When I was just a young boy, on the okalhoma plains
I tried to keep my shoes shined, tried to keep a clean name
Way over town, lived a boy named Eugene Pratt
And we werenât allowed to talk to him, say hi and none of that no no
I went off to school, Eugene sat right in front of my desk
The kids they made fun of him, cause Gene was such a mess Lord
But oh, he worked hard, and he took home a mess of good grades
And when it came time for him to go to big school, Eugene went far away
Cause thatâs the way it was, and thatâs the way it is
And thatâs the way it was, and thatâs the way it is
I went off to college, got myself a job in the campus store
But in the meantime, Gene spent his time writinâ bout the world and war
I didnât understand, all the things he was talkin about
So my friends and me from that old fraternity, got drunk and blocked it all out (Yes we did)
And then we graduated, lost our deference, our excuse.
And the man said, come here boys, gonna put your education to a good use
Went down to the draft board, saw Eugene lookinâ alive and well
But when it came time to put his name on the line, he told them boys to go to hell (Yes he did)
Eugene was by far the smartest, the most concerned with humanity
But it was him they took, far away, and stuck in a penitentiary lordy
I canât help but wonder, if weâd all stand up like him
Then thereâd be no one to carry those damn guns for something nobody believes in
But that ainât the way it was, that ainât the way it is
That ainât the way it was, that ainât the way it is
That ainât the way it was, that ainât the way it is
That ainât the way it was, that ainât the way it is