California
Lyrics
someday california's gonna fall into the ocean some say that'll be an awful waste of land someday california's gonna fall into the ocean so you said you better get there while you can the lord will break it off along the san andreas fault and watch it sink into the silent depths below someday california's gonna fall into the ocean i hope it doesn't take you with it when it goes (harmonica solo, starring emily cooper) forty-nine of these united states will cling to one another just the way the lord designed them to someday california's gonna fall into the ocean i just didn't think she'd want to leave so soon
Music
Chords
It's in D major.
Structure
A B A B
Author's Notes
I like this song. When I was working on it, I wrote an email to Becky Stark with the lyrics and this comment, "so imagine this one a little faster than it might be, and as far as feel... think: billy joel's "piano man..." as recorded by the beatles circa 1965, but they've somehow been listening to too much tom waits. with the aid of a time machine. i don't know." Obviously I was flattering myself, or at the least setting my sights a little high, but I am proud of this number.
When The Passerines perform this one, we do a sparser, slower, more deliberate version. Lixian sings some really outstanding harmonies on the refrain. With luck we'll record a finished version of this soon with Em on drums and Lixian on keyboards and backup vocals.
