Nothing is real in cardboard California. Just waking up brings you down. One lousy deal is cardboard California. You just can't survive in a make believe town. Lost in a city of little tin gods. Cold plastic people with phoney facades. How can you win when you look at the odds. You're running down a one way street. Nobody cares if you survive. Sometimes you beg or you don't eat. You gotta fight to stay alive. Hey you're never gonna get away. Where 's the world you used to know. Where did all the good times go. Look around your hopes and dreams are gone. But like a fool you still keep hanging on. Music. Come and be a movie star. Come and drive a fancy car. Come and see what you really are. Look in the mirror mirrors don't lie. You're getting older your time's past you by. You lost your shot to some younger guy. You're running down a one way street. Nobody cares if you survive. Sometimes you beg or you don't eat. You gotta fight to stay alive. Hey you're never gonna get away. Nothing is real in cardboard California. Just waking up brings you down. One lousy deal is cardboard California. You just can't survive in a make believe town.