Mike Berman

Drive ‘til you find a freeway 
The ocean or a mountain
Head east on Sunset Boulevard 
And double back on Fountain
And if you find you lose your way 
You can consult my Thomas Guide
I would never leave my home 
Without it at my side

And there is hardly any reason 
Why you would go downtown
The air is thick and brown 
And there’s nobody around
The Strip has Tower Records
And Hollywood’s nearby
We can stand outside the Tommy’s 
With a side of chili fries

Drive
Drive

The city backs against the hills
Golden legs sprawl in the sea
Gasping as she draws the poison air into her lungs
She looks beautiful to me

And if you say she’s just a freeway 
You don’t know her like I do
You have to try out every exit 
As you go rollin’ through
And it surely doesn’t matter 
If you never see the stars
It takes a thousand miles 
Just to find out who you are

Drive
Drive
Drive
Drive

Just a boy sitting on a wagon
San Gabriel Valley suburb cul-de-sac
Looking at a wall of granite boulders
Davy Crockett cap gun in his lap
Fascinated by the giant mountains
And wondering who he could become
As the Santa Anas whip down through the canyons
Of those Hills of California where I'm from

Hiking up an endless dusty fireroad
Trusty Boy Scout canteen shoulder tied
Looking for the ruins of the railroad
Climbing with his father at his side
Imagining them riding up the mountain
Listening to the steel cable’s hum
Nothing but whistlin’ in the pine trees
Of those Hills of California where I'm from

But the sky is burning crimson fire
Smoke and ashes blocking out the sun
Some say we really don’t belong here      
Some say the ending time already has begun

Now these days I live in that hazy valley
Not far from where a young boy rode his bike
I’m walking in the shadows of the mountains
Remembering a father and a hike
You never really see it when it happens
It’s easy to keep the feeling numb
But now I’ve come to understand the meaning
Of those Hills of California where I'm from
I’m beginning to understand the meaning
Of those Hills of California where I’m from