Manzanar
Read Manzanar lyrics by Van Dyke Parks on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Manzanar
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
Noone can forget the place where she has gone away
Funny how regret can taste like honey in L.A. anyway
All the trees ornamental
Every breeze downright sentimental
No one can forget her face when she has gone away
Let a bungalow and yard fulfill your every need
Get a Romeo and garden all but gone to seed as they say
Every swallow returning
Just to follow a natural yearning
It is just a paper chase when she has gone away
What the heck I've hit the deck and checked romance on holiday
Drawn a breath and danced with death
Until the dawn had held it at bay
Watched the palms by the sea sway
In the arms of beautiful Nissei
Now I can't forget her face since she has gone away
Manzanar not the kind of girl to hit the street
Manzanar she is dancin to a brand new beat
Don't know me from Ansel Adams 'cause I'm from Los Angeles
Would've called her but was at a loss
For what to say just to please
When it gets right down there to the wire
When you're reeling and feel her desire
Tell her she is All-American in Japanese
This is a dump without a doubt
You gotta jump you wanna shout
And it is sump thin you got out
Manzanar
You are not warm a desert storm
And where the High Sierra hits the flyway
You are alone you will explode
To Arizone you hit the road
Next sound you hear is pounding down the highway
Like a man without a nation
In a camp of concentration
With a stamp of degredation and shame
To a place they call it Manzanar by name
You are awake an evening star
All you can take is makin out just where you are
There's a name to explore there
And a story of shame and war there
In Manzanar in Manzanar
Manzanar!
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Manzanar"?
Van Dyke Parks performs "Manzanar", and this lyric page sits inside the Van Dyke Parks catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Manzanar"?
Yes. The related section below points to Bing Crosby and City On The Hill with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Van Dyke Parks?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Van Dyke Parks's lyric pages.
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
What people are saying
No listener comments on Manzanar yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.