Intro: 
 
      (12-string {4X; drums and bass enter 4th time}): 
 
      B7 
      / / / /  / / / / 
 
Verse 1: 
       B7 
      John and Mitchie were gettin' kind of itchy 

      Just to leave the folk music behind 
      E7 
      Zal and Denny workin' for a penny 
       B7 
      Tryin' to get a fish on the line 
            F#7 
      In a coffee house Sebastian sat 
           E7 
      And after every number they'd pass the hat 
          B7 
      McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin' higher 
                                     E7 
      In L.A., you know where that's at 
                           D7               B7 
      And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass 
 
Verse 2: 
 
      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 pass 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 Cass 
 
Verse 3: 
 
      When Cass was a sophomore, planned to go to Swarthmore 

      But she changed her mind one day 

      Standin' on the turnpike, thumb out to hitchhike 

      "Take me to New York right away" 

      When Denny met Cass 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 Cass 
 
Verse 4: 
 
      Mugwumps, high jumps, slow 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 Cass 
 
Instrumental break: 
 
      (flute solo over verse chords {might be edited on 45}) 
 
Verse 5: 
 
      Broke, busted, disgusted, agents can't be trusted 

      And Mitchie wants to go to the sea 

      Cass can't make it, she says we'll have to fake it 

      We knew she'd come eventually 

      Greasin' on American Express cards 

      Tent'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 
 
Coda: 
 
      (flute solo): 
       E7       D7        B7 
      / / / /  / / / /   / / / /  / / / / 
      E7       D7        B7 
      / / / /  / / / /   /