E 
Well, you know how when you're young 
               A 
There's such a distance between 
              E     A  E 
You and your family 
You can't ever see things 
         A             B 
From the same point of view 
C#m 
Papa wants a lawyer and 
G#m               A 
Mama she wants an author 
    B 
And all you want is for them 
        E    A  E 
To want you 

E 
Well, we had a lot of bad times 
         A 
Saw some real bad signs 
          E     A  E 
Othe East Coast 
And I guess you could say it took 
A             B 
California to bring us close 
C#m 
Saw a lot of hard living and 
     G#m                     A 
Some stone cold women on the East Coast 
       B 
And my papa turned away 
                    E 
When I needed him the most 

Oh, and California she's an angel 
    B 
Oh, so heavenly dressed 
              A 
Whoa, and the Pacific she's a woman 
B                              E 
The Lord he must have loved her best 
            A 
And I got a California rainbow 
   B 
To come give them thunder clouds 
  E     A  E 
A rest 
            A 
Oh, and the mountain is my friend now 
                  E    A  E 
She put me to her test 

E 
Well, now you know every father 
    A                              E 
Has dreams and schemes for his own kid 
        A 
Oh, and dreaming ain't been declared 
           B 
No capital crime 
   C#m              G#m 
But I just hope when I grow up 
            A 
Ad have my own kids 
     B 
I'll love 'em all I can and 
E                           A  E 
Let 'em make their own minds 

E 
And you know how a mother 
    A                        E 
Can hold a son through understanding 
                      A 
Well, my papa he once held me close 
   B 
By cryin 
       C#m           G#m 
And my mama's love it don't ever 
         A 
Leave me standing 
        B 
And my papa's love can only 
          E     A  E 
Leave me smiling 
             A 
Whoa, and my mama she's an angel 
      B 
You oughtta see her on Sunday 
When she's dressed 
           A 
Whoa, and my papa he's a good man 
        B                        E 
You know he gives me and mama his best 
                A 
Whoa, she's a California rainbow 
B                      E 
Come to give my thunder clouds a rest 
         A 
And my family is my friend now 
       B            E            A 
Ah, California put us through her test 
E C#m G#m A E 
Hmmm