4 Meanings
Add Yours
Share
Q&A

Not California Lyrics

Who's the girl inside of the
Blue-screened light
The sun is just pouring out
And everything is out of sight

Turn around the room is just
Black and white
She's whispering
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na.
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na.

And it's not true
And it's not fair
And it's not you
And it's not California here

Later on, you're
Breaking the boxes down
There's nobody out tonight
Nobody's hanging out

So you take the drive
That used to be almost right
And now it's just empty lots around you
All these empty lots around you

And they don't know
What you hold dear
And they can't see
That it's not California here

Come a time when I may just walk away
The sun is just barely out
The sky is completely gold

You're the one I want to be with today
Let them say
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na

And I'm not strong
And you're not rich
And we're not lost
Where we don't live

And it's not true
And it's not fair
And they're not us
And it's not California here

I'm the one who wants to be with you tonight
And I'm the one who wants to be the one you're with tonight
And I'm the one who wants to be the one you're with tonight
And I'm the one who wants to be the one you're with tonight
Questions and Answers

Ask specific questions and get answers to unlock more indepth meanings & facts.

4 Meanings

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Cover art for Not California lyrics by Hem

i just moved to new jersey from california, and even though i like it, i absolutely love california. this song reminds me of home and really rings true to me about my situation. i love it, even though it makes me sad.

Cover art for Not California lyrics by Hem

Yes! Someone commented. I didn't want to post on the lyrics I added, but this song is simply amazing. It's moving as hell and really strikes a chord with the listener.

I'm moving to California in a week and know it'll be a great change, but the things at home will be missed and there are some things from the Midwest that California will never be able to capture.

Cover art for Not California lyrics by Hem

apparently, the song's about tv shows like the oc and Laguna beach, and how sally always claimed husband dan never wrote her any love songs. dan resents the way California it's portrayed on those shows, and wrote a 'sorta' love song about it to wife sally, who apparently watches it religiously.

Cover art for Not California lyrics by Hem

I\'ve been listening to this song a lot the last few weeks. This morning Joni Mitchell\'s A Case of You came on Apple Music and I recognized the almost repeated line of "blue TV screen light" in A Case of You and "blue screen light" in this song. It clicked that both songs use the metaphor of missing home to speak about missing a lover (and the reverse) and that this must be a hat tip to Mitchell. Love it. And both songs. <3

Song Comparison