(from www.speechwritersllc.com)
Southern California
Speechwriters LLC Lyrics
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My arms are heavy in their sleeves
Everyone here thinks that I've been on vacation
But I don't ever seem to leave
And all that I can tell you is my love's unfocused
And drifting overseas
Head's all full of context better left unspoken
No one wants to tell you just how long they've been here
The stars are crawling out their frames
The canvas on the ankle straps is wearing thin, dear
And I can't help but feel the same
When everything in town's been taken down for renovations
The hardest part is finding your way home
Freeway cuts the sky and I'm inside it's suppurations
But Southern California's got this way of creeping up on you
And all that I can tell you is my love's unfocused
And drifting overseas
Head's all full of context better left unspoken
As scenes from old Pomona dreams come washing over me
One last look around and then I'm always leaving
The stars are falling out of tune
Fingers bear the stains of shipping and receiving
These songs that carry me to you
But this is not some list of all the ways I should have loved you
Hold you in my arms and let you down
Turn my crooked smile up to the sky and I'm thinking of you
But Southern California's got me driving home in rental cars
And Southern California's got this way of tearing me and you apart
And you know it's true, California's tearing us apart
And I want it to
But all that I can tell you is my love's unfocused
And drifting overseas
Head's all full of context better left unspoken
As scenes from old Pomona dreams come washing over me
The lyrics of Speechwriters LLC's song Southern California convey a sense of emotional dislocation that comes when someone is caught between two places. As the singer arrives at Union Station, he notes the weight of his arms and the assumption of those around him that he has just returned from vacation. He seems to be struggling with his own sense of identity as he thinks about his love, which is "unfocused and drifting overseas." He experiences flashes of memory, wondering whether he will ever find his way home or be lost in the "suppurations" of the freeway. Southern California, with all its beauty and contradictions, is tearing him and his loved one apart.
The song is a reflection on the complexities of life in California, where the promise of a better life is always just out of reach. The singer is deeply aware of the transitory nature of life and how easy it is to become disconnected in a place where everyone seems to be searching for something elusive. There is a sense of longing throughout the song, a yearning for something more that is just beyond reach. Yet despite the sense of dislocation, the singer keeps coming back to California, a place that has "got this way of creeping up on you."
Line by Line Meaning
Sunlight hits a sign and I'm in Union Station
I find myself in Union Station as the sun hits a sign
My arms are heavy in their sleeves
I feel weighed down while I'm here
Everyone here thinks that I've been on vacation
People assume I'm just visiting
But I don't ever seem to leave
But I can't seem to bring myself to go
And all that I can tell you is my love's unfocused
I can only say that my love is aimless
And drifting overseas
And it's wandering far from here
Head's all full of context better left unspoken
My mind is flooded with things best left unsaid
As scenes from old Pomona dreams come washing over me
Memories of Pomona flood back to me
No one wants to tell you just how long they've been here
Nobody wants to admit how long they've been in Southern California
The stars are crawling out their frames
The stars in the sky seem different here
The canvas on the ankle straps is wearing thin, dear
Even my shoes are feeling the effects of life here
And I can't help but feel the same
And I can't help but feel worn out too
When everything in town's been taken down for renovations
When everything is always getting renovated
The hardest part is finding your way home
It can be hard to find your way back to where you belong
Freeway cuts the sky and I'm inside it's suppurations
The freeway seems to cut the sky and I'm caught in its congestion
But Southern California's got this way of creeping up on you
But Southern California has a way of getting into your system
One last look around and then I'm always leaving
I always take one last look before I go
The stars are falling out of tune
The stars seem out of place here
Fingers bear the stains of shipping and receiving
My hands bear the marks of work and labor
These songs that carry me to you
These songs are what bring me back to you
But this is not some list of all the ways I should have loved you
This isn't about how I could have loved you better
Hold you in my arms and let you down
I wish I could have held you closer instead of letting you go
Turn my crooked smile up to the sky and I'm thinking of you
I smile and think of you
But Southern California's got me driving home in rental cars
But Southern California has me relying on rental cars
And Southern California's got this way of tearing me and you apart
And Southern California tears us apart
And you know it's true, California's tearing us apart
You know it's true, California is coming between us
And I want it to
And part of me wants it to
Contributed by Grace G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.