Everything is slower here, everybody's got a union card They get up on Sunday and go to church of their choice Come back home cook out in the backyard Chorus: And they call this the Great Midwest Where the cornfields row and flow They're all 5 years ahead of their time Or 25 behind, I just don't know All the young men talk about their 4 wheel drives And how much money they're gonna make on Friday night And, they like to brag about how they mistreat their girlfriends Hey, let's get drunk, party it up, start a fight Chorus II: And they call this the Great Midwest Sure make a hell of a car And the old hearts, they race their way through the night The upheaval of who they really are Growin' up under normal conditions, television and radio That's just about all of this whole world That any of us get to see, get to know Chorus III: And they call this the Great Midwest Where you sacrifice your body and soul And no one really wants to get even Most of us find it hard enough just lettin' go Bridge: Don't get me wrong I ain't complaining I ain't braggin' nor do I mean to place blame That's just the way things are around here And there's a future carryin' my name on it Sayin' hey man, you gonna stick around here you better get on it If you're gonna stick around here you better make yourself some real good friends Well I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth So I can't talk about the big city life But if you wanna talk about bein' bored and runnin' away from yourself, hell I talk to you all night Chorus IV: And they call this the Great Midwest Where livin' is just gettin' by And people trade in their happiness For a smokestack, a big money deal in the sky