John and Mitchy were gettin' kind of itchy
Just to leave the folk music behind
Zal and Denny workin' for a penny
Tryin' to get a fish on the line
In a coffee house Sebastian sat
And after every number, they'd pa** the hat
McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin' higher
In L.A., you know where that's at
And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Ca**
Zally said "Denny, you know there aren't many
Who can sing a song the way that you do, let's go south"
Denny said "Zally, golly, don't you think that I wish
I could play guitar like you"
Zal, Denny and Sebastian sat (at the Night Owl)
And after every number, they'd pa** the hat
McGuinn and McGuire still a-gettin' higher
In L.A., you know where that's at
And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Ca**
When Ca** was a soph*more, planned to go to Swarthmore
But she changed her mind one day
Standin' on the Turnpike, thumb out to hitchhike
Take her to New York right away
When Denny met Ca** he gave her love bumps
Called John and Zal and that was The Mugwumps
McGuinn and McGuire couldn't get no higher
But that's what they were aimin' at
And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Ca**
Mugwumps, high jumps, low slumps, big bumps
Don't you work as hard as you play?
Make up, break up, everything is shake up
Guess it had to be that way
Sebastian and Zal formed The Spoonful
Michelle, John, and Denny gettin' very tuneful
McGuinn and McGuire just a-catchin' fire
In L.A., you know where that's at
And everybody's gettin' fat except Mama Ca**
Di-di-di-dit dit dit di-di-di-dit, who-o-oa
Broke, busted, disgusted, agents can't be trusted
And Mitchy wants to go to the sea
Ca** can't make it, she says we'll have to fake it
We knew she'd come eventually
Greasin' on American Express cards
It's low rent but keeping out the heat's hard
Duffy's good vibrations and our imaginations
Can't go on indefinitely
And California dreamin' is becomin' a reality