The Camino Norte

California Dreamin' on the Camino de Santiago

On many of my camino walks, one of the songs that I have sung to myself (when no one else can hear) is the famous song " California Dream' " by The Mamas and The Papas.

To me, the song is not so melancholic but hopeful. That may sound strange, given the lyrics, but in my interpretation, the subject of the song is merely reflecting on the purpose and/or purposelessness of his life. 

Many of us on the Camino are reflecting on something: life, love, liberty, longing, lonliness and probably many more "L" words.

(Photo from : https://www.california.com/most-beautiful-beaches-california/ )

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California Dreamin' 

Intro

I was at a King’s Prep High School reunion, and overheard someone remark that he did not understand why we sang “California Dreamin’ at our school masses. That is a fair question. I guess we sang it because the 2nd verse mentions a church and praying and a preacher and a penitent who somehow is “saved”. 

I wish I could remember during what part of the Mass that we would sing the song. I don’t, but boy, do I remember singing. 

The back of the neck tingles, everytime I play in my head the harmonies of my schoolmates. My tight shoulders loosen, re-imagining everyone swaying back and forth to the melody. Closing my eyes, I feel the vibrations to the rhymes in the even-numbered lines. Gray - day - LA - day Way - pray - stay - day Gray - day - today - day 

Interpretation

Ask 100 people to interpret the song, and I bet you get 100 different stories: 

• a cold-hearted bastard skipping town
• the cynic getting out of the cold
• the beaten-down traveler seeking warmth 
• and so-on. 

I’m sure there are lots of other interpretations, each “real” to the person who is hearing their life story as “California Dreamin’” plays. 

My story is all the chapels, capillas, churches and cathedrals where I stopped in to pray on a gray day along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal and Ireland and Switzerland and Germany, over 2100 miles of pilgrimage trails over nine years (I missed two years due to Covid) in five different languages. 

For some reason I can’t explain, praying is easier over there. 

My tale is all the days that I could have just left the trail without telling anyone and just come back home. But I would sling my backpack one more time, trudge out one more day and somewhere on the road started singing … “All the leaves are brown, …” and dream of King’s Prep and how much simpler life was back then. 

Changing Things Around

I think most people hear the original order, and conclude that he leaves her behind without the courtesy of a good-bye, even though she is his lover. 

Maybe I am a hopeless romantic, but in the original order, I still think the key moment is verse 2 where he talks with the preacher and commits to do the right thing. 

Verse three is just a reminisce in the confessional on a sin, he will no longer commit. 

But then again, hopeless romantics see a storm and think there’s a rainbow coming. 

When I am singing to myself, I sometimes reorder the verses. The original goes: be in LA - talk with the preacher - could leave without telling. 

I like to sing it as: be in LA - could leave without telling - talk with the preacher. 

The Art and the Artist

For almost all of my life, I did not know all the horrible things that John Phillips would be accused of. 

Most shocking were the allegations by his daughter Mackenzie of 10 years of drug-fueled incest. 

How does one separate the art from the artist? I have read that many in the family do not believe Mackenzie Phillips; others do believe her. I don’t know what to believe. 

Should that affect the deep relationship that I have with the song? It doesn’t. 

Should that affect the memories I have of the KP masses where we celebrated by singing “California Dreamin’”? It doesn’t. 

At my next King’s Prep reunion, I would like to have a group discussion about “California Dreamin’” and what it means in everyone else’s life. 

One More Get-Together

Maybe at a reunion we King’s Preppers could together one more time to sing “California Dreamin’”. Maybe we could play a drinking game. Everyone secretly writes down in five words their story. We put the secret stories in a hat. Then someone draws a story, and guesses whose story it is. When the guesser guesses right, we all raise a glass, take a swig, and sing the next chorus. Maybe we get through the song three times, maybe ten times. 

What’s said during the game, stays in the game. 

Lyrics of “California Dream’” 

by John and Michelle Phillips 

All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown) 

And the sky is gray (and the sky is gray) 

I've been for a walk (I've been for a walk) 

On a winter's day (on a winter's day) 

I'd be safe and warm (I'd be safe and warm) 

If I was in L.A. (if I was in L.A.) 

California dreamin' (California dreamin') 

On such a winter's day 

Stopped into a church I passed along the way 

Well, I got down on my knees (got down on my knees) 

And I pretend to pray (I pretend to pray) 

You know the preacher like the cold (preacher like the cold) 

He knows I'm gonna stay (knows I'm gonna stay) 

California dreamin' (California dreamin') 

On such a winter's day 

All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown) 

And the sky is gray (and the sky is gray) 

I've been for a walk (I've been for a walk) 

On a winter's day (on a winter's day) 

If I didn't tell her (if I didn't tell her) 

I could leave today (I could leave today) 

California dreamin' (California dreamin') 

On such a winter's day (California dreamin') 

On such a winter's day (California dreamin')