[Verse 1]
Who's that coming down the road
A sailor from the sea
He looks a lot like me
I'd know him anywhere, had to stare
Feathers from his fingertips
A halo 'round his spine
He must have lost his mind
He should be put away, right away
In the corner of the night
He handed me his water pipe
His eyes were searching deep inside my head
Here's what he said

[Chorus]
Sorry I can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But I'll send you a tape from California

[Verse 2]
New York City has exploded
And it's crashed upon my head
I dove beneath my bed
Fighting biting nails, turning pale
The landlord's at my window
And the burglar's at my door
I can't stay here anymore
I guess I'll have to fly, it's worth a try
Someone's banging on the wall
There's no party to recall
The singer of the shadow of his soul
So he's been told
[Chorus]
Sorry I can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But I'll send you a tape from California

[Bridge]
From the mirror on my mantel to the velvet on my bed
Trapped upon a stolen stage, a Barrymore at best
My rhymes are all repeating, ballads growing blind
Words have turned to water, and the women turned to wine

[Verse 3]
The draft board is debating
If they'd like to take my life
I'd sooner take a wife and raise a child or two
Wouldn't you?
Peace has turned to poison
The flag has blown a fuse
Even courage is confused
And now all the brave are in the grave
The century is bending
Have a very happy ending
To the victor go the ashes of the spoils
Seeds in the soil

[Chorus]
Sorry I can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But I'll send you a tape from California
[Verse 4]
The flower power Fuller Brushman's
Farming out his friends
I stabbed him with my stem
And then I tapped his toes with my rose
He's crawled around inside himself
Now he's crawling after me
Dropping acid in my tea
He wants to save my soul
Rock and roll
One of us must understand
It's not the drugs that make the man
When the poster of a movie star walked by
He must have been high

[Chorus]
Sorry I can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But I'll send you a tape from California

[Bridge]
Now half the world is crazy and the other half is scared
Madonnas do the minuet for naked millionaires
The anarchists are rising while we're reaching for the moon
It doesn't take a seer to see the scene is coming soon
[Verse 5]
So who's that coming down the road
A sailor from the sea
He looks a lot like me
I'd know him anywhere, had to stare
Fire from his fingertips
A song around his spine
He must have found his mind
He should be put away, anyway
Surrounded by the slaughter
Now I'm boarding at the border
When the echoes of my ecstasy appear
Wish I was here

[Chorus]
Sorry I can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But I'll send you a tape from California
I'll send you a tape from California