Lyrics:

Written by: John Mellencamp

Suzanne divorced her husband
She got the keys to the car and the home
But her friends were really his friends
No one stops by to see her much anymore
So one night she goes back down to the old haunts
That once upon a time were her own
She didn't know nobody out there no more
And the whole experience just made her feel so old
She says

Chorus
I want to live the real life
I want ot live my life close to the bone
Just because I'm middle-aged that don't mean
I want to sit around my house and watch T.V.
I want the real life
I want to live the real life

Jackson Jackson was a good kid
He had four years of college and a bachelor's degree
Started workin' when he was 21
Got fed up and quit
When he was 43
He said,