Johnny left home, to seek his fame   Small town boy, the streets of L.A.   A day time waiter, in a night time band   Acting cool, said he was a real man      Couldn't write a song, to save his soul   Ripped off an old tune, said it was his own   Low and behold, in another few days   Five star dinner, that the company pays      Johnny got a motor, Johnny got a guitar   He got a room and a woman to pay   Johnny got a big part, playing in a video   Johnny on the freeway      I said, let's go drink till the beer runs dry   I said, let's go drink till the beer runs dry   You know the girl you want is such a waste of time   American life in the summertime   American life in the summertime got me      Suzie got a rise, at work today   She found the new sound, yeah   Virginity blown, the minimum age   Busy doing nothing, on another man's wages      Blond hair, and mystic eyes   A bottle of pills, and a little on the wild side   Saturday come, and Saturday go   Hangin' out backstage, waiting for the show      Suzie got a motor, Suzie got a guitar   She got a room, that the company pays   A company girl, and company slave   Suzie on the freeway      I said, let's go drink till the beer runs dry   I said, let's go drink till the beer runs dry   You know the girl you want is such a waste of time   American life in the summertime   American life in the summertime got me      You know it breaks my heart to see a nation cloned   By someone else's poetry   They got their backs snapped   By 12 inch pressure of financial bigotry      You know I've still got pride in who I wanna be   I don't wanna be like them, I just wanna be me   A record company clone, not me      I'm still singin'   Sing everything you got   American life in the summertime      I said, let's go drink till the beer runs dry   I said, let's go drink till the beer runs dry   You know the girl you want is such a waste of time   Yeah, yeah, yeah   American life in the summertime   American life in the summertime got me