California Years

Jill Sobule California Years Lyrics
1.Palm Springs

Went to the desert
On a mission
To have a vision
Or write a song
I left real early
I left my cell phone
I took the Prius
It gets good mileage
Something's gonna happen
To change my world

I'm on the highway
I pass the windmills
I pass the outlet stores
Soon I'll find the sacred places
I've been searching for

Wild horses
Hawks circling
Gram Parsons, inspiration
Big cactus
Coyotes
Something's gonna happen
To change my world

When I got there
To the motel
It was different
Than on the website
It was crowded
Mostly seniors
There was a bar band playing
'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown'
So I went hiking
It was so barren
And it got too hot,
so I turned around (Ooh)
Went to the main drag
I saw the statue
Of Sonny Bono
And he was smiling
Something's gonna happen
To change my world

Wild horses
Hawks circling
Gram Parsons, inspiration
Big cactus
Coyotes
Something's gonna happen
To change my world

Back on the highway
Wave to the windmills
The setting sun in my eyes
Drive to the ocean
That's where we come from
I'll throw my troubles to the rising tide
Something's gonna happen
To change my world

Seahorses
Sharks circling
Brian Wilson, inspiration
Smart dolphins
Waves crashing
Something's gonna happen
I said something's gonna happen (Ooh)
I said something's gonna happen
To change my world


2.San Francisco

She shuts the door behind me,
waits for me to get undressed
She ask if I need water,
I can barely understand her
I think she asked me what I do
and I said that I'm a singer
She laughs and claps her hands
And then she begins
And she sings:
'I like to go to San Francisco
I like to go
Put flowers in my hair
I like to go to San Francisco
I like to meet
Some people there'

She looks just like a sparrow,
but she's strong just like a wrestler
She kneads and pulls and climbs on top
It hurts, but I will try to take it
Ask her if she's ever been
Been to San Francisco
She tells me that she can't leave
They won't let her leave
She sings:
'I like to go to San Francisco
I like to go
Put flowers in my hair
I like to go to San Francisco
I like to meet
Some people there'

And in Golden Gate Park
She'll throw a Frisbee
She'll bring a dog
And she'll meet a boy
And they'll fall in love
And she'll feel so free
Still walk on his back

Wonder 'bout the place I'm in
and how they treat the girls
I know that it's legitimate
But still it makes me wonder
She gets up to leave
And I put back on my clothes
I tip her well, she bows to me
I really hope one day she gets to go
'...To San Francisco
I like to go
Put flowers in my hair
I like to go to San Francisco
I like to meet
Some people there' (Some people there)


3.Nothing To Prove

I remember laying down
It was 1983
Under the tree while listening to London
Calling or something like that
Twenty-three years later
I'm here at a meeting
Trying to impress someone at a dying record company
I got nothing to prove

And in walks in this sullen girl
Who looks like she's nineteen, or wants to be
With her biker boots and her hair dyed black
Did that look so many years ago
She looks at me like I'm some square
Or I'm like her mother
Well, fuck you, kid; I got nothing to prove

Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
Once I was as miserable as you
Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
I got nothing to prove

And here I am in Los Angeles
I came here two years ago
And everyone's young and beautiful,
and their skin is so smooth
And everyone's in the industry,
and I hate when they use that word
And when they tell me they're in the industry,
I ask, 'Oh, are you in steel?'
I've got nothing to prove

Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
Once I was as miserable as you
Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
I got nothing to prove

And later that week I saw that same girl shopping
at the Trader Joe's on La Brea
She was with a big bomb blonde,
and I wondered if it was her girlfriend
Surprisingly, she came up to me
and smiled and said she loved our meeting
Maybe I judged her wrong
But usually I'm right
I got nothing to prove

Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
Once I was as miserable as you
Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
I got nothing to prove

Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
Once I was as miserable as you
Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
I got nothing to prove


4.Where Is Bobby Gentry

Out in the desert where the sun slowly cures deep brown
She's got a little shack, a pickup truck
Parked out on the edge of town
It's just what I imagined, no one knows where she'd be
Maybe she's in heaven passing black-eyed peas
Where is Bobbie Gentry?
Where is Bobbie Gentry?

Up in Alaska, Hollywood, or maybe in Japan
I bet that she's still beautiful, goes barefoot everywhere she
can
Does she still play guitar or write a song or two?
Maybe that was over; she's got better things to do
Where is Bobbie Gentry?
Where is Bobbie Gentry?

If I could just find you
I would love you, then I'd leave you alone
If I could just find you
I would love you and I'd leave you alone
Alone

In 1967, Bobbie made it on the Billboard charts
Then ten years later, disappeared and broke everybody's heart
Does she ever go to Choctaw?
Ever go back on that ridge?
Well, I was the baby who was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge
Well, I was the baby who was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge
(Where is Bobbie Gentry?)
Where is Bobbie Gentry?
Where is Bobbie Gentry?
B-O-double B-I-E G-E-N-T-R-Y
B-O-double B-I-E G-E-N-T-R-Y

Where is Bobbie Gentry?
Where is Bobbie Gentry?
Where is Bobbie Gentry?
Here it comes
Where is Bobbie Gentry?


5.A Good Life

Tomorrow the ground may shake
Like they said it was bound to happen one day
And the Hollywood sign will fall
The final call

Well, don't you fret, and don't be blue
You had me and I had you
It was a good life
It was a good, good life

Tomorrow we could all be gone
When the Russian gangsters sell the bomb
And the waves come roaring from the sea
A hundred-foot swells over Venice Beach

Well, don't be scared, and take my hand
We'll swim into the Promised Land
It was a good life
It was a good, good life
It was a good life
It was a good, good life

Tomorrow a tiny cell might grow
In everyone, and it's not the cold
Or the hole in the sky will open wide
The aliens land on the 105

If it comes to that
What can we do?
You loved me and I loved you
It was a good life
It was a good, good life
It was a good life
It was a good, good life

I said a boom boom crash crash underneath the overpass
Burning buildings, flying glass
A good life
On the day the earth stood still,
we won't have to pay our bills
As the mud slides down the hill, a good life

And we won't have to make our beds
Break out the booze, and like I said
Let's have a ball before we're dead
A good life
We'll go down in our sweet love
It was a good, good life

Let the pyres rise above


6.Sweetheart

If I was your sweetheart
And you were my darling
I'd always remember
The way you look now
Even here in this diner
Your bright eyes shining
And you're always smiling
When you're by my side

And that man is rude
He talks to you just like you were his wife
But I would be more kind
My coffee cup has been filled up
For the seventh time
And you're so on my mind

If I was your secret
And you were my keeper
I think we'd be happy
Or rarely be blue
We'd run around laughing
And maybe go out dancing
If I was your sweetheart
And you were my darling

And all I'd ever want from you
Is that you would keep it true
And I'd write songs for you
And we could round the world to see
All the disappearing things
And then we'd vanish too
If I was your sweetheart

That man is rude
He talks to you just like you were his wife
But I would be more kind
My coffee cup has been filled up
For the seventh time
And you're so on my mind

If I was your sweetheart
And you were my darling
I'd take off your apron
You've been a good waitress


7.Empty Glass

All alone in my head
Empty glass by the bed
All the tears turned to stone
And I feel so alone
Empty glass by the bed
You are cold, you are dead
And the room's shrinking small

Where'd you go when you went
When your heartbeats were spent?
And you fucking lied
Yeah, you fucking lied
Never told me you died
All alone in my head
All alone in my bed
Empty glass
Empty glass

And a glass gotta smash
Gotta break, gotta slash
Gotta gouge, gotta slice
Cut through everything twice
Cut through me, cut through you
Cut the skin where it's blue
And the tears gotta flow
Gotta be
Empty glass
Empty glass
Empty glass

All alone in my head
Empty glass by the bed
And a glass gotta smash
Gotta break, gotta slash
And I feel so alone
And I feel so alone

Empty glass, empty mug
Empty cup, empty bowl
Empty shelf, empty room
Just a big empty hole
Empty hands, empty head
And still by the bed
And still by the bed
Empty glass
Empty glass
Empty glass

Empty glass, empty mug
Empty cup, empty bowl
Empty shelf, empty room
Just a big empty hole
Empty hands, empty head...


8.League Of Failures

I once saw it in a book I had
God was by my side
My name in lights up there on the marquee
And God was very proud

I've been a miner for a heart of gold
A dreamer who just won't wake up
I thought I'd plunge into the deepest vein
It wasn't deep enough

And I will fall a hundred stories
And open up my hand
And scatter all my dreams of glory
Like seeds upon the land

Still have your picture on my wall of faith
Next to the grocery list
I keep forgetting I should take you down
I'm gonna take you down

And I will fall a hundred stories
And open up my hand
And scatter all my dreams of glory
Like seeds upon the land

And I'll join the league of failures
And I will be resigned
To fall a hundred stories
And leave it all behind

And I will promise to forget the ones
Who took more than they gave
At least I'll have some peace of mind
As I dig their graves

And on my way down I hope to see
The one I hurt the most
Perhaps he'll open up his window
And we'll fly this ghost

And I will fall a hundred stories
And open up my hand
And scatter all my dreams of glory
Like seeds upon the land

And I'll join the league of failures
I bet that I'll be glad
To fall a hundred stories
And I'll have peace at last

And I'll set this house on fire
And burn the whole thing down
My laurels turned to ashes
And I'll still be around


9.Wendell Lee

Hey Wendell, where are you now?
I searched online, but nothing found
I wonder what you done and what you become
Wendell, you were the first for me
We were both stoned and seventeen
After our date at the Denny's, we got it on
We got it on
It didn't last too long

Hey Robin, I typed in your name
Nothing came up, so I'm afraid
I'll never know exactly why you broke up with me
But it turned out okay
Met someone else on that same day
Her name was Jenny and I wrote her that song
Didn't last too long
And the list goes on

These are some of the people that I (Some of the people)
I went out with
Before I met you
These are some of the people that I (Some of the people)
Thought would be the one

Oh Billy, my, how you changed
You lost your hair and gained that weight
I wonder if I
Look that bad too
Have you kept up with my career?
Do you still wish that you were near?
I hope that you regret
You fucked my best friend
Marilyn
Marilyn

These are some of the people that I (Some of the people)
I went out with
Before I met you
These are some of the people that I (Some of the people)
Thought would be the one

Hey Alex, now what do I do?
Went on Classmates and I found you
Do I pay extra for your address and phone?
No, I leave it alone
I got a new love in my life
I think that this one could be right
If not, I'll add another verse to this song
And the list goes on

These are some of the people that I (Some of the people)
I went out with
Before I met you
These are some of the people that I (Some of the people)
Thought would be the one

These are some of the people that I (Some of the people)
Thought would last and make me happy
These are some of the people that I (Some of the people)
Thought would be the one

Hey Wendell, where are you now?
Hey Wendell, where are you now?


10.Bloody Valentine

You're scary
You terrify me
I should draw the blinds
Do it all the time
I keep my love inside
We'll be a bloody valentine

You're lovely
I've heard such good things
And I've asked around
They tell me that you're kind
But I'm still afraid to find
Just a bloody valentine

Maybe I'm worried
It'll come back around
My hands have been bloodied
'Cause I knocked a few down
Yeah, maybe I'm worried
That this is my time
To get my heart broken
Be a bloody valentine

You're scary
You petrify me
But I sure like you
I hope that you do too
And all of it comes true
If not, then I'm resigned
To be your bloody valentine
If not, then that's just fine
I'll be your bloody valentine
Your bloody valentine

One, two, three, four

Bloody valentine
Bloody valentine

One
Two
Three
Four
Five, and we will end


11.Mexican Pharmacy

Right across the border
You can almost hear the trumpets playing
Maybe it's the workers who are building up the wall
So take my hand and come with me
Past the guards and tower
No one will ask for your ID
Not with those big blue eyes

At the Mexican pharmacy
At the Mexican pharmacy

A girl is selling Chiclets
Yellow, pink, and green
We buy some and her brother leads us to the pharmacy
Past stolen book blankets, cheap silver and leather
The pocketbook made from an armadillo
It's nothing you need
Just take us, please
To the Mexican pharmacy

You can dance all night or sleep all day
Forget about the girl and your back pain
Rise to the occasion or fade to black
When the bottle's empty, you can always go back

Student needs to stay up
The wife's doctor cuts her off
A man must please his mistress
And I just need to calm down
Tequila is swell, the Corona is cheap
Nothing compares to the pharmacy
A rancher is flying from an old Jeep
And this is so much like love

At the Mexican pharmacy
At the Mexican pharmacy
At the Mexican pharmacy
At the Mexican pharmacy


12.While You Were Sleeping

While you were sleeping
Everything changed
Like a prisoner on his first day out
Everything changed

Fashions are strange
The sunlight is blinding
While you were hiding
Everything changed

While you were sleeping
I got along
As much as I missed you
I got along

Now that you're gone
Feel I've grown two inches
And while you were sleeping
Everything changed

Don't you know that you are losing me?
Wish that you could just
Wake up
And see
You are losing me

Fashions are strange
The sunlight is blinding
While you were hiding
Everything changed


13.Spiderman

I get out of the underground
Near Hollywood and Vine
I had the whole train to myself
No one ever rides
I'm in my costume
My mask and tights
I'm Spiderman
I'm Spiderman

They're calling for a lovely day
The tourists sure are out
And here comes one as I speak
To take my photo now
His daughter jumps up on my back
She wants to climb the walls
We're Spiderman
We're Spiderman

I moved out here from Evansville
Seven years ago
The first week I'm an extra on
Well, you know, that TV show
And if you blink you miss me
But you can't miss me now
I'm Spiderman
I'm Spiderman

Did you hear there was a fight?
They arrested Captain Jack
And Princess Leia got so trashed
She won't be coming back
Like Spiderman
Like Spiderman

Now the sun is going down
On the boulevard
A German couple try to match
The footprints of the stars
The tips were pretty good today
Tomorrow I'll return
Like Spiderman
I'm Spiderman
Like Spiderman
Spiderman


14.The Donor Song