She lived at the end of a little dirt road
In a house where secrets go untold
Barefoot in a cotton dress
Dark hair in a tangled mess
And a head full of crazy dreams

She said, "Well, I'm goin' to California
A place where the sun always shines
Well, I'm goin' to California
And I'm leavin' everything behind"

You can't help but feel a little bit touched
When your daddy loves you a little too much
You can wish on four leaf clovers
But all the fields have been plowed over
And there's nothin' left to do but fly away

She said, "Well, I'm goin' to California
A place where the sun always shines
Well, I'm goin' to California
And I'm leavin' everything behind"

Stars burn like candles on that two-lane highway
She made her wish and disappeared
On her eighteenth birthday

And she said, "Well, I'm goin' to California
A place where the sun always shines
Well, I'm goin' to California
And I'm leavin' everything behind"

Well, I'm goin' to California
And I'm leavin' everything behind

Oh, California
I'm goin' to California
Oh, California
Leavin' all behind
California