The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Move to the west coast:
Forget your friends back home
Throw all your drama in a suitcase, become unknown
Abandon the empire
That nine to five life
You’ve got a whole big batch of big plans and now you’ve got to get it right
But when that day comes to leave you’ll catch sight of the ocean, man it never really shines like this and “I’m not scared of being alone,” she said
But I know her better than that
And it’s the way she flips her hair in the heat of this conversation
It’s saying more than the lack of her motivation
And she swears to me her only thought is to leave but it would take too many hands to count the friends that you would leave behind we took the long walk all the way from 81st street down to the boardwalk we never saw the rain roll in
(Chorus)
California’s got nothing on me
Unless you’ve got the guts to take back all these years
California’s got werewolves and zombies
I’ll fill in the blanks with anything,
Anything to keep you here
What if I showed up at the airport and I had all my things packed too?
What if I said I had a ticket and a seat right next to you?
What if I sold all my guitars and quit the band?
Man they would kill me!
What if I said you made this harder than I ever thought it could be
Remember when we used to ride around the backroads of Kempsville late night just to pass the time screaming every line
Why are you afraid of being part of something real?
Too afraid to call this home.
Why are you afraid of being part of something real?
I know you’re home
Forget your friends back home
Throw all your drama in a suitcase, become unknown
Abandon the empire
That nine to five life
You’ve got a whole big batch of big plans and now you’ve got to get it right
But when that day comes to leave you’ll catch sight of the ocean, man it never really shines like this and “I’m not scared of being alone,” she said
But I know her better than that
And it’s the way she flips her hair in the heat of this conversation
It’s saying more than the lack of her motivation
And she swears to me her only thought is to leave but it would take too many hands to count the friends that you would leave behind we took the long walk all the way from 81st street down to the boardwalk we never saw the rain roll in
(Chorus)
California’s got nothing on me
Unless you’ve got the guts to take back all these years
California’s got werewolves and zombies
I’ll fill in the blanks with anything,
Anything to keep you here
What if I showed up at the airport and I had all my things packed too?
What if I said I had a ticket and a seat right next to you?
What if I sold all my guitars and quit the band?
Man they would kill me!
What if I said you made this harder than I ever thought it could be
Remember when we used to ride around the backroads of Kempsville late night just to pass the time screaming every line
Why are you afraid of being part of something real?
Too afraid to call this home.
Why are you afraid of being part of something real?
I know you’re home
Lyrics submitted by AustinLHR
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