Better Place To Be by Harry Chapin, tabs and chords at PlayUkuleleNET

Better Place To Be

Biography:

Harry Chapin (December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer and songwriter. Chapin's debut album, Heads and Tales (1972), was a success thanks to the single "Taxi". His follow-up album, Sniper and Other Love Songs, was less successful; but his third, Short Stories, was a major success. Verities & Balderdash, released soon after, was even more successful, bolstered by the chart-topping hit single "Cat's in the Cradle". He also wrote and performed a Broadway musical, The Night That Made America Famous.

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Four years of hard work!

This month of May we celebrated four years on the air. We continue working on the dissemination of this wonderful instrument, thank you for participating in our story!

D Dmaj7
It was an early morning barroom
D7 Gmaj7
And the place had just opened up
Em Em/D#
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/D#
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/D# - Em/D
Consider it's understood
A/C# Em - Em/D# - 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/D# - Em/D
Then that's all right with me
A/C# Em - Em/D# - 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/D# - Em/D
A - Em - Em/D# - 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/D#
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/D# - Em/D
Then that's all right with me
A/C# Em - Em/D# - 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/D# - Em/D
A - Em - Em/D# - 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/D# 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/D# 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