G+G   G+G   E minor 7Em7  G+G   G+G   E minor 7Em7   D MajorD
And Lord, lord, lord, she was worth a try


 D MajorD               A minorAm      C majorC   G+G     D MajorD
Well I was tongue tied like a schoolboy, I stammered out some words
    G+G      F# minorF#m        B minorBm        C majorC
It did not seem to matter much 'cause I don't think she heard
   A augmentedA           G+G       F# minorF#m       B7B7
She just looked clear on through me to a space back in my head
   E minorEm       A augmentedA     G+G  E minor 7Em7 D MajorD
It shamed me into silence as quietly she said
    D MajorD        G+G
If you want me to come with you
   E minorEm          E minorEm ?" E minorEm  - E minorEm
Then that's all right with me


A augmentedA       E minorEm ?" E minorEm  - E minorEm
'Cause I know I'm going no-where
   A augmentedA      E minorEm   A7sus4A7sus4  D MajorD
And anywhere's a better place to be
A augmentedA      E minorEm    A7sus4A7sus4 D MajorD
Anywheres a better place to be


    D MajorD         D MajorD
Well, I drove her to my boarding house
   D7D7           G+G
And I took her up to my room
   E minorEm         E minorEm
And I went to turn on the only light
E minorEm            A7A7
To brighten up the gloom
    DmDm
But she said, "Please leave the light off,
  G minorGm
Oh, I don't mind the dark"
       FF
And as her clothes all tumbled 'round her
Asus4Asus4      A augmentedA   Asus4Asus4 - A augmentedA - Asus4Asus4 - A augmentedA
I could hear my heart
  D MajorD        A minorAm       C majorC    G+G   D MajorD
The moonlight shone upon her as she lay back in my bed
      G+G        F# minorF#m     B minorBm     C majorC
It was the kind of scene I only had imagined in my head
 A augmentedA       G+G       F# minorF#m         B7B7
I just could not believe it to think that she was real
   E minorEm      A augmentedA           G+G    E minor 7Em7       D MajorD
And as I tried to tell her, she said "Ssssh, I know just how you feel
      D MajorD         G+G
And if you want to come here with me
   E minorEm          E minorEm ?" E minorEm  - E minorEm
Then that's all right with me
   A augmentedA        E minorEm ?" E minorEm  - E minorEm
Cause I've been so lonely
    A augmentedA      E minorEm   A7sus4A7sus4 D MajorD
Lovin' someone is a better way to be
A augmentedA      E minorEm   A7sus4A7sus4  D MajorD
Anywhere's a better place to be

     D MajorD        A minorAm    C majorC    G+G   D MajorD
Well the mornin' came so swiftly I held her in my arms
   G+G        F# minorF#m  B minorBm         C majorC
And she slept like a baby, snug and safe from harm
 A augmentedA         G+G     F# minorF#m        B7B7
I did not want to share her or dare to break the mood
   E minorEm       A augmentedA      G+G         DmDm
So before she woke I went out to buy us both some food
  DmDm              G minorGm
I came back with my paper bag to find that she was gone
   FF                  G minorGm        D MajorD
She'd left a six-word letter sayin' "It's time that I moved on"
       D MajorD            D MajorD        D7D7          G+G
You know the waitress she took her bar rag and she wiped it across her eyes
  E minorEm        E minorEm        E minorEm           A7A7
And as she spoke her voice came out as something like a sigh
      D MajorD       D MajorD         D7D7        G+G
She said I wish that I was beautiful or that you were halfway blind
  E minorEm          E minorEm       E minorEm          A7A7
And I wish I weren't so God-damned fat, I wish that you were mine
A7A7     G+G         A augmentedA   F# minorF#m          B7B7
And I wish that you'd come with me when I leave for home
    E minorEm           A augmentedA     G+G   E minorEm     D MajorD
For we both know all 'bout emptiness and livin' all alone
D MajorD     E minor 7Em7           F# minorF#m                E minor 7Em7
And the little man looked at the empty glass in his hand and he smiled a crooked in
     E minor 7Em7        D MajorD      E minor 7Em7      D MajorD    G+G - E minor 7Em7 - A augmentedA
He said "I guess I'm out of gin and I know we both have been so lonely
      D MajorD       G+G                 E minorEm
And if you want me to come with you then that's alright with me
     A augmentedA       E minorEm      A augmentedA      E minor 7Em7   A7A7    D MajorD  D MajorD - G+G - D MajorD
'Cause I know I'm going no-where and anywhere's a better place to be