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

Em                                 C
And then we graduated, lost our deference, our excuse.
Em                                      C
And the man said, come here boys, gonna put your education to a good use
G                  F                 C
Went down to the draft board, saw Eugene lookin’ alive and well
Em                                D                    C
But when it came time to put his name on the line, he told them boys to go to hell (Yes he did)

Em                                           C
Eugene was by far the smartest, the most concerned with humanity
Em                                        C
But it was him they took, far away, and stuck in a penitentiary lordy
G                  F               C
I can’t help but wonder, if we’d all stand up like him
Em                          D                                   C
Then there’d be no one to carry those damn guns for something nobody believes in

                    D      Em  D                      C
But that ain’t the way it was, that ain’t the way it is
                D      Em  D                     C
That ain’t the way it was, that ain’t the way it is
                D      Em  D                     C
That ain’t the way it was, that ain’t the way it is
                D      Em  D                     C
That ain’t the way it was, that ain’t the way it is