You watched your hand hold the pen   And write the note, but it wasn't you   And every single word was wrong   But every word you wrote you knew was true      And as you stepped into the night   You wondered how this ever got so damned confused   And again you cry in the darkness all alone   The bitter taste of the California goodbye      You watch the desert fall away to mountains   And to forest green and rivers blue   An you glance down at your watch and wonder   What he's thinking now that it's already noon      And then you think you'll chance the radio again   Though the last time every song just made you cry   Wo, wo, yes, it did   And as you touch the dial   Another tear falls for the California goodbye      There are dreams that we can keep   And there are stars that shine through space   Though it's cold and deep, dreams that we can keep   Oceans rise and fall and desert winds don't sleep      Tomorrow you'll be home again   A thousand memories down the road from yesterday   And if you're not too late   You might see, baby, brother pack his things and walk away      But somewhere deep inside   You know an aching heart can never run and hide   Ah, then you, you wanna die   As the sun sets fire to the desert sky   A curtain falls on the California goodbye, goodbye