Lyrics for June on the West Coast as interpreted by PLANES

June on the West Coast Lyrics
I spent a week drinking the sunlight of Winnetka, California
Where they understand the weight of human hearts
You see, sorrow gets too heavy and joy it tends to hold you
With the fear that it eventually departs
And the truth is I’ve been dreaming of some tired tranquil place
Where the weather won’t get trapped inside my bones
And if all the years of searching find one sympathetic face
Then it's there I will plant these seeds and make my home
I spent a day dreaming of dying in Mesa, Arizona
Where all the green of life had turned to ash
And I felt I was on fire, with the things I could have told you
I guess I just assumed that you eventually would ask
And I wouldn’t have to bring up my so badly broken heart
And all those months I just wanted to sleep
And though spring, it did come slowly, I guess it did it's part
My heart has thawed and continues to beat
I visited my brother on the outskirts of Olympia
Where the forest and the water become one
And we talked about our childhood, like a dream we were convinced of
That perfect peaceful street where we came from
And I know he heard me strumming all those sad and simple chords
As I sat inside my room so long ago
And it hurts that he’s still shaking from those secrets that were told
By a car closed up too tight and a heart turned cold
And I went to San Diego, the birthplace of the summer
And watched the ocean dance under the moon
And there was a girl I knew there, one more potential lover
I guess that something’s got to happen soon
Because I know I can’t keep living in this dead or dying dream
And as I walked along the beach and drank with her
I thought about my true love, the one I really need
With eyes that burn so bright, they make me pure
They make me pure
They make me pure
I long to be with you

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Sweetygal16
05-25-2002

Rated 0 
How can a person not love this song? This is sooooo beautiful. My second favorite song ever. "I went to Sandiego, the birthplace of the summer and I watched the ocean dance under the moon, and there was a girl I knew there, one more potential lover, I guess that something's gotta happen soon, 'cause I know that I can't keep living in this dead or dying dream and as I walked along the beach and drank with her, I thougt about my true love, the one I really need with eyes that burn so bright, they make me pure, they make me pure, they make me pure, I long to be with you..." Perfect. How does Connor Oberst do it? Such a friggin good song. The meaning is pretty obvious. Just trying to escape everything I suppose and just looking back and reflecting and realizing that you aren't really over that one person.

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tothemaxxx
05-30-2002

Rated 0 
honestly . this song is one of the greatest . plus my bf sings the last part to me all the time . xxx

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appypollyloggy
08-10-2002

Rated 0 
beautiful song. one of my favorites of the great conner oberst. it's obvious what the song is about so no need to explain

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stripesproject
09-08-2002

Rated 0 
so plain and beautiful

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420_is_Gay
10-13-2002

Rated +1 
and i felt i was on fire, with the things i could have told you
i guess i just assumed that you eventually would ask
and i wouldn’t have to bring up my so badly broken heart
and all those months i just wanted to sleep
and though spring, it did come slowly, i guess it did its part
my heart has thawed and continues to beat..
^^very nice :) spring time always makes things better

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bleedingwithapathy
04-07-2003

Rated 0 
it reminds me of summer. i love bright eyes.

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JohnKo
05-09-2003

Rated 0 
This song is awesome. When he sings, "And I know he heard me strumming all those sad and simple chords as I sat inside my room so long ago," I just get this beautiful picture in my head where day is approaching the evening and Conor's head is down while he plays an outline of something great.

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conoroberstisgod
06-14-2003

Rated 0 
As most people in a lot of his songs he talks about seasonal depression. Where people just cannot stand winters and love summers. It is as if the seasons are the people's mood. Thank god (not litteraly seeming he isn't real) for christmas. At least we have little bit of cheer in the winter. Where we can give and recieve over our fake Christanity. Keep singing Conor. And get another performace on Letterman. It doesn't get much better then Letterman and Bright Eyes!

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jayenoh
07-01-2003

Rated 0 
to free fall - i think the last verse is talking about a girl that he wants to have back who is not the girl from san diego. i think the girl from san diego is like a second choice, (one more potential lover), i think that hes just really lonely and cant take it any longer waiting for this other girl(cant keep living in this dead and dying dream), so he might have to settle for the san diego girl even though she is not the one he really wants. Anyone else agree with me?

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jayenoh
07-01-2003

Rated 0 
I love this song, especially the last part since now I am away from my girlfriend. to free fall - i think the last verse is talking about a girl that he wants to have back who is not the girl from san diego. i think the girl from san diego is like a second choice, (one more potential lover), i think that hes just really lonely and cant take it any longer waiting for this other girl(cant keep living in this dead and dying dream), so he might have to settle for the san diego girl even though she is not the one he really wants. Anyone else agree with me?

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BoysWithAsterisks
04-10-2004

Rated 0 
This song reminds me of Dylan more than any of Conor's others.

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indierockchick27
06-04-2004

Rated 0 
its about the cycle of love and liking people. it changes like the seasons and the weather. in spring love is just beginning and in summer love is amazing, fall love is dieing and by winter your heart is frozen, you are hurt and can't imagine loving again. But you move on, just like the seasons. its kind of a sad song. love is never kept.

and the truth is i’ve been dreaming of some tired tranquil place
where the weather won’t get trapped inside my bones.
like where one can settle down and get out of the cycle of it all.

and it hurts that he’s still shaking from those secrets that were told by a
car closed up airtight and a heart turned cold
this almost sounds like a suicide. by carbon monoxide posioning, after death ones heart gets cold.


i dunno. i could be way off

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i rock
10-18-2004

Rated 0 
conor is amazing. i dont know what i'd do without his songs. they make my days so much better.

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fact___fiction
10-20-2004

Rated 0 
jayenoh, i agree with you.
i think the lover he is refering to at the end of the song, he has never actually met. i'm guessing this because of the line: "and if all the years of searching find one sympathetic face/then its there i will plant these seeds and make my home " meaning where ever he finds that sympathetic face (his true love, with eyes that make him pure. [gah i love you conor]) he will stay.

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fact___fiction
10-20-2004

Rated 0 
Oh, and I absolutly LOVE the line, "you see sorrow gets too heavy and joy it tends to hold you
with the fear that it eventually departs." which is so wonderful, as I'm sure everyone has had that feeling of 'this is too much fun, and i'm feeling to good' so much so that you're terrifiied of that mood/time ending.

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coraline_summers
12-23-2004

Rated 0 
just t add to what FreeFallAstronaut has said, in the part talking about his brother, when says " a car locked airtight" it means his brother has tried to commit suicide, as wen a car is locked up airtight all the fumes enter the car and slowly kill the person, so the only logical way to think of it wud be that his brother heard him singing all these sad songs and realised that life sucks, so im guessin when connor talks about him shaking me must be alive but not well.

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coraline_summers
12-23-2004

Rated 0 
i agree with jayenoh, i think he just wants someone to understand and love him, maybe he hasnt already met this girl who knows ask the god himself! and sorry about repeating wot indierockchick has said!

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my_own_parasite
01-29-2005

Rated 0 
at first, i really didnt like this song, im not sure why but then i saw a live video clip of this song, and it was just conor and his guitar, on the dark stage. For some reason it was just so perfect. i love this song now, its so honest and true. It's amazing how conor can do it.

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myfavoriteno3
04-05-2005

Rated 0 
this song is so amazing. I hate it when people come here and talk about concerts but I have to... I saw them in Sydney a couple days ago and they played this. I definitely didn't expect it-- it hadn't been on any recent setlists-- and I was SO happy when it was played. aaaaahhh it was beautiful. We definitely had the best show in Australia :p

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woodwell
04-29-2005

Rated 0 
I also was at that sydney show! so awesome! and it was great cos this is my favourite song of his, and he didn't play it in Brisbane so i didn't think it would be on the set list but it was and i almost danced my head off.

When he played it for us, he changed the lyrics to be "i thought about my true love the one i've never met" and it was nice. i like the change,

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XianSnake
05-03-2005

Rated 0 
TO me, this song is about going to a good place whether figuratively or physically but it's about "June on the West Coast" which is a good, peaceful, happy place or state of mind. He talks about finding a friend or "sympathetic face" and having to tell that person that he is depressed and that he is heart broken and although he knows he should get over her and the pain and depression it is hard to do because he still loves her and he is still afraid that "winter" will come back. He talks about his brother and how he would like to be at peace and he would like to be able to talk about a good childhood but he can't ignore the true fact that he was sad and it was obvious and that he attempted suicide by the "car closed up too tight." Overall it is about wanting to stay happy and about how sometimes he wishes he always was happy in the past.

I like this song because I can relate to longing for someone who I could never have, and wishing to be happy, and trying to get someone to ask about problems because it is much harder to bring them up, and "strumming sad and simple chords as i sat inside my room," and trying to run away from winter and fighting to be in "June on the West Coast."

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demolition lover
05-11-2005

Rated 0 
this song is amazing...the lyrics, his voice..simply beautifull! i love the last verse it reduces me to tears.

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thecomaboy
07-14-2005

Rated 0 
He played this live for me on the 12th of March this year. It wasn't on any recent setlists either, and I was amazed because it's one of my favourite Bright Eyes songs, so simple but beautiful. I have performed this for my family at a barbeque.

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Igby
07-20-2005

Rated 0 
This is one of my favourite Bright Eyes songs. It is just so wonderful. There's just so many different emotions that one can go through while listening to this song, anything from nostalgia to sadness, regret... just a lot of things. No matter how many times I listen to it, I always end up feeling all of them. It's beautiful, his voice is amazing...

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LunaFly
10-04-2005

Rated 0 
This song is so beautiful, the way he signs it is so soft and it goes well with the lyrics. The last verse is my favorite.

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