A Better Place To Be Version 2 chords by Harry Chapin

A Better Place To Be
    D              D
It was an early morning barroom
           D7                 G
And the place had just opened up
       Em             Em
And a little man came in so fast
     Em                   A7
And he started at his cups
          D                    D
And the broad who served the whiskey
          D7               G
She was a big old friendly girl
     Em                 Em
Who tried to fight her empty nights
  Em                    A7
By smiling at the world
        G                     A
And she said "Hey, bub, it's been a while
F#m                      B7
Since you've been around
          Em                A
Where the hell you been hiding
     G                    D
And why you look so down
          G           A
Well, the little man sat there
            G     A            D
Like he'd never heard a sound
     Cm                  G
The waitress she gave out with a cough
    Bb                  F                 Em      A
And acting not the least put off she spoke once again
         D                    G
She said "I don't want to bother you
   Em                  Em ?" Em   - Em
Consider it's understood
  A            Em ?" Em    - Em
I know I'm not no beauty queen
      A     Em  A7sus4      D
But I sure can listen good

        G
And the little man
         A
Took his drink in his hand
        Em                   D
And he raised it to his lips
   G                   D
He took a couple sips
            Em7          A          D
And then he told the waitress this story
  D                     Am         C        G             D
I am the midnight watchman down at Miller's Tool and Die
           G             F#m     Bm                     C
And I watch the metal rusting, I watch the time go by
  A                  G    F#m                     B7
A week ago at the diner I stopped to get a bite
     Em                A          G       Em7   A   D
And this here lovely lady she sat two seats from my right
    G     G     Em7      G     G    Em7     D
And Lord, lord, lord,  (Lord, Lord, Lord)   she was alright


  D                     Am                         C      G        D
You see she was so damn beautiful that she could warm a winters frost
     G                    F#m        Bm            C
But she looked long past lonely and well nigh onto lost
     A                  G          F#m           B7
Now I'm not much of a mover or a pick'em up easy guy
        Em                  A            G  Em7       D
But I decided to glide on over and give her one good try
    G     G     Em7   G     G     Em7     D
And Lord, lord, lord, she was worth a try


  D                              Am            C      G         D
Well I was tongue tied like a schoolboy, I stammered out some words
        G           F#m               Bm                C
It did not seem to matter much 'cause I don't think she heard
      A                     G             F#m              B7
She just looked clear on through me to a space back in my head
     Em              A          G    Em7  D
It shamed me into silence as quietly she said
        D               G
If you want me to come with you
      Em                   Em ?" Em    - Em
Then that's all right with me


A              Em ?" Em    - Em
'Cause I know I'm going no-where
     A           Em     A7sus4   D
And anywhere's a better place to be
A           Em       A7sus4 D
Anywheres a better place to be


        D                  D
Well, I drove her to my boarding house
      D7                     G
And I took her up to my room
      Em                  Em
And I went to turn on the only light
Em                        A7
To brighten up the gloom
        Dm
But she said, "Please leave the light off,
    Gm
Oh, I don't mind the dark"
             F
And as her clothes all tumbled 'round her
Asus4           A      Asus4 - A - Asus4 - A
I could hear my heart
    D                Am              C       G      D
The moonlight shone upon her as she lay back in my bed
           G               F#m         Bm          C
It was the kind of scene I only had imagined in my head
  A              G             F#m                 B7
I just could not believe it to think that she was real
     Em            A                     G       Em7              D
And as I tried to tell her, she said "Ssssh, I know just how you feel
           D                 G
And if you want to come here with me
     Em                    Em ?" Em    - Em
Then that's all right with me
      A               Em ?" Em    - Em
Cause I've been so lonely
        A            Em      A7sus4 D
Lovin' someone is a better way to be
A            Em     A7sus4   D
Anywhere's a better place to be

         D               Am        C        G      D
Well the mornin' came so swiftly I held her in my arms
     G               F#m   Bm                 C
And she slept like a baby, snug and safe from harm
  A                 G          F#m                B7
I did not want to share her or dare to break the mood
      Em             A           G                 Dm
So before she woke I went out to buy us both some food
   Dm                            Gm
I came back with my paper bag to find that she was gone
      F                                    Gm               D
She'd left a six-word letter sayin' "It's time that I moved on"
             D                       D               D7                   G
You know the waitress she took her bar rag and she wiped it across her eyes
    Em               Em               Em                     A7
And as she spoke her voice came out as something like a sigh
            D              D                 D7               G
She said I wish that I was beautiful or that you were halfway blind
    Em                   Em             Em                   A7
And I wish I weren't so God-damned fat, I wish that you were mine
A7         G                 A     F#m                   B7
And I wish that you'd come with me when I leave for home
       Em                     A          G      Em         D
For we both know all 'bout emptiness and livin' all alone
D          Em7                      F#m                               Em7
And the little man looked at the empty glass in his hand and he smiled a crooked in
          Em7                D           Em7            D       G - Em7 - A
He said "I guess I'm out of gin and I know we both have been so lonely
            D              G                                 Em
And if you want me to come with you then that's alright with me
         A              Em           A           Em7     A7       D   D - G - D
'Cause I know I'm going no-where and anywhere's a better place to be