The Real World

Since I was a child, I've been hopin' to find
Something that I've always had here in my mind
A niche, a place, a group, a time that lets me see
The world, the way I always thought, that it could be
A fair and honest world, a kind of promised land
The one, as children, we believed was close at hand

But instead, what I get is the real world
Cold and hard, it's the let's make a deal world
Fairness lives in fairy tales in the real world

Growin' up, I learned about things wrong and right
Good and bad, no in-between, just black and white
Cut and dried, no shades of gray, all absolutes
No compromising of beliefs, no subtle truths
Older now, I look around and see a place
Built on rules I never learned, but have to face

Once again, what I get is the real world
Watch your back in the let's make a deal world
Things are rarely what they seem in the real world

Life's one never-ending surprise
Each day's a lesson that opens my eyes
Watching, imitating success
Hearing what's said, but learning what's best

Now-a-days I view the world through cynic's eyes
Skeptical, but hopin' that I'll be surprised
Still lookin' for a niche, a place, a group, a time
The image of a better world, still in my mind

Mostly though, what I get is the real world
Suck it up in the let's make a deal world
Still I hope for better days in the real world