I Remember California – English Lyrics

• By: R.E.M.
• Album: Green

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I remember redwood trees

Bumper cars and wolverines

The ocean's Trident submarines

Lemons, limes and tangerines

I remember this

I remember traffic jams

Motor boys and girls with tans

Nearly was and almost rans

I remember this

This story is made

This story is made to seem unfair

I recall that you were there

With your golden smile and shining hair

I recall it wasn't fair

Recollect it wasn't fair

Remembering it wasn't fair outside

Low ebb, high tide

The lowest ebb and highest tide

A simple wave I must confide

I guess we took us for a ride

I guess it's just a gesture

I remember this defense

Progress fails pacific sense

All those sweet conspiracies

I remember all these things

I remember traffic jams

Motor boys and girls with tans

Nearly was and almost rans

I remember this

This

Low ebb, high tide

The lowest ebb and highest tide

A simple wave I must confide

I guess we took us for a ride

I guess it's just a gesture

To the end of the continent

At the end of the continent

To the end of the continent

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/ A1	verb - to have or keep an image or idea in one's mind from past experiences
redwood /ˈrɛdˌwʊd/ B2	noun - a tall, strong tree native to California
bumper /ˈbʌmpər/ A2	noun - a device on the front or back of a vehicle to reduce damage in a collision
wolverine /ˈwʊlvəriːn/ B1	noun - a small, fierce mammal with dark fur
ocean /ˈoʊʃən/ A1	noun - a very large area of salt water
trident /ˈtraɪdənt/ B2	noun - a three-pronged spear, often symbolic
lemon /ˈlɛmən/ A1	noun - a yellow, sour fruit
tangerine /ˌtænʒəˈriːn/ B1	noun - a small, orange-colored citrus fruit
traffic /ˈtræfɪk/ A1	noun - vehicles moving on roads
tan /tæn/ A2	noun - a brownish color of skin after exposure to the sun
recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ B1	verb - to remember something from the past
golden /ˈɡoʊldən/ A2	adjective - made of or colored like gold
shining /ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/ A2	adjective - giving out a bright light
tide /taɪd/ A2	noun - the rise and fall of the sea
confide /kənˈfaɪd/ B2	verb - to tell someone a secret or private matter
gesture /ˈdʒɛstʃər/ B1	noun - a movement of the body, especially the hands, to express an idea or meaning
continent /ˈkɒntɪnənt/ A2	noun - one of the seven large land masses on Earth

Key Grammar Structures

• This story is made to seem unfair

  ➔ Passive Voice with Infinitive Complement

  ➔ The structure "is made to do something" uses the passive voice ("is made") followed by an infinitive ("to seem") to describe how something is caused or presented. Here, the story is presented in a way that makes it "seem" unfair.

• Nearly was and almost rans

  ➔ Nominalization / Noun Phrases from Verb/Adjective Concepts

  ➔ This phrase uses "nearly was" and "almost rans" as noun phrases to refer to people or things that came close to achieving something but ultimately failed. It's a creative use of language, treating a state ("was") and an action ("rans" - likely a poetic past tense of "run", implying 'runners') as categories of people or events.

• I recall that you were there

  ➔ Verb + 'that'-clause (Reporting Clause)

  ➔ The verb "recall" is followed by a "that"-clause ("that you were there"), which functions as the object of the verb, reporting a past event or fact. The word "that" can often be omitted in informal speech or song lyrics.

• With your golden smile and shining hair

  ➔ Present Participle Acting as an Adjective

  ➔ The word "shining" is a present participle (verb + -ing) that functions as an adjective, modifying the noun "hair". It describes the quality or state of the hair.

• The lowest ebb and highest tide

  ➔ Superlative Adjectives

  ➔ "Lowest" and "highest" are superlative forms of the adjectives "low" and "high". They are used to describe the extreme degree of a quality within a group or context, often preceded by "the".

• A simple wave I must confide

  ➔ Object Fronting / Inversion for Emphasis

  ➔ In standard English, the sentence would be "I must confide a simple wave". Here, the object "A simple wave" is moved to the beginning of the sentence before the subject and verb, creating an inversion that adds poetic emphasis or rhythm.

• I guess we took us for a ride

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression / Phrasal Verb

  ➔ The phrase "take someone for a ride" is an idiom meaning to deceive or trick someone, or to take advantage of them. Here, the use of "us" as both subject and (reflexive-like) object implies self-deception or a shared experience of being misled.

• Remembering it wasn't fair outside

  ➔ Gerund at the start of a sentence/phrase as a topic

  ➔ The gerund "Remembering" acts as the subject or topic of the implicit thought or reflection. It introduces the action of recalling, followed by a clause describing what is remembered.

• To the end of the continent

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase of Direction/Destination

  ➔ The prepositional phrase "To the end of the continent" uses the preposition "to" to indicate movement or direction towards a specific destination. It specifies the endpoint of a journey or a metaphorical limit.