[Verse 1]
Well, I pulled off the gravel, with my California dreams
Leavin' everything I ever loved behind
Well, I left Alabama, but it never once left me
And it's still the only refuge in my mind

[Chorus]
'Cause where you gonna be when half of California riots?
Where you gonna run to when the lights go out?
Well, I won't be hangin' out in California, I won't try it
Buddy, I'll be up and headed south

[Verse 2]
All the women here look perfect, and it hardly ever rains
And for some folks here I'm sure it's paradise
I'll dabble with the fortune and rub elbows with the fame
But I'll be damned if this is where I'm gonna die

[Chorus]
Hey, where you gonna be when half of California riots?
Where you gonna run to when the lights go out?
Well, I won't be hangin' out in California, I won't try it
Buddy, I'll be up and headed south

First ticket out
I'm goin' down to L.A
[Verse 3]
I never thought I'd get to see the inside of a limousine
Or a beauty shop on South Rodeo drive
Or bein' sucked into a world where things are seldom what they seem
Makes you wonder how you'll make it out alive

[Chorus]
And where you gonna be when half of California riots?
Where you gonna run to when the lights go out?
Well, I won't be hangin' out in California, I won't try it
Buddy, I'll be up and headed south

[Outro]
Oh, buddy, I'll be up and headed south