[Verse 1]
Life is dull, life is gray
At its best it's just OK
But I'm happy to report:
Life is also short

So I find myself back in California

[Verse 2]
I'm a coolie for the tourists
Those happy Epicureans
Evil specters from my own suburban upbringing

[Verse 3]
As I reveal points of interest, I can chat so pleasantly
But it's hard to be cheerful when you feel so hopeless
And there's no reason for this dark mood
It will pass; it will return
But will I ever learn?

[Verse 4]
And the children of privilege begging for my spare change
Do they need my assistance to purchase their intoxicants?
Or would they best be served a swift kick
Slowly sinking in the vast ambivalent sea
Of California