The lyrics were written by Jello Biafra and John Greenway, and Biafra composed the music in one of his rare attempts at composing on bass.The song focuses on Jerry Brown, the Governor of California 1975-1983 and 2011-present, and is sung from his perspective.
An imaginary Brown outlines a hippie-fascist vision for America, in which his "suede denim secret police" kill un-cool people with "organic poison gas" chambers. Lines such as "Serpent's egg already hatched" (a reference to a line from William Shakespeare's play 'Julius Caesar') comment on the corrosive nature of power. The line "now it is 1984" refers to the totalitarian regime of George Orwell's novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'.
California Über Alles
Dead Kennedys Lyrics
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My aura smiles and never frowns
Soon I will be president
Carter power will soon go 'way
I will be Führer one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will meditate in school
California Über Alles
California Über Alles
Über Alles California
Über Alles California
Zen fascists will control you
Hundred percent natural
You will jog for the master race
And always wear the happy face
Close your eyes, can't happen here
Big Bro' on white horse is near
The hippies won't come back, you say
Mellow out or you will pay
Mellow out or you will pay
California Über Alles
California Über Alles
Über Alles California
Über Alles California
Now it is nineteen eighty-four
Knock-knock at your front door
It's the suede denim secret police
They have come for your uncool niece
Come quietly to the camp
You'd look nice as a drawstring lamp
Don't you worry, it's only a shower
For your clothes, here's a pretty flower
Die on organic poison gas
Serpent's egg's already hatched
You will croak, you little clown
When you mess with President Brown
When you mess with President Brown
California Über Alles
California Über Alles
Über Alles California
Über Alles California
The song "California Über Alles" by Dead Kennedys, released in 1979, is a biting satire of Governor Jerry Brown's rise to power in California. The lyrics start off with Brown's optimistic and positive persona, with lines like "My aura smiles and never frowns" and "Soon I will be president." However, the song quickly turns dark with the idea of Brown becoming a fascist leader, with lines like "I will be Führer one day" and "Zen fascists will control you." The lyrics paint a picture of a California under Brown's rule where citizens will "meditate in school" and "jog for the master race." The song feels eerily prescient, referencing George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and depicting a dystopian future where Brown's secret police come for those who don't fit into his vision of California.
The song, written by Dead Kennedys' frontman Jello Biafra, was inspired by an actual speech given by Brown in 1976, in which he spoke of "small is beautiful," environmentalism, and a "spiritual evolution" in California. However, Biafra saw Brown's rhetoric as a guise for authoritarianism and felt that Brown was attempting to create a one-party state in California. The song's lyrics and themes made it a controversial piece of punk music, with some critics accusing the song of being too extreme or even advocating violence against political leaders. However, the song remains a staple of Dead Kennedys' catalog and a powerful critique of the dangers of political extremism.
Line by Line Meaning
I am Governor Jerry Brown
I am the powerful figure in California
My aura smiles and never frowns
I present myself positively
Soon I will be president
I aspire to greater political power
Carter power will soon go 'way
President Carter's time in office will end soon
I will be Führer one day
I will become a totalitarian leader
I will command all of you
I will have complete control over the population
Your kids will meditate in school
I will indoctrinate the youth with my ideology
California Über Alles
California is superior to all other states
Zen fascists will control you
I will use peaceful ideologies to control the population
Hundred percent natural
My ideology is pure and true
You will jog for the master race
You will conform to the ideal race under my control
And always wear the happy face
You will present a positive image of the regime at all times
Close your eyes, can't happen here
Ignore any signs of danger or oppression
Big Bro' on white horse is near
The authoritarian leader is coming
The hippies won't come back, you say
The opposition will not regain power
Mellow out or you will pay
Obey the regime or face consequences
Now it is nineteen eighty-four
The future is grim and dystopian
Knock-knock at your front door
The secret police are coming for you
It's the suede denim secret police
The secret police are covertly monitoring and controlling the population
They have come for your uncool niece
Even your innocent family members are not safe from the regime
Come quietly to the camp
Submit to imprisonment without resistance
You'd look nice as a drawstring lamp
You will be treated as an object to serve the regime
Don't you worry, it's only a shower
The authorities will deceive you into believing that you are safe
For your clothes, here's a pretty flower
An empty and meaningless gesture to distract you from your fate
Die on organic poison gas
The regime will use ecological methods of killing
Serpent's egg's already hatched
The sinister forces have already taken hold
You will croak, you little clown
You will die if you oppose the regime
When you mess with President Brown
When you challenge my authority
California Über Alles
California is superior to all other states
Über Alles California
California is the supreme state above all others
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Eric Reed Boucher, Raymond John Pepperelle, Geoffrey Lyall, Darren Henley, John Leonard Greenway, Michael Franti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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