The Pretender

I'm going to rent myself a house
 In the shade of the freeway
 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
 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 the time going by
 They say, in the end, it's the wink of an eye
 When the morning light comes streaming in
 You'll get up and do it again, Amen
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 Caught between the longing for love
 And the struggle for the legal tender
 Where the sirens sing and the church bells ring
 And the junk man 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
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 (Ah the laughter) ah, the lovers as they run through the night
 (Leaving nothing) leaving nothing 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 gonna 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 gonna 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 whatever may lie
 In those things that money can buy
 Where 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
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 Say a prayer for the pretender
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 Are you there for the pretender?
 ♪
 Say a prayer for the pretender
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 Are you there for the pretender?
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 Are you prepared for the pretender?