The Great Compromise
By John Prine



Capo 5


G                                             C                           G
I knew a girl who was almost a lady she had a way with all the men in her life
      D                                      C                      G
Every inch of her blossoms in beauty she was born on the Fourth of July
         G                                          C                      G
Well she lived in an aluminum house trailer and she worked in a juke-box saloon
      D                                        C                      G
She’d spent all the money I'd give her just to see the old man in the moon


Chorus:
          G
I used to sleep at the foot of old glory
    C                         G
And awake by the dawn’s early light
         C                     G                         
But much to my surprise when I opened my eyes
        D                         G
I was a victim of the great compromise


We used to go out on Saturday evening to the drive in on route Forty One
And it was there that I first discovered she was doin' what she'd already done
She said "Johnny, would you get me some popcorn” and she knew I had to walk pretty far
And as soon as I passed through the moonlight she'd hopped into a foreign sports car


Chorus


Well you know, I could'a beat up that fella but it was her that had hopped into his car
As many times as I'd fought to protect her but this time she's goin' too far
And some folks call me a coward cause I left her at the drive in that night
But I d'ruther have names thrown at me than to fight for a thing that aint right


Chorus


Well she writes all the fellas love letters sayin' please come and see me real soon
And they go and line up in the bar-room to spend a night in that sick woman’s room
But sometimes I get awful lonesome and I wish she were my girl instead
But she won't let me live with her and she makes me live in my head

Chorus