I took my girl to go bowling downtown at the red door   after an argument I started    cause I thought she didn't like me anymore   I can't help it sometimes I feel pitiful   and of course she's so young and beautiful      I bought us two glasses of coke   that's her favorite and I wanted to make up for earlier   but I dropped her glass and it broke   so I just gave my glass to her      she laughed and so did I in our lane   and then she went to a vending machine   to buy a candy cane   but right next to that was a boy I knew   with a spring in his hand   playing a country pinball machine   called 'stand by your man'   I saw him talk to her   but I stayed in my lane   and played my game steady   and was thinking of a day   when I'd be too old to throw a ball this heavy      but I guess I'm young now   so it's easier to knock 'em all down   then I looked and saw her say to him   'you're really hittin' that ball around'   and he's lookin' at her the way I did   when I first met her   I could see in his face   white flowers   and cups of coffee   and love letters      I was sorry to interrupt their game   but I went and did it anyway   I dropped my red bowling ball   through the glass of his machine   I said 'are you quick enough to hit this ball, mr. clean?'   I was scared to lose her   so I couldn't help being mean      and that ended both of our games   I said I was sorry   but my girl left with him just the same   I thought how much I hate when love makes me act this way   I was bent over a broken pinball machine   in a bowling alley and I threw it all away      well isn't it all just a big game?