Lyric discussion by boysherpa 

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.

An error occured.