The Pretender — Jackson Browne
Chords and lyrics for The Pretender by Jackson Browne (key of G).
Intro
[G/D] [C] [Cmaj7]
Verse 1
[G]I'm gonna rent myself a house in the shade of the freeway,
[C/G]Gonna pack my lunch in the morning, and go to work each day
[G]And when the evening rolls around, [C]I'll go on home and lay my body down
[G]And when the morning light comes streaming in [D]I'll get up and do it again
[C] [G/B] [Am7] [G]A-men
[C] [G/B] [Am7] [G]Say it again A-men
Verse 2
[G]I want to know what became of the changes,
[C/G]We waited for love to bring
[G]Were they only the fitful dreams
[D]Of some greater awakening [C]
[G]I've been aware of the time going by
[C]They say in the end it's the blink of an eye
[G]And when the morning light comes streaming in [D]You'll get up and do it again
[C] [G/B] [Am7] [G]A-men
Chorus
[D]Caught between the longing for love
[C]And the struggle for the legal tender
[Em]Where the sirens sing and the churchbells ring [B7]
[C/G]And the junkman pounds his fender
[C]Where the veterans dream of the fight, [G]
[B7]Fast asleep at the traffic light
[Em]And the children solemnly wait for the ice cream vendor [A9] [A9/G]
[D/F#]Out into the cool of the evening, strolls the pretender [Em] [D]
[Cmaj7]He knows that all his hopes and dreams [D]
[Em]Begin and end there
Bridge
[G]Ah the lovers as they run through the night [C]
[G]Leaving nothing but to choose off and fight [C]
[Em]And tear at the world with all their might [Em]
[D#dim7]Of the ships bearing their dreams [G/D]
[C]Sail out of sight [G/D] [Em]
Verse 3
[G]I'm gonna find myself a girl,
[C/G]Who can show me what laughter means
[G]Then we'll fill in the missing colors in each others
[D]Paint by number dreams [C]
[G]And then we'll put our dark glasses on
[C]And we'll make love until our strength is gone
[G]And when the morning light comes streaming in [D]
[C] [G/B] [Am7] [G]We'll get up and do it again
[C] [G/B] [Am7] [G]Get it up again
Chorus
[D]I'm gonna be a happy idiot, and struggle for the legal tender
[B7]Where the ads take aim, and lay their claim [C/G]
[Em]To the heart and the soul of the spender
[C]And believe in whatever may lie [G]
[B7]In those things that money can buy
[Em]Though true love could have been a contender [A9] [A9/G]
[D/F#]Are you there, say a prayer for the pretender [Em] [D]
[Cmaj7]Who started out so young and strong [D]
[Em]Only to surrender [G]
Outro
[G]Say a prayer for the pretender [C]
[G]Are you there for the pretender [C]
[G]Say a prayer for the pretender [C]
[G]Oh, are you there for the pretender [C]
[G]Are you prepared for the pretender