She was a midwestern prom queen
Got her boyfriend headed out West
They ended up in the valley
In a one room apartment
A disconnected phone
Yeah

Now five years later she's single
She's got two kids and a note
And if she gets a moment to herself
She can remember how everything used 
To go her way
She says

Where did the time go
When everything was simple and free?
I want to know what happened
Somebody woke me before I could
Have my American Dream

For twenty years he worked corporate
He planned to early retire
His CEO he stole a billion dollars
Now he's working at Denny's
Hoping for a raise
He thinks

Where did the time go
When everything was simple and free?
I want to know what happened
Somebody woke me before I could
Have my American Dream

Yeah, yeah, yeah

I'm a little bit rebel
I'm a bit patriot
I can see they're both sides of the coin
But still it gets a bit rough
Everything is screwed up
I guess it­s just the American way

Sometimes I wonder how you are
You're up in New York City with a family
I think I could have been your guy
It's just a moment in time that is slipping on away

Where did the time go
When everything was simple and free?
I want to know what happened
Somebody woke me before I could have 
My American Dream
My American Dream

Yeah, yeah, yeah

She was a midwestern prom queen
Got her boyfriend headed out West