Are you out there
Where the rainy days begin
To feel rather sad
And the walls are closing in
Like the darkness around me
It's so hard to look away
When the daylight doesn't ever stay
Above this dull apartment view
Oh, I will surround you

It's quite clear that I'm stuck here
So I'll devise a plan
And cut out a door in my new living room floor
The porch light is so bright
That I will quickly sneak down the dark metal shape
Of the rusty fire escape

I bought a one way ticket
'Cause I knew I'd never see the ground
Unless I was aboard a jet plane
And we were going down
When I wiped the tears from my eyes
The warm water took me by surprise
And I woke up beside the ocean
I realized I must be in California

Aloha, my happy West Coast friends
Do you feel alive
When the breaking waves arrive
And wash all around you
The beach homes and ocean side
Are quite well known by the evening tide
And we can sleep where we reside
With redwoods around us
The blue air is up there
And could I bring it down
I'd bottle it up, and save it for a sweet summer night

I bought a one way ticket
'Cause I knew I'd never see the ground
Unless I was aboard a jet plane
And we were going down
When I wiped the tears from my eyes
The warm water took me by surprise
And I woke up beside the ocean
I realized I must be in California
I must be in California

Am I awake or is this just a dream'

The new year is out here
And I will make a lovely list
Of your charms
So I'll never feel alone in your arms

I must be in California
I must be in California
I must be in California



Lyrics submitted by factoryphysics

Track duration: 04:07

"West Coast Friendship" as written by Adam R. Young

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


West Coast Friendship song meanings
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17 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about coming out of depression and realizing just how EPICyour life is. The chorus really says it all:

    "I bought a one-way ticket, cuz I knew I'd never see the ground
    Unless I was aboard a jet plane and we were going down"

    He only wanted to go through this once, because he would never see the truth- the ground- unless disaster was inevitable.

    "When I wiped the tears from my eyes, the warm water took me by surprise
    And I woke up beside the ocean, I realized: I must be in California!"


    When he stopped being so depressed, the kindness of the world- the warm water- took him by surprise. As many people do or don't know about Adam, he is OBSESSED with the ocean. He admits it openly. So California must seem like heaven on Earth, because he grew up in Minnesota. Therefore, he realized what a great life he has. Which is why his west coast friends are so happy.
    Flag oceanheart13on February 11, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is my youtube channel theme song js
    Flag William0on December 05, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's about being homesick and missing all the stuff that makes California great (I'm from the east coast so I wouldn't really know, lol). So eventually, he can't take the homesickness anymore and gets up the nerve to go back where he feels he belongs.

    I first heard this song on a mixtape (well, mix CD) in my friends car while on senior week, so it always makes me think back to when I was still with all my high school friends and for a short time we had nothing to worry about :)
    Flag babyghostrogueon September 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I used to really dislike this song. It'd shuffle onto my iPod and I'd sigh and sulk throughout.
    DUDE, IT'S LIKE MY FAVORITE SONG NOW.

    I love the beat for the "I bought a one way ticket..."

    Flag PersonalVioliniston March 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment: first song i ever heard from owl city...
    Flag randommusicon December 09, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The song is not talking about how the west coast is where rainy days "begin". The line should read: "Are you out there where the rainy days begin to feel rather sad" according to the way the rest of the verse is written. He is referring to the idea that rainy days are sad times (which I think is a reference to SAD as was mentioned in some comments). There is no "geographic" reference to weather patterns or anything like that.

    The song could be ostensibly about visiting the writer's girlfriend, but I think it is really about escapism. He feels the need to cut a hole in the living room floor (instead of leaving the front door) and slide down a fire escape so as to not be discovered (the porch light is too bright). The writer is also using his dreams as a method of escaping from reality. In the verses discussing flying and a plane crash, the writer is never quite sure if he is sleeping or not. Flying is also a typical dreaming scenario.

    I also think the writer may be writing about his friendship with the state of California, not about a friendship with someone living there (or maybe also about a person).
    Flag scooterj2003on November 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is really about the fact that the lead singer is dating a girl that lives in California and attends my school, Azusa Pacific University. They grew up together in Minnesota, and he still lives there currently. This song is about how glad he is when he gets to visit his girlfriend, Ann Munson, in California.
    Flag coloradochik24on November 03, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I live in California and it is the best! I recommend it.:)
    Flag iheartsnooganson September 01, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:"The blue air is up there
    And could I bring it down
    I bottle it up and save it for a sweet summer night"

    Great line, kind of adds to the whole S.A.D. thing. Kind of how you just want to get up and run away from bad weather and just be in a happy, warm atmosphere.
    Flag 1time4urmindon August 21, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:If any of you have ever lived in the northwest [Washington/Oregon], you know how shitty and depressing the weather can be 90% of the year. If you haven't spent your whole life here, and sometimes even if you have, the constant rain can really get you down. In winter it's usually never sunny, and it can make a person go insane sometimes.
    I think the song is about living in Washington and getting so fed up with the weather that you leave, go down to Oregon [the rusty fire escape?] and end up in California.
    Flag AlexShakespeareon July 10, 2009   Link

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