"A Better Place to Be" is a song by

Harry Chapin Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy ...

from his 1972 album, ''

Sniper and Other Love Songs ''Sniper and Other Love Songs'' is the second studio album by the American singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, released in 1972. The album's Sniper (song), title song is a vaguely fictionalised account of Charles Whitman's shootings from the clocktowe ...

''. The song is about a midnight watchman confiding in a waitress, while drinking gin, about a woman that he met a week before and had a one-night stand with. Released as a single, the song reached No. 18 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Bubbling Under Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart. A live version, from the 1976 album ''

Greatest Stories Live ''Greatest Stories Live'' is a 1976 greatest hits live album by the American singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. It was recorded over three nights at three California venues in November 1975. Certain elements had to be re-recorded in the studio due to ...

'', reached No. 86 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' called it a "distinctive Chapin narrative, this time a downbeat tale about two lonely people." According to Chapin, it was his favorite song that he wrote.

Story

The song begins with "a little man" sitting at a bar, looking glum. The waitress, who is described as a "big ol' friendly girl", notices this in him and asks him what his problem is. The little man ignores the waitress at first, but after "a couple of sips" of

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its flavour from juniper berries (''Juniperus communis''). Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, particularly in southern Italy, Flanders and the Ne ...

, he begins to tell her his story. The song then takes the little man's point of view as he states that he is a midnight watchman at a place called Miller's Tool & Die. One week earlier, he goes to a diner and sees a beautiful girl. Though worried that she's too good for him, the little man still attempts to "give her one good try." Stammering, he makes a fool of himself, but the girl takes his offer, saying in the song's refrain: : ''If you want me to come with you'' : ''then that's all right with me'' : ''Because I've been goin' nowhere : ''And anywhere's a better place to be'' The little man takes her home and attempts to turn on the lights as he enters his room, but the girl tells him to leave the lights off because she "doesn't mind the dark". The little man cannot believe his good luck, and tries again to speak to the girl, who says only: : ''If you want to come here with me'' : ''then that's all right with me'' : ''because I've been oh so lonely'' : ''Loving someone is a better way to be.'' The next day, the little man watches her sleep and leaves early so he can return and surprise her with breakfast. When he returns, he finds she has gone, leaving behind a "six word letter, saying 'It's time that I moved on.'" After the little man's story, the tearful waitress tells him she wishes that she too were beautiful so she could go home with the little man. He responds to the waitress a "crooked grin", finishes his drink, and acknowledges their shared loneliness by repeating the song's first refrain. He says if she wants him to go home with her "that's alright with im implying he will go home with her. Although Harry often wrote songs about his own life experiences, it is not known if the "early morning bar room" or factory in Watertown actually existed or does today.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Live Version

The song was released as a single on the live album,

. While introducing the song, Chapin states he came up with the song while visiting

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the ...

, claiming he "spent a week there one afternoon". The live version was, until 2015 (when

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Blackstar ''Blackstar'' is an American animated science fantasy television series, produced in 1981 by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being '' The Freedom Force'', a segment of ''T ...

took the title), the longest song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end Charts

External links

A Better Place to Be Lyrics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Better Place To Be (Harry Chapin Song) 1972 songs Harry Chapin songs Songs written by Harry Chapin