California had wide open eyes, and she’d dance for free.
She’d make love on any starry night;
She’d stay high until the morning light,
’Cause that’s just how she believed that life ought to be.
The first time I saw California smile,
She had six white knights and the world in her hand
In a bar beside the doorway to the promised land,
And I thought I feared her, but I loved her all the while.
Now California’s shaking, and the fires are burning strong,
And they say that dreams can never last that long.
Oh, my California’s aching,
Her tears run to the sea.
But I know one day she’ll dance again for free.
California went ’round the world in a few short years,
And she took me with her everywhere,
From the salty beaches to the neon square,
To a desert filled with echoes no one hears.
But somewhere in the crowd we lost our way,
When our eyes fell from the starlight
To the gold dust and the gun sight,
And we tried to build our castle in the clay.
Now California’s shaking, and the fires are burning strong,
And they say that dreams can never last that long.
Oh, my California’s aching,
Her tears run to the sea.
But I know one day she’ll dance again for free.
Darling, one day you’ll dance again for me.
California’s friends adored her wind-blown ways:
With her sweet love as companion,
Shared her freedom and abandon;
Now they say they knew she’d fall one of these days.
And me, I love her restless, reckless soul.
Whatever sadness comes, soon after
I know that we can find her laughter:
Within her well-worn heart lies the innocence to make her whole.
Now California’s shaking, and the fires are burning strong,
And they say that dreams can never last that long.
Oh, my California’s aching,
Her tears run to the sea.
But I know one day she’ll dance again for free.
Darling, one day you’ll dance again for me.
Lover, one day you’ll dance again with me.