Jackson Browne - The pretender

I'm going to ^Grent myself a house In the shade of the ^Em7freeway^{C D} I'm going to ^Gpack my lunch in the morning And go to ^Dwork each d^Cay ^D And when the ^Gevening rolls a^Cround I'll go on ^Ghome and lay my ^Cbody down And when the ^Gmorning light comes streaming ^Din I'll get up and do it agai^Cn ^{G Am7}Amen^G Say it again^{C G Am7}Amen^G

I want to ^Gknow what became of the changes We waited for ^Em7love to bring^{C D} Were they ^Gonly the fitful dreams Of some greater aw^Dakenin^Cg? I've been a^Gware of the time going by^C They say in the ^Gend it's the wink of an e^Cye And when the ^Gmorning light comes streaming ^Din You'll get up and do it again^{C G Am7}Amen^{G C G Am7 G}

Caught between the ^Dlonging for love And the ^Cstruggle for the legal tender^{Em B7} Where the ^Csirens sing and the church bells ring And the ^Emjunk man pounds his fender Where the ^Cveterans dream of the ^Gfight Fast a^B7sleep at the traffic lig^Emht And the ^Achildren solemnl^A7y wait For the ice cream vend^Dor ^{G D}

Out into the ^Ccool of the evening^D Strolls the Pretender^Em He knows that ^Call his hopes and dreams^D Begin and end there^{G D G Em}Ah the laughter of the lovers As they run through the night^{G D G Em}Leaving nothing for the others But to choose off and fight ^D7 And tear at the ^Gworld with all their ^Cmight While the s^Ghips bearing their d^Emreams Sa^Cil o^Emut of ^Am7sight ^D

I'm going to ^Gfind myself a girl Who can show me what ^Em7laughter means And we'll ^Gfill in the missing colors In each other's ^Dpaint-by-number dream^Cs And then we'll ^Gput out dark glasses on^C And we'll make ^Glove until our strength^C is gone And when the ^Gmorning light comes streaming ^Din We'll get up and do it again^{C G Am7 G} Get it up again ^{C G Am7 G}

I'm gonna be a ^Dhappy idiot And ^Cstruggle for the legal tender^{Em B7} Where the ^Cads take aim and lay their claim To the ^Emheart and the soul of the spender And bel^Cieve in whatever may l^Gie In those ^B7things that money can b^Emuy Thought true ^Alove could have been a contender^{D G D}

Are you ^Cthere? Say a ^Dprayer for the Pretender^Em Who started ^Cout so young and strong^D Only to surrender^G Say a ^Am7pray^Ger^D for^G the pre^Ctender ^GAre you ^Am7ther^Ge ^Dfo^Gr the pre^Ctender ^GSay a ^Am7pray^Ger^D f^Gor the pre^Ctender