Album: The Pretender (1976)

Charted: 58

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• I'm gonna 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 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 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 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
  
  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 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
  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 prayer for the Pretender
  Are you there for the Pretender?
  Say a prayer for the Pretender
  Are you there for the Pretender?
  Are you prepared for the Pretender? Writer/s: Jackson Browne
  Publisher: FLAT TOWN MUSIC CO., A DIV. OF SWALLOW PUBLICATIONS, INC.
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 21

• Duderonomy from Australia"I’ve been aware of the time going by / they say in the end it’s the wink of an eye"
  JB has subtly winked at the essence of all FEAR in this profoundly simply lyric that has entered the heart of every man and woman who ever lived - THE FEAR OF DEATH - where do we spend eternity? WHAT HAPPENS when we leave this human body/earth suit made of dust? Why am I wasting my life being THE PRETENDER? Why am I chasing after money and deluding myself into thinking that TRUE LOVE could be a contender as one of those THINGS that money can buy?!
  Let’s wake up, stop pretending and be REAL / let’s start by smiling at each other!
• Lsessions from MichiganTo me the verse "while the ships bearing there dreams sail out of sight" is so spot on now. We all want to change the world. But who follows through.
• Ron SJB is acknowledging the futility that any individual could alter their outcome in our current social economic system. The inevitable is we all become pretenders. So say a prayer because we all will be there and stop pretending you’re not.
• David Tully from Nova Scotiathere are many pretenders in this world there are many people living a lie.
• Alan Creber from Washington Grove , UsaAbsolutely my favorite JB song. Came out when l was in 10th grade , got tons of radio play on DC 101! I had just discovered pot and how well it went with music. Ah , the good old days -- when gay meant happy , IOP meant Invasion Of Privacy , and crack was something that if you stepped on, it would break your mother's back!? -- OH yeah , and LGBT meant "Let GOD Be True" Romans 3:4
• Don Haslam from DallasI listened to this song and album over and over in what little quiet time I had in my senior year in high school 1978. 40 years later, it stuns me how surely I sensed these lyrics foretold the life to come - bc it revealed the life I was living. There is a word, weltschmerz. I was reading Hesse and Ayn Rand and peering over the edge of life - JB is a brave poet.
• Mikeyv from EnglandSublime drums by Jeff Pocaro underpin the narrative drive of this excellent musical poem.
• Greg A Collier from Ventura CaThe best American song ever written
• Tim J Weiand from Bellwood PaAbsolutely true about most men who give up a true and happy life to chase the dollar, and find out out they missed the boat
• Jimmy B. from FloridaJackson Browne is the one band that can bring real life situations to life in his music better than any band of his time....true artist of music..big fan of his lyrics...Great Band...
• Talena from Arcata, CaThis is just such a beautiful song, so many people noawdays don't appreciate good music...
  
  On a side note I found this picture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/31519725@N03/5892249642/) which humorusly captures the one of the first lines in the song, "Gonna build myself a house in the shade of a freeway. I had a laugh when I saw it, namely because it caught me by surprise.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny"And the junk man pounds his fender", when I 1st heard those lyrics I was floored. No other lyrics have ever taken me back to my youth, what a memory!!!
• Edward from Birmingham, AlReal life story told by the best. A top ten song for me. Helps me keep life inproper perspective.
  Ed, Alabama
• Rick from Asheville, NcDavid Crosby and Graham Nash provide backing vocals.
• Liz from Smallville, Ksthis is the very first I heard from Jackson Browne. I love it. I love him
• Homzd from O-town, NvThe whole last verse of the song is classic. "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 whatever 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." Browne is defintely one of the great song writer/story tellers in the history of rock music.
• Jim from Poulsbo, WaI always believed the dream had left him. At that point what ealse could a person do?...But become a Pretender!
• Bob from Manchester, EnglandThe CD is great but I have a 1/2 speed mastered LP which is simply stunning. I regulaly cry to JB's lyrics. (It's a man thing)
• Cricket from Moscow, IdWhen Jackson Browne had his VH-1 Storytellers special, The Pretender was one of the songs he played, and explained that the song is about studio musician and Little Feat band member Fred Tackett. his son, Miles Tackett is also an accomplished musician/dj as well.
• Jay from Atlanta, Ga"Caught between the longing for love
  And the struggle for the legal tender
  Out into the cool of the evening
  Strolls the Pretender"
  
  You just don't find lyrics like that anymoe...
  
• Carrie from Philadelphia, PaWhat an amazing song.

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