The Pretender
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 streaming in
I'll get up and do it again, amen
I wanna 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 the time going by
They say in the end it's the wake of the night
And when the morning light comes streaming in
You'll get up and do it again, amen
Caught between longing for love and the struggle for the legal tender
Where the sirens sing and the church bells ring
And the junkman pounds his fender
Where the veterans dream of the fight
As they sleep at the traffic lights
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 began and end there
I'm gonna find myself a boy 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
Do it again
I'm gonna be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender
Where the odds he gain
And lay their claim
To the heart and the soul of the spender
And believe in whatever may lie
In those things that money can't buy
Though true love
Could have been their contender
Are you there?
Say a prayer for that pretender
Who started out so young and strong, only to surrender
All the laughter of the lovers as they run through the night
Leaving nothing for the others but to choose often fine
And tear at the world with all their might
While the ships bearing their dreams sail out of sight
Say a prayer, say a prayer, say a prayer, say a prayer for the
Say a prayer for the pretender
Say a prayer for the pretender (say a prayer for the pretender)
Say a prayer for the pretender (say a prayer for the pretender)
Say a prayer, say a prayer, say a prayer for the pretenders, for the pretenders
Say a prayer, say a prayer, say a prayer for the pretenders
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 streaming in
I'll get up and do it again, amen
