California Lyrics
(One, two)
You don't ever have to be stronger than you really are
When you're lying in my arms
Baby, you don't ever have to
Go faster than your fastest pace or faster than my fastest cars
I shouldn't have done it but I read it in your letter
You said to a friend that you wish you were doing better
I wanted to reach out but I never said a thing
I shouldn't have done it but I read it in your letter
You said to a friend that you wish you were doing better
I wanted to call you but I didn't say a thing
(Two, three, four)
Ooh, I'll pick you up
If you come back to America, just hit me up
'Cause this is crazy love
I'll catch you on the flipside
If you come back to California
You should just hit me up
We'll do whatever you want, travel wherever, have fun
We'll hit up all the old places
We'll have a party, we'll dance till dawn
I'll pick up all of your folks and all of your Rolling Stones
Your favorite liquor off the top-shelf
I'll throw a party, all night long
You don't ever have to be stronger than you really are
When you're lying in my arms
And honey, you don't ever have to act cooler than you think you should
You're brighter than the brightest stars
You're scared to win, scared to lose
I've heard the war was over if you really choose
The one in and around you
You hate the heat, you got the blues
You're changing like the weather, oh, that's so like you
The same wind that moves you
(two, three, four)
Ooh, I'll pick you up
If you come back to America, just hit me up
'Cause this is crazy love
I'll catch you on the flipside
If you come back to California
You should just hit me up
We'll do whatever you want, travel wherever, have fun
We'll hit up all the old places
We'll have a party, we dance till dawn
I'll pick up all of your folks and all of your Rolling Stones
Your favorite liquor off the top-shelf
I'll throw a party, all night long
Ooh, I'll pick you up
If you come back to America, just hit me up
'Cause this is crazy love
I'll catch you on the flipside
If you come back to California
You should just hit me up
Sounds like a variation of her song "Shades of Blue" kind of? Maybe it's just the repetitive themes (i.e. California, being cool, being blue, not able to get through to this person, etc)
Lana sings about a sad boy who maybe tries too hard to be cool. She's letting him know that she likes him for who he truly is. That even if he's going through a rough patch whether it be emotionally, mentally, or whatever - she will be there waiting for him in California, ready to do all of his fav things to cheer him up.
Could be wrong, but I think this might be about her ex boyfriend, Barrie. He's Scottish (hence the, "If you come back to America, just hit me up" line) and has suffered from depression for many years; Lana's song Black Beauty talks more about that which is why the lines "You said to a friend that you wish you were doing better" and "You've got the blues, changing like the weather, that's so like you" make sense, and it's known that Lana didn't exactly break up with him in the best way ("I shouldn't have done it" line makes sense here).
I got the impression that this person is gone forever and she is regretting not reaching out after reading a letter sent to a mutual friend. Maybe this song is what she wishes she said when she had the opportunity...