Harry Chapin Better Place To Be Lyrics

Better Place To Be Lyrics

It was an early morning bar room
And the place just opened up
And the
little man come in so fast and started at his cup
And the broad who served
the whiskey
She was a big ol' friendly girl
And she tried to fight her
empty nights by smiling at the world
And she said, "Hey, bub, it's been
awhile"
"Since you've been around"
"Where the hell you
been hidin'?  And why ya look so down?"
But the little man just sat
there like he'd never heard a sound
The waitress, she give out a
cough
And acting not the least put off she spoke once again
She said,
"I don't wanna bother you"
"Consider it's
understood"
"I know I'm not no beauty queen, but I sure can listen
good."
And the little man took his drink in his hands
And he raised
it to his lips
He took a couple of sips
And he told the waitress this
story
"I am the midnight watchman down at Miller's Tool and Die
And
I watch the metal rusting
And I watch that time go by
A week ago at the
diner, I stopped to get a bite
And this here lovely lady, she sat two seats
from my right
And Lord, Lord, Lord she was alright
She was so damn
beautiful she could warm a winter frost
But she was long past lonely, and
well nigh' onto lost
Now I'm not much of a mover or a pick-up easy
guy
But I decided to glide on over and give her one good try
And Lord,
Lord, Lord she was worth a try
Tongue-tied like a schoolboy I stammered out
some words
But it did not really matter much, 'cause I don't think she
heard
She just looked clear on through me
To a space back in my
head
And it shamed me into silence as quietly she said
'If you want me to
come with you, then that's alright with me
Cause I know I'm going
nowhere
And anywhere's a better place to be'
I drove her to my boarding
house and I took her up to my room
And I went to turn on the only light to
brighten up the gloom
And she said 'Please, leave the light off
For I
don't mind the dark
And as her clothes all tumbled 'round her
I could
hear my heart'
The moonlight shone upon her as she laid back in my bed
It
was the kind of scene I only had imagined in my head
I just could not believe
it, to think that she was real
And as I tried to tell her she
said
'Shhh....I know just how you feel
And if you want to come here with
me
Then that's alright with me
Cause I've been oh, so lonely
Lovin'
someone is a better way to be'
Morning came so swiftly, asI held her in my
arms
And she slept like a baby, snug and safe from harm
I did not want to
share her with the world or break the mood
So before she woke I went out and
brought us both some food
I come back with my paper bag
To find that she
was gone
She'd left a six word letter
Sayin 'It's time that I moved
on'."
The waitress took her bar rag
And she wiped it across her
eyes
And as she spoke her voice came out
As something like a sigh
She
said, "I wish that I was beautiful
Or that you were halfway
blind
And I wish I weren't so doggone fat
I wish that you were
mine
And I wish that you'd come with me
When I leave for home
For we
both know all about loneliness and livin' all alone"
And the little man
looked at the empty glass in his hand
And he smiled a crooked grin
He
said, "I guess I'm out of gin
And I know we both have been so
lonely
And if you want me to come with you then that's alright with
me
'Cause I know I'm goin' nowhere
And anywhere's a better place to
be"