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Harry Chapin - A Better Place To Be Chords

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A Better Place To Be Chords

(ver. 1)
Harry Chapin
           D              Dmaj7
It was an early morning barroom 

           D7                 Gmaj7
And the place had just opened up

       Em             Em/Eb
And a little man came in so fast 

     Em/D                  A7
And he started at his cups


          D                    Dmaj7
And the broad who served the whiskey 

          D7               Gmaj7
She was a big old friendly girl

     Em                 Em/Eb
Who tried to fight her empty nights 

  Em/D                  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/G                 Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
Consider it's understood

  A/C#            Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
I know I'm not no beauty queen

      A/C#  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                     Cmaj7
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   A11 D
And this here lovely lady she sat two seats from my right

    G     G/f#  Em7      G     G/F#  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            Cmaj7
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/f#  Em7      G     G/F#  Em7     D
And Lord, lord, lord,  (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                Cmaj7
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/G                 Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
Then that's all right with me

         A/C#           Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
'Cause I know I'm going no-where 


     A/C#        Em     A7Sus4   D
And anywhere's a better place to be

D - G - G/f# - Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
A - Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
A

A/C#        Em       A7Sus4 D
Anywheres a better place to be
        

        D                  Dmaj7
Well, I drove her to my boarding house 

      D7                     Gmaj7
And I took her up to my room

      Em                  Em/Eb
And I went to turn on the only light 

Em/D                      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          Cmaj7
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/G                  Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
Then that's all right with me

      A/C#            Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
Cause I've been so lonely 

        A/C#         Em      A7Sus4 D
Lovin' someone is a better way to be

D - G - G/f# - Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
A - Em - Em/Eb - Em/D
A


A/C#         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                 Cmaj7
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                       Dmaj7           D7                   Gmaj7
You know the waitress she took her bar rag and she wiped it across her eyes

    Em               Em/Eb            Em/D                   A7
And as she spoke her voice came out as something like a sigh

            D              Dmaj7              D7               Gmaj7
She said I wish that I was beautiful or that you were halfway blind

    Em                   Em/Eb          Em/D                   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       

        Em7                      F#m                               Em7                  D
And the little man looked at the empty glass in his hand and he smiled a crooked grin

          Em7                D           Em7            D/F#    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   Dmaj7 - Gmaj7 - D
'Cause I know I'm going no-where and anywhere's a better place to be
            
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