@ManoStuart I think you're reading things into the song that just aren't there. There may, as you suggest, be an anti-religious sub-theme, although that would be a bit bizarre for The Mamas and The Papas (every member of whom flirted with Eastern religions during the period in which it was fashionable to do so—and there is absolutely nothing in the lyrics to suggest an attack on Christianity).
I think your homelessness comment is more than a bit of a stretch. The song was released in 1966 (roughly 2 years after LBJ launched his Great Society legislative agenda, and the highly-supported 'war on poverty' entered the national vocabulary). Less than 25 million people in the US were below the poverty level (as compared to over 43 million in 2016), and while homelessness wasn't unknown, it certainly wasn't anything close to either common or epidemic (as it is today, June 2017). Further, unemployment was below 5% for almost the entire decade.
Over and above those figures, like most of the white, over-privileged young people who made up 'the movement,' The Mamas and The Papas were not notably (or even moderately) concerned with the plight of the poor—and both their 'activism' (such as it was) and the thematic preoccupations of their material during this time period bear this out. 'The movement' (and this is coming from someone who was part of it) wasn't all that interested in the plight of the poor—unless they lived in the so-called 'Third World.'
The song is about a young hippy who would prefer to be 'safe and warm' in a highly-idealised, unrealistic LA, but feels constrained by his commitment to a woman. It's a pretty straightforward song.
@ManoStuart I think you're reading things into the song that just aren't there. There may, as you suggest, be an anti-religious sub-theme, although that would be a bit bizarre for The Mamas and The Papas (every member of whom flirted with Eastern religions during the period in which it was fashionable to do so—and there is absolutely nothing in the lyrics to suggest an attack on Christianity).
I think your homelessness comment is more than a bit of a stretch. The song was released in 1966 (roughly 2 years after LBJ launched his Great Society legislative agenda, and the highly-supported 'war on poverty' entered the national vocabulary). Less than 25 million people in the US were below the poverty level (as compared to over 43 million in 2016), and while homelessness wasn't unknown, it certainly wasn't anything close to either common or epidemic (as it is today, June 2017). Further, unemployment was below 5% for almost the entire decade.
Over and above those figures, like most of the white, over-privileged young people who made up 'the movement,' The Mamas and The Papas were not notably (or even moderately) concerned with the plight of the poor—and both their 'activism' (such as it was) and the thematic preoccupations of their material during this time period bear this out. 'The movement' (and this is coming from someone who was part of it) wasn't all that interested in the plight of the poor—unless they lived in the so-called 'Third World.'
The song is about a young hippy who would prefer to be 'safe and warm' in a highly-idealised, unrealistic LA, but feels constrained by his commitment to a woman. It's a pretty straightforward song.