Dykes of Las Vegas (Love Is Not Barter)

Words and music copyright ©1978 by Howard Ashby Kranz

G G7

1. O the nice people live on their own side of town,

C D7 G

and the preacher’s been eating real fine.

G Em

And downtown neon sparks light the night into day

C D7

so you don’t need the sun to tell time

C Am

And there’s good times and bad times where the souls and the ladies

D

are as naked as a magazine.

G Am

And the dykes of Las Vegas wear jeans and speak softly;

C D G

there’s nothing they’ve heard they ain’t seen.

G Em

2. O the parson says wryly that God is no gamble,

C D7 G

and his salary keeps coming in.

G Em

And the showgirls find fame is just like the casino:

C D7

only plays cause it’s certain to win.

C Am

And they sweat for the jackpot where the dreams and the women

D

are sold in the fluorescent morn.

G Am

And the dykes of Las Vegas say, “If that’s all love is,

C D G

how does anything ever get born?”

G Em

3. Now I just drink pepsi, and I try to stay faithful,

C D7 G

and give tenths of my money to church.

G Em

And I know that you’re crying, and I know if I ask

C D7

you won’t be able to say where it hurts.

C Am

And the radio’s blaring, though nobody’s listening,

D

oh the damn things you can’t live without!

G Am

And the dykes of Las Vegas say love is not barter,

C D G

and they know what they’re talking about.