Nobody shoots at me, I'm 23, got a college education I make just enough to pay my bills and take a small vacation I've got a magic piece of plastic in my pocket at all times It's got a camera and can answer any question I can find There's no reason I should ever feel I'm not livin' like a King But every month or so I get real low thinkin' I don't have a thing The American dream Is getting closer to doing nothing than to making two ends meet And I can't imagine in my children's children's sleep What they'll have left of the American dream My great grandpa couldn't read or write, put in 16 hour days And came home dirty as a preacher skimmin' money from the plate Never left North Carolina or set foot on a beach But he was happy as I ever was with sand beneath my feet The American dream Is getting closer to doing nothing than to making two ends meet And I can't imagine in my children's children's sleep What they'll have left of the American dream Men and women die for who knows what and who knows why But it's the worst thing I could do To spend what little time I'm given here to live a life Wasting one just wishin' I had two The American dream Is getting closer to doing nothing than to making two ends meet And I can't imagine in my children's children's sleep What they'll have left of the American dream