Young ones being born Clean slate fresh snow And I ain't seen some these friends in years But somehow we stay close There's a fork in these mountains I came up just below Leaving my folks is hard every single time But I have to go And I still call it home Northern California I still call it home Northern California Helluva place to live I slipped on my hiking boots And pulled down my window shades To unveil my roots Nor Cal backwoods Home of old growth and fog Rain fed and temperate The clear cuts like scars I grew up in the heart of it Pumping in my blood Washed in water painted politics Where colors all run Gloomy like the deep forest North Coast grunge Slip through the cracks of these trees like the sun but There's a ghost in these hills Where they dug in for the gold Remnants of the past Hang over this valley floor like smoke They gave new names to the land Replaced the ways of the old They done bled the stones in these mountains cold But they ain't stole her soul And I still call it home Northern California I still call it home Northern California I see the past clear as reflections in a still pond It lives on Dry kindling on the fire Waking up to greet the new dawn Thick fog and first frost Late for school get gone Hot Summers Fall colors Strong Winters Springs thaw If you've ever lived here You'd never question the love I felt the cycle of these seasons Like breath through the lungs And when I'm gone Carry on There's no reason to hurt Throw half my ashes in Salmon River Leave the rest in the dirt Of Nor Cal Northern California I still call it home Northern California