Years ago in my hometown   I was a headstrong girl and a heart strong one   We'd ride all summer with the top rolled down   Through the sleepy streets of that Jersey town      Now I knew girls when I was sixteen   Could make a smart boy stutter, turn a nice boy mean   And the boys made the girls into homecoming queens   Married each other instead of their dreams      These days I'm mostly out on my own   Looking for someplace that I can call home   Late at night, or just before dawn   I pretend you're with me now   It never seemed so hard before   What happened to that hometown girl?      The seasons changed in my hometown   The way they changed in yours   My windows opened up to the spring   Like every spring before      And I ran with boys who weren't like you   I was young but somehow I knew   The difference between a man and a fool   Sometimes I think that could have been you      These days I'm mostly out on my own   Looking for someplace that I can call home   Late at night, or just before dawn   I pretend you're with me now   It never seemed so hard before   What happened to that hometown girl?      Hometown girls are like hometown dreams   Some start fading, others stay keen   I won't forget you but I'll let you be   Love never was that kind to me      Late at night or just before down   I pretend you're with me now   You had your madness and you had your charm   But only when your heart allowed   And my heart just won't allow no more   What happened to that hometown girl?