The Pretender
by
Jackson Brown
I’m gonna rent myself a house in the shade of the freeway
I’m gonna pack my lunch in the morning and go to work each day
And when the evening rolls around
I’ll go on home and lay my body down
And when the morning light comes steaming in
I’ll get up and do it again
Amen, say it again, amen
I want to know what became of the changes we waited for love to bring
Were they only the fitful dreams of some greater awakening
I’ve been aware of time going by
They say in the end it’s the wink of an eye
And when the morning light comes streaming in
You’ll get up and do it again
Amen
Caught between the longing for love and the struggle for the legal tender
Where the sirens sing and church bells ring
And the junkman pounds his fender
Where the veterans dream of the fight fast asleep at the traffic light
And the children solemnly wait for the ice cream vendor
Out into the cool of the evening strolls the Pretender
He knows that all his hopes and dreams begin and end there
Ah the laughter of the lovers as they run through the night
Leaving nothing for the others but to choose off and fight
And tear at the world with all their might
While the ships bearing their dreams sail out of sight
I’m going to find myself a girl who can show me what laughter means
And we’ll fill in the missing colors
In each other’s paint-by-number dreams
And then we’ll put our dark glasses on
And we’ll make love until our strength is gone
And when the morning light comes streaming in
We’ll get up and do it again, get it up again
I’m going to be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender
Where the ads take aim and lay their claim
To the heart and the soul of the spender
And believe in what ever may lie in those things that money can buy
Though true love could have been a contender
Are you there, say a prayer for the Pretender
Who started out so young and strong, only to surrender
Say a pray for the Pretender
Are you there for the Pretender
