We first moved to the USA all the way from Canada   Drove across the continent from Nova Scotia to Pasadena   My sister and me, and my mom and dad   From the cull to the sunny south   There were palm trees growing and it was not snowing   And I never did shut my mouth      We drove on over to the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles   We put our hands on a bible and we swore as a family that we were not communists   When we drove away, I started to cry   They said, “What’s wrong son, are you sick?”   I said, “I don’t wanna be an American; I wanna be a Catholic”      We talked Hollywood, and baseball in the car   The voice of Vin Scully; It would travel really far…      I made my first communion in St Rita’s Catholic Church   There was incense choking and a priest was smoking; was a choir up in the perch   My face got red, and my stomach felt bad   They said, “if you’re gonna get sick, use a cup”   Well I thought by the time that it was my turn Jesus would be all eaten up      We talked Hollywood, and baseball in the car   The voice of Ernie Harwell; It would travel really far…      My allergies were bad so we moved to the desert to a city called Palm Springs   We trick-or-treated at Liberace’s house; each finger had a diamond ring   We met Elvis Presley in the middle of the summer; he hugged my sister for far too long…   Well, it felt kinda weird, but I woulda pimped her out just to hear him sing a song      We talked Hollywood, and baseball in the car   The voice of Jack Buck; It would travel really far…      Now, here I am, a grown up boy at home on the Fourth of July   Staring out at the ocean and the fireworks in the sky   I miss my friends who aren’t around; the ones who passed away…   Well, I’m feeling kind of grateful here on Independence Day      We talk Hollywood, and baseball in the car   The voice of Jerry Coleman; It would travel really far…      I get allergies   And asthma in the yard   And no one ever told me   Growing up would be so hard…