Better Times chords by The Middle East

The Middle East – Better Times

This is one of the unrecorded songs by Australian band The Middle East. It is a
beautiful spoken word piece that moved me every time I saw it live. I hope someone else picks
this up and this song gets played live again.

Starts with a fingerpicking of G, F, and C:

e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------3-----3------3------3-------1-----1-------1------1----------|
G|--0------0------0------0-------2-----2-------0------0-------------|
D|------------------------------3--3--3--3--------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------3--3---3--3-----------|
E|-3--3---3--3---3--3---3--3----------------------------------------|

It eventually just builds up to playing the chords: G, G, F, C.

G
It was April when we got the word
F                     C
Better times were on their way they said
G
And me and the boys, we got drunk that night
F                     C
Just a few soldiers with whisky and tobacco
G
Playin’ jack black round the fire
F                    C
And shooting in the stars
G
It was 1971
F       C
And we were going home

Instrumental

Rest of the Lyrics:

Things were a little different when I got back
You were with another man, and I was no war hero
But I remember how that never seemed to stop you and me
And I remember how good you looked working down at that bar
How those jeans seemed to be made just for you
Man me and the boys could watch you for hours
But honey I’m sorry about that night
When my hands were like monkeys through the jungle
I know you don’t believe me when I tell ya
But I never meant to hurt you
I just thought better times were on their way

I laid off the booze for a while after I got arrested
You got married, and I picked up my saxophone again
I thgout I might like to emet a pretty young jazz singer
In a black dress and red shoes, and blue eyes
So I got back out there and hit every blue note from A to Z

Better times are on their way!
Better times were on their way
And sometimes I still think about Marty and Bill
And all the boys that never made it out of that country
And all the lies that I sued to tell ‘em
I said ‘your gonna make it throught!’
I said ‘your wives and your babies gonna be waitin for you’
I said ‘you’re gonna be okay’
I said ‘better times were on their way’
Better times were on their way
I said ‘better times were on their way’