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The Pretender

Jackson Browne

Text File

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
#

>From: ejn521@aol.com (Ejn521)
>Subject: TAB:The Pretender-Jackson Browne
>Date: 1 Nov 1996 00:50:25 -0500


The Pretender
by Jackson Browne

Chords Used:

       G C/G   C    D G/B    Am7 Em  B7   A9  A9/G
E    -3----0-----0----2----3-------0------0-----2-----3------3-----------|
B    -0----1-----1----3----3-------1------0-----4-----2------2-----------|
G    -0----0-----0----2----0-------0------0-----2-----4------4-----------|
D    -0----2-----2----0----0-------2------2-----4-----2------2-----------|
A    -x----3-----3---------2-------0------2------2-----0------0----------|
E    -3----3-------------------------------------------------------3-----|

        D/F#    G/D     D/C  D#o7
E    ---x---------3-------2--------2--------------------------|
B    ---3---------3-------3--------1--------------------------|
G    ---2---------0-------2--------2--------------------------|
D    ---x---------x-------x--------1--------------------------|
A    ---x---------5-------3-----------------------------------|
E    ----2----------------------------------------------------|

Intro Part 1:

E    -7---------7--------7h8---------------8-----------8----------8-------|
B    -8--8--------8------------7s8--10----8---8----------8----------------|
G    -7------7--------7----------------------9------9----------9----------|
D    -0---------0--------0------------------10---------10--------10-------|
A    ---------------------------------------------------------------------|
E    ---------------------------------------------------------------------|

E    --------8----------|-------------------------------|
B    -8---------8------|--------------------------------|
G    ----9----------9--|---REPEAT-----------------------|
D    -------10---------|--------------------------------|
A    -------------------|-------------------------------|
E    --------------------|------------------------------|

Intro Part 2:

E    -3--------------------------|---------------------|
B    -3--0--1--0------0-------|------------------------|
G    -0--0--0--0---2--0--0--|-REPEAT-------------------|
D    -----0--2--0---2--0--2--|-------------------------|
A    -----------------3------3--|----------------------|
E    -3----------------------3--|----------------------|

Verse 1:
                    G                                                 C/G
I'm gonna rent myself a house in the shade of the freeway,
              G                                                     D
         C
Gonna pack my lunch in the morning, 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  G/B    Am7  G
I'll get up and do it again          Amen
               C  G/B       Am7  G
Say it again                 Amen

D    -----------0-------------------------|
A    --2---3------------------------------|

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       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 blink of an eye
                    G                                            D
And when the morning light comes streaming in
                                    C  G/B  Am7  G
You'll get up and do it again         Amen
                             D
Caught between the longing for love
             C                                Em    B7

And the struggle for the legal tender
                C/G
Where the sirens sing and the churchbells ring
            Em
And the junkman pounds his fender
               C                              G
Where the veterans dream of the fight,
         B7                       Em
Fast asleep at the traffic light
             A9                      A9/G                       D/F#
And the children solemnly wait for the ice cream vendor
Em   D                   C                          D
Em
           Out into the cool of the evening, strolls the pretender
                     C                            D
He knows that all his hopes an dreams
                G
Begin and end there

E    -----------------------------------3---------------|
B    --------3--5----------------------0----------------|
G    --2s4---------4--2-0-2-0-----0---------------------|
D    -------------------------------2-------------------|
A    ---------------------------------------------------|
E    -----------------------------------3---------------|

C                                                    G
Ah the lovers as they run through the night
C                                                    Em
Leaving nothing but to choose off and fight
D#O7              G/D                     C
And tear at the world with all their might
               G/D                      Em
While the ships bearing their dreams
              G/D     D
Sail out of sight

Verse 3
              G
I'm gonna find myself a girl,
                                    C/G
Who can show me what laughter means
               G                                                 D
Then we'll fill in the missing colors in each others
                         C
Paint by number 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  G/B  Am7  G
We'll get up and do it again
                 C  G/B  Am7  G
Get it up again
     G              D                      D/C
Em
I'm gonna be a happy idiot, and struggle for the legal tender
B7                    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
               A9     A9/G                          D/F#
Though true love could have been a contender
Em  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

Over Intro Part 2:

G                                      C
Say a prayer for the pretender
G                                      C
Are you there for the pretender
G                                           C
Are you prepared for the pretender etc.