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

West Coast Friendship Lyrics as written by Adam R. Young

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

West Coast Friendship song meanings
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18 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    "Are you out there Where the rainy days begin"

    -Everyone knows that "rain" starts at the "west coast" that is how our weather system works. I have a feeling that this song is saying the "person" wants to get the hell out of where ever they are. They can go to the West Coast and start a new begining just as the rain does. I think the person going to the west coast is excited to go there because they talk about bottling up the sky and saving it for a summer night. I think this person is looking for change and new begingings and is sick and tired of the gloomy days and his/her past life.

    "I could go on for days and days about this song and what it means, but that is just a preview. =)"

    Luke582on November 14, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I honestly think this song is about seasonal affective disorder (SAD) I have a touch of SAD, so I think thats also why I identify with the song like this.

    "Where the rainy days begin To feel rather sad And the walls are closing in"

    "It's so hard to look away When the daylight doesn't ever stay" --these two chunks of lyrics are talking about the depression resulting from weather, the gloom that it brings on.

    Also, "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"

    California, known for warm beaches, sunny, nice weather... kind of like he's wanting to be there away from where he is now...

    I think its about Seasonal Affective Disorder.... but that's just my opinion :3

    x3

    shecantbreatheon May 04, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I understood the whole concept about climate and mood and the friendship with the west coast, but I didn't understand what this party means:

    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

    RTVon November 21, 2015   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).

    scooterj2003on November 28, 2009   Link
  • +1
    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.

    oceanheart13on February 11, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm interested to know what people think of this song but there are no comments. Personally, I think it's about new beginnings, venturing into something new, even if it's scary (thus the tears?). It just seems like a very positive approach to doing something new when you're in a bad situation, and just leaving it behind.

    daimyodefunkon October 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    <3

    2shy2dance111on May 13, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Memory

    I love this song so much, especially since I have a lot of friends on the west coast.

    "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" This verse especially means a lot to me, because I feel stuck where I am and I want to escape to the west coast.

    annabananataion June 08, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    I've been listening to this song a lot lately as it's pretty relevant to me right now. I think it's about long-distance relationships: not necessarily romantic ones, more wanting a closeness with someone and being physically unable to have it.

    The part about the rain feeling sad could refer to the fact that people on the west coast who rarely get rain actually enjoy it when it comes, whereas he gets it all the time. Maybe the rain reminds his friend of him and it gets them down. Cutting out the door says to me that he's desperate to get away - possibly even though he's just arrived somewhere seeing as it's his "new living room floor" - and then when he finally goes there to see the person, he's overwhelmed and can't believe he's there.

    "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."

    To me that part confirms that it is about someone who he lives far from, and wants to be near.

    harley.on June 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    As far as I'm concerned, this is a song about my Very Best Friends who live on the East Coast and who are soon visiting us in California (YESSSSSS!).

    I couldn't care less about alternate interpretations-- there's none that could make me happier than this one. :]

    ms.cellophaneon July 01, 2009   Link

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