Green Hills Race For California

love this song! i always took the lyrics to be direct meaning of he stayed awhile in another state/country (perhaps going to an out-of-state college?) and has to return home to california leaving behind a loved one/friends/place he loves. Anyone know of a deeper meaning? a few corrections to the lyrics....

Oh my dear What a race we have run Oh my sweet What a phase we will become How do I go back to California? How do I leave the green fields here? Warm nights in your sweet magnolia How do i leave the green fields here? Oh my friends What a long trip it's been Many nights and the friends that we have made How do I go back to California? How do I leave the tall trees here? Warm nights in your sweet magnolia how do I leave the green fields? How do I go back to California? How Do i Leave the green fields here? Warm nights in your sweet magnolia How do I leave the green Fields?

I really agree with you Ashley and thank you for letting me know about the errors. I fixed them :)

Emerson currently lives in Nashville but used to live in L.A. (I'm guessing Tonic's success brought him there) And a friend of his mentioned how Emerson should move back and Emerson said "Oh hell no." So this song came from him contimplating what he would do if he really had to make that choice.

Having seen Emerson Hart in concert several times, I have heard him tell what this song is about. He tells a story of something that happened shortly after he moved to Nashville, TN from Los Angeles. He was in line to check out at a grocery store, and some person said 'Hey, how are you doing?'. Emerson said, 'Do you know me' and the guy said no, he was just being friendly. Emerson said that would never happen in Los Angeles and that was when he knew he had moved to the right place. This song is about how he loves living in Tennessee (or at least did when he wrote the song) and how he doesn't want to leave, even if his friends and family think he should.