Lyrics for California Dreamin' as interpreted by magicnudiesuit

California Dreamin' Lyrics
All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray
I've been for a walk on a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day

Stopped in to a church I passed along the way
Well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray
You know the preacher liked the cold
He knows I'm gonna stay
California dreamin' on such a winter's day

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray
I've been for a walk on a winter's day
If I didn't tell her I could leave today
California dreamin' on such a winter's day
California dreamin' on such a winter's day
California dreamin' on such a winter's day

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stardroplet
05-23-2002

Rated 0 
this is just prettty...

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2 Replies
elysiarenee
06-07-2002

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it's more than pretty it's sort of melancholoy. i think the person is in new york dreaming of sunny warm LA imagining all his/her problems would go away if he/she was there. ahhh the grass is always greener....

i personally like rain a lot and prefer cold to hot but hey thats just me.

I also think it's a metaphor for some other dreams . for love and fulfillment and success. "the preacher likes the cold" suggests this to me because a preacher is somebody who gives up the "sunshine" for the "cold" of self restraint and self denial.

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sky15
08-06-2002

Rated 0 
it makes me think of when i was little.i remember my sister listenin to this.i've liked it for suc a long time.it makes me think of fall and winter.i really enjoyed when they showed the contestants from american idol singin it..they did it very well

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sublime_fan
09-06-2002

Rated 0 
Good song for hippies. I like it too.

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weezerific:cutlery
04-30-2003

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i think this song is about thinking ahead to spring and summer on a cold winter day. it's a very nice simple song.

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CB2001
09-24-2004

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Actually, I thought the song was about wanting to be young again. I mean, think about "All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray, I've been for a walk on a winter's day" sounds a lot like "I'm old and I know that I'm old. "I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A., California dreamin' on such a winter's day", seems like "I was I was young again. Look at me, I'm dreaming about being young while I know I am old."

The next verse as follows definately suggests this:
"Stopped in to a church I passed along the way" (a funerial at a church)
Well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray (down on the knees, often considered a sign of weakness. The narrator is weak from old age and used to pretend to "pray" in order to make sure no one else knew)
You know the preacher liked the cold (the preacher is used to funerials)
He knows I'm gonna stay (he knows the narrator has passed from the world to never come back again)
California dreamin' on such a winter's day (a wish to be young, even though the narrator is dead).

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wilson89
10-28-2004

Rated 0 
this song is great i have it on my dad's woodstock cd

i liked the skit on the schetch show where they had 1 guy singing this in a recording studio and the backup singers sang "all the leaves are brown" all the way through the song, its so funny

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Propaganda
12-19-2004

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this song talks of a guy who is out walking on day in winter... he is cold so he goes and stops into a church he had passed by and pretended to pray so he could saty there since he was cold. the priest knows that he is going to stay there for a while. all he thinks about is how nice it wuld be to be in california where its nice and warm... he could leave almost immediately if he didnt tell his wife/girlfriend. they probably got into a fight or he no longer loves her (explaining why he is considering not even telling her). California not only represents all his dreams but but also the warmth of love and safety he hopes to one day find. haha anyways i really like this song, its pretty damned cool. but for some reason i keep on thinking of hippies smoking pot making the peace sign when i listen to this song. i know other people associate it with hippies too, but why? why is it a hippie song? what makes a hippie song? all this and the "the priest liking the cold" line is what truly keeps me thinking. could somebody help me out with the hippie question and the priest line question?

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slade
12-21-2004

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It's a hippie song because it was sung by hippies, for hippies, at hippie rallies in the sixties

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Crisidelm
02-01-2005

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By the way, you can clearly hear that the first voice to "appear" in this song (original version) is not one of the members of The Mamas and Papas :)

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bugmenot
03-17-2005

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i guess it's because i'm from CA but i always thought it was CA that was dreaming, not him dreaming about CA. i'm from Berkeley, and it gets really foggy here so i always imagined my little city under its blanket of fog, thinking about how southern california is so sunny. but it also makes sense that he could be somewhere else, dreaming about CA.

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lsdtangerine
04-03-2005

Rated 0 
this was the number one song listened to by the vietnam soldiers during the time...that could also be why it's related to hippies....
thats also why i always thought it could be from a soldiers point of view singing the song...

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WanderingGypsy
05-01-2005

Rated 0 
I think this song is about longing for sunshine and happiness

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The Lawlorator
05-27-2005

Rated 0 
This song is amazing. I especially liked when they used it in Forrest Gump.

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spacepirate
09-11-2005

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this is what i was thinking while in france.........except france is freaking hot in the spring.......

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dumbblondechick
10-21-2005

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This song is great for singing in a canoe when its raining on camp, 'cause everyone's so sick of everything and this song is so melancholy.

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fwoopah
01-04-2006

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He's dreaming of california because he's in an annapolis boot camp, where it's winter. The preacher LIKES the cold, that's why he's pretending to pray. California represents the pinnacle of the hippie movement in that era. This song is anti war sentiment. - that's why it was so popular in nam,

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sangsue
01-05-2006

Rated 0 
I saw a special with the Mamas and Papas and it was actually written by John Philips who had gone to California (where he met Michelle Philips) and it was a grey NY winter day and he thought about how he could be back in California.

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i love music
04-28-2006

Rated 0 
For some reason, everytime I hear this song I think of the Vietnam War. I'm guessing because it was made by a band that originated during that era.

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KVet
07-03-2006

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According to Michelle Phillips, who co-wrote the song with John, this is how the song came to be:

Basically, in '61 when Michelle was 17, John asked her to move to NYC with him. Michelle had only known life in California and Mexico, and had no idea how cold it could be in NYC. Michelle was advised to dress warm, so the only warm outfit that she bought in preparation was a wool sleeveless, backless dress. She had no hat and no gloves.

Soon after Michelle's arrival in NYC, she and John took a walk on a very cold day through Central Park and she also stopped inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. And that's that.

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coffeekat
08-13-2006

Rated 0 
How come there aren't any posts for this song? I think it's about loneliness.

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that_is _me
10-18-2006

Rated 0 
it' a fantastic song but i'm not sure what this song is about.it might be about lonely people who dont face their real feelings.

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vadge
11-19-2006

Rated 0 
seasonally affected mood disorder!

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airtommy
12-22-2006

Rated 0 
The bit about the preacher is obviously taking a shot at organized religion. The song is saying that the preacher is happy about cold weather because this draws people into his church for warmth. Metaphorically, it is saying that the preacher is happy that there is suffering in the world, because people who are suffering are more likely to succumb to his preaching.

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boysherpa
01-16-2007

Rated 0 
well, it not a hippie thing. Its about people. Its a classic folk rock tune, one of the greats, performed by some of the best vocalists of the time (and i wasn't even born then).

To me, its has mostly a literal meaning - dreaming of socal in a cold, wintery place. This is quite true of those who grow up in socal (KVet's post reflects that). And it captures that feeling so well, that it applies here in Indiana today, as the snow flurries outside my window.

But perhaps there is a bit more. Notice the leanings toward deception. Is it possible that the socal lifestyle is that different from those in the seasonal areas that deception comes so easily? ("pretend to pray", "If I didn't tell her, I could leave today"). Don't take it too far, just a thought.

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