THE GREAT COMPROMISE     by John Prine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2okOuZ8T_o Great Compromise

I knew a girl who was almost a lady
She had a way with all the men in her life
Every inch of her blossomed in beauty
And she was born on the fourth of July

Well she lived in an aluminum house trailer
And she worked in a juke box saloon
And she spent all the money that I give her
Just to see the old man in the moon

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

This song is John Prine's comment on America and the Vietnam War. He was drafted into the Army in late 1966, just as the Vietnam War was heating up. But instead of being sent to Vietnam, he ended up in Stuttgart, West Germany, where he worked as a mechanical engineer. Prine played down his military service, describing his contribution as “drinking beer and pretending to fix trucks.”

"And she spent all the money that I give her, Just to see the old man in the moon" refers to NASA and the space project Apollo.

youtube Rob Athanas 5 years ago
"I knew a girl who was almost a lady"...This song came out a couple of years prior to America's bicentennial, hence, "almost a lady".
"Every inch of her blossomed in beauty, she was born on the 4th of July". when America would be 200 yrs. old, thus, a lady.
at the end, "Well she sends all the fella's love letters, saying greetings come and see me real soon..." your draft notice, if you received one, started out, "greetings, you have been inducted into the United States Army".
the lining up in a bar room is what you did the night before being shipped off to boot camp.
too much to cover it all, but one of the all time greatest songs to disguise the meaning.