In California
Joanna NewsomVersion1
90
Chords in this song
Strum
D-DU-UDU
: x 0 x(6)5 5
x 0 x(5)5 5
E/Amaj7: 0 x 6 6 5 x
E/Aaug: 0 x 2 3 2 x
my heart became a drunken runt
on the day i sunk in this shunt
to tap me clean
of all the wonder
and the sorrow i have seen
since i left my home
my home on the old milk lake
where the darkness does fall so fast
it feels like some kind of mistake
just like they told you it would
just like they told you it would
when i came into my land
i did not understand
neither dry rot or the burn pile or the bark
beetle or the dry well
or the black bale
but there is another
who is a little older
when i broke my bone,
he carried me up from the riverside
to spend my life in spitting distance
of the love that i have known
i must stay here
in an endless eveningtide
and if you come and see me
you'll upset the order
you cannot come and see me
for i set myself apart
but when you come and see me
in California
you cross the border of my heart
well, i have sown untidy furrows 'cross my soul
but i am still a coward
content to see my garden grow so sweet
and full of someone else's flowers
sometimes i can almost feel the power
sometimes i am so in love with you
like a little clock that trembles on the edge of the hour
only ever calling out "cuck-oo, hoo-oo, hoo-oo"
when i called you
you little one
in a bad way
did you love me?
do you spite me?
time will tell
if i can be well
and rise to meet you rightly
when moving across my land
brandishing themselves like a burning branch
advance the tallow-colored, wall-eyed deer
quiet as gondoliers
well, i wait all night for you in California
watching the fox pick off my goldfish
from their sorry, golden state
and i am no longer afraid of anything
save the life that here awaits
i don't belong to anyone
my heart is heavy as an oil drum
and i don't want to be alone
my heart is yellow as an ear of corn
and i have torn my soul apart
from pulling artlessly with fool commands
some nights i just never go to sleep at all
and i stand
shaking in the doorway like a sentinel, all alone
bracing like the bow upon a ship
and fully abandoning
any thought of anywhere but home
my home
sometimes i can almost feel the power
and i do love you
is it only timing that has made it such a dark hour
only ever chiming out "cuck-oo, hoo-oo, hoo-oo"
my heart
i wear you down
i know
gotta think straight
keep a clean plate
keep from wearing down
if i lose my hay
just where am i going to lay?
for it has half who need to be hanging around
Here among the Daphne blooming out of the big ground
i'm a native too, but i'm overgrown
i am sure my roots are near here as rich as rope
here down
in California
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Readable chord sheet for In California by Joanna Newsom
[A]: x 0 x(6)5 5 [Am] x 0 x(5)5 5 E/Amaj7: 0 x 6 6 5 x E/Aaug: 0 x 2 3 2 x [A] [Dmajb5] [A] [A] [Dmajb5] [A] [A]my[Dmajb5] heart bec[A]ame a drunken runt [Am]on the day i s[A/D]unk in this shunt [A]to tap me clean [Asus2b5]of all the wonder and the sorrow i have se[A/G]en since i left my home [A] [A]my[Dmajb5] home on[A] the old milk lake where the d[Am]arkness does fall so [A/D]fast it feels like some kind of mistake [A] just l[Asus2b5]ike they told you it wo[A/G]uld just like they [A]told you it would [E/B]when i came into my[E] l[Amaj7]and i did [E/G]not under[E/A]stand neither [E/G]dry rot or the burn pile or the [E]ba[Aaug]rk beetle or the dry well or [E]th[Am]e black [E]bale but there is [B]another who is a little [E]older when i broke my [Abm]bone, he carried me up from the river[E]side to spend my [B]life in spitting distance of the l[E]ove that i have known i must stay [Abm]here in an endless e[E]veningtide and if you come and [B]see me you'll upset the [E]order you cannot come and [Abm]see me for i set myself [E]apart but when you come and [B]see me in [E]California you cro[Abm]ss the borde[F#]r of my [B]heart well, i have sown unt[B]idy furrows 'c[B7]ross my soul but i am s[E]till a coward [Em] content to see my [B]garden grow so [B7]sweet and f[E]ull of someone[Em] else'[F#]s flowers sometimes i can [Abm]almost feel the power[F#] [E] s[F#]ometimes i am [Abm]so in love with you[F#] [E] l[F#]ike a little c[Abm]lock that trembles on the edge o[F#]f the [E]hour o[F#]nly ever [Abm]calling out "cuck-oo, hoo-o[F#]o, hoo-[E]oo" w[F#]hen i [A]ca[Dmajb5]lled you you[A] little one in a [Am]bad way did you [A/D]love me? do you spite me? [A]time will tell if i [Asus2b5]can be w[A/G]ell and rise to [A]meet you rightly [E/B]when moving across [E]my[Amaj7] land [E/G]brandishing themselves like a burning branch[E/A] [E/G]advance the tallow-colored, wa[E]ll[Aaug]-eyed deer [E]qu[Am]iet as g[E]ondoliers well, i wait all [B]night for you in Ca[E]lifornia watching the [Abm]fox pick off my goldfish from their sorry, g[E]olden state and i am no[B] longer afraid of [E]anything save the [Abm]life that here a[E]waits i don't belong to [B]anyone my [B7]heart is heavy as an [E]oil drum [Em] and i don't want to [B]be alone my hea[B7]rt is yellow as an ea[E]r of corn [Em] and i have torn my [B]soul apart from [B7]pulling artlessly with [E]fool commands[Em] some nights i just [Abm]never go to sleep at all [F#] and[E] i stand s[F#]haking in the d[Abm]oorway like a s[F#]entinel, all al[E]one b[F#]racing like the [Abm]bow upon a ship [F#] and ful[E]ly abandoning a[F#]ny thought of [Abm]anywhere but home m[F#]y ho[E]me s[F#]ometimes i can [Abm]almost feel the[F#] powe[E]r a[F#]nd i [Abm]do lo[F#]ve y[E]ou i[F#]s it only [Abm]timing that has made it su[F#]ch a dark [E]hour o[F#]nly ever c[Abm]himing out "cuck-oo, h[F#]oo-oo, h[E]oo-oo" [F#] [A]my[Dmajb5] heart i wear y[A]ou down [Am]i know gotta think [A/D]straight keep a clean plate [A]keep from wearing down [Asus2b5]if i lose my [A/G]hay just where am i g[A]oing to lay? for it [G]has half w[A]ho n[F]eed to be ha[G]nging a[A]round Here among the [G]Daphne [A]blooming o[F]ut of the bi[G]g g[A]round i'm a [G]native [A]too, [F]but i[G]'m o[A]vergrown i am [G]sure my[A] roots are [F]near [G]here as rich as r[A]ope here[G] down [F] in Cali[A]fornia