The Great Compromise is a song written and performed by John Prine. The song was included on Prine's album '' Diamonds in the Rough'' which was released by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

in 1972. It is an anti-war song and a protest song. Its theme is the disillusionment of the country during the Vietnam War era. In the liner notes to his 1993 anthology '' Great Days'', Prine writes of this song, "The idea I had in mind was that America was this girl you used to take to drive-in movies. And then when you went to get some popcorn, she turned around and screwed some guy in foreign sports car. I really love America. I just don't know how to get there anymore." In 2011, Oh Boy Records released 1970 recordings of Prine singing “The Great Compromise” on ''Singing Mailman Delivers''. Before singing the song he says, “This is a song that

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

and me wrote not too long ago. He writes political songs (you know), I write love songs. So we got together and wrote a song....It’s a hate song to a woman I love. It’s about a kid who went out to find America, and he found her in a bar room, drinking-she was feeling bad. So he felt sorry for her and asked her out to the drive-in.” The song was described as "Dylan-esque" in an obituary for Prine. Chorus:
'I used to sleep at the foot of old glory
And awake in the dawn's early light
But much to my surprise
When I opened my eyes
I was a victim of the great compromise'

References

John Prine songs 1972 songs Anti-war songs Songs written by John Prine Atlantic Records singles {{folk-song-stub