The Pretender Chords by Jackson Browne

[Start]

[Intro]
G C G C
■ ■ ■ ■


[Verse]
             G                  
I'm going to rent myself a house
                    C      
In the shade of the freeway
G                                 
Gonna pack my lunch in the morning
          D         C  
And go to work each day
             G             C     
And when the evening rolls around
        G                  C        
I'll go on home and lay my body down
             G                   D           
And when the morning light comes streaming in
                      C     Bm G   
I'll get up and do it again ■  Amen
       C     Bm      G
Say it again ■  Amen ■
          G                              
I want to know what became of the changes
                      C    
We waited for love to bring
          G                     
Were they only the fitful dreams
                D         C
Of some greater awakening ■
          G                       C 
I've been aware of the time going by
            G                           C  
They say in the end it's the wink of an eye
         G                   D           
When the morning light comes streaming in
                        C     G     
You'll get up and do it again ■ Amen
       C Bm G             D               
Caught ■ ■  ■ between the longing for love
                               Bm    
And the struggle for the legal tender


[Chorus]
B7 Bm7           G                                    
■  ■   Where the sirens sing and the church bells ring
        Em                        
And the junk man pounds his fender
          C                     G    
Where the veterans dream of the fight
     B7                    Em   
Fast asleep at the traffic light
        A                 G   
And the children solemnly wait
                  D     
For the ice cream vendor


[Verse]
             C                  
Out into the cool of the evening
D           Em       
Strolls the pretender
         C                      D     
He knows that all his hopes and dreams
      G            
Begin and end there


[Chorus]
C                                       G    
■ Ah the lovers as they run through the night
C                                       Em   
■ Leaving nothing but to choose off and fight
                Dsus4 D7             C    
And tear at the world with all their might
          Bm                  Em    
While the ships bearing their dreams
            D    
Sail out of sight


[Verse]
          G                 
I'm gonna find myself a girl
                     C             
Who can show me what laughter means
          G                         
And we'll fill in the missing colors
        D                     C     
In each other's paintbynumber dreams
               G            C         
And then we'll put our dark glasses on
               G              C               
And we'll make love until our strength is gone
             G                   D           
And when the morning light comes streaming in
                       C     Bm7
We'll get up and do it again ■  
G           C     G
■ Get it up again ■


[Chorus]
               D          
I'm gonna be a happy idiot
C                          Em     B7
And struggle for the legal tender ■ 
          C                G              
Where the ads take aim and lay their claim
       Em                               
To the heart and the soul of the spender
    C                       G  
And believe in whatever may lie
         B7                    Em 
In those things that money can buy
      A    A7   A     G    A      D         Gbm Em
Where true love could have been a contender ■   ■ 


[Bridge]
D         C           D              Em       
■ Are you there Say a prayer for the pretender
    C                               D         G        
Who started out so young and strong ■ only to surrender


[Chorus]
                     C        
Say a prayer for the pretender
G                       C        
■ Are you there for the pretender
G                      C        
■ Say a prayer for the pretender


[Outro]
G                       C         Cmaj7 C
■ Are you there for the pretender ■     ■
G                          C         G C
■ Are you prepared for the pretender ■ ■