Freshman year,
Mom asks "What do you want to do
when you get out of here?"
I said, "Well, gee, I'm only 13,
but I think I'd like to play my guitar
be a star"
"Well," she said, "that's not it,
you got time to go
Good sense will kick in anytime, you know
I'm not worried, I'm not worried"

Sophomore year,
she asked the same old thing,
my answer had remained unchanged
I saw her fidget with her thumbs
She said, "You like computers, John,
you like computers, don't you?
Yeah, I always see you with computers
you like computers
maybe you could do something with computers
Yeah, wouldn't that be nice?"

Junior year,
It's a little more intense,
She says, "What do you want to do with your life?"
I'm not on the fence, I know exactly what I aim to be,
and I'm only 17
She said, "Well, all I ask, is that you pay attention in class,
so if you happen to change your mind in time,
you can still go somewhere reputable
do us proud"
So I went downstairs,
and I played guitar loud

Yeah, senior year,
Same old question,
She said, "What do you want to do?"
I said, "Play my guitar and sing"
She said, "There's no such thing"
She said, "There's no such thing"

(speaking: I love you Mom)

"Welcome to the real world", she said to me
Condescendingly
Take a seat, take your life
Plot it out in black and white
Well, I never lived the dreams of the prom kings
And the drama queens
I'd like to think the best of me
Is still hiding up my sleeve

They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines
But something's better
On the other side

I wanna run through the halls of my high school
I wanna scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
Just a lie you've got to rise above

So the good boys and girls take the so called right track
Faded hats
Grabbing credits
and maybe transfers
They listen to Phish, but they can't find the answers
And all of our parents
They're getting older
I wonder if they've wished for anything better
While in their memories
Tiny tragedies

They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines
Well, well something's better
On the other side

I wanna run through the halls of my high school
I wanna scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
Just a lie you got to rise above

I am invincible
You are invincible (yeah you are)
We are invincible
As long as we're alive

Do I have to tell a story
of a thousand rainy days
since we first met?
It's a big enough umbrella
but it's always me
that ends up getting wet

I wanna run through the halls of my high school
I wanna scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
Just a lie you've got to rise above

I just can't wait til my 10 year reunion
I'm gonna bust down the double doors
And when I stand on these tables before you
You will know what all this time was for