The Ballad Of Eugene Pratt

[Em]When I was just a young boy, on the [C]okalhoma plains
[Em]I tried to keep my shoes shined, tried to k[C]eep a clean name
[G]Way over [F]town, lived a [C]boy named Eugene Pratt
And [Em]we weren’t allowed to [D]talk to him, say [C]hi and none of that no no
[Em]I went off to school, Eugene sat right[C] in front of my desk
[Em]The kids they made fun of him, cause [C]Gene was such a mess Lord
But [G]oh, he worked [F]hard, and he [C]took home a mess of good grades
[Em]And when it came time for him to go to [D]big school, Eu[C]gene went far away
Cause that’s the [D]way it [Em]was, [D]and that’s the way it [C]is
And that’s the [D]way it [Em]was,[D] and that’s the way it [C]is
[Em]I went off to college, got myself a [C]job in the campus store
[Em]But in the meantime, Gene spent his time [C]writin’ bout the world and war
[G]I didn’t underst[F]and, all the [C]things he was talkin about
So my [Em]friends and me from that old [D]fraternity, got [C]drunk and blocked it all out (Yes we did)

[Em]And then we graduated, lost our def[C]erence, our excuse.
[Em]And the man said, come here boys, gonna [C]put your education to a good use
[G]Went down to the dr[F]aft board, saw Eug[C]ene lookin’ alive and well
[Em]But when it came time to put his n[D]ame on the line, he t[C]old them boys to go to hell (Yes he did)

[Em]Eugene was by far the smartest, the most conc[C]erned with humanity
[Em]But it was him they took, far away, and st[C]uck in a penitentiary lordy
[G]I can’t help but wo[F]nder, if we’d al[C]l stand up like him
[Em]Then there’d be no one to ca[D]rry those damn guns for something no[C]body believes in

But that ain’t the w[D]ay it w[Em]as, [D]that ain’t the way it i[C]s
That ain’t the w[D]ay it w[Em]as, [D]that ain’t the way it [C]is
That ain’t the w[D]ay it w[Em]as, [D]that ain’t the way it [C]is
That ain’t the w[D]ay it w[Em]as, [D]that ain’t the way it [C]is