I was sitting on a sand dune in Santa Cruz,
Or Monterrey,
Well anyway.
I could feel the trickle on my cheek of ocean spray,
A perfect day,
Well anyway.

I remember how I turned to Sam and said,
Or was it Fred?
Well anyway.
"I should be up and yet I'm down instead",
"Something's missing" Sam,
"Something's missing" Fred,
Something's missing here...

Where are my - colored lights,
Beads and bleachers and colored lights?
Passing smiles,
Round and round,
Thumping "oomp pa pa" organ sound,
Noisy boys long and lean
Giggles of girls in the mezzanine,
Filter through colored lights,
Gold and amber and green.

I was sailing out of Long Beach on a catamaran,
Or fishing scow,
Well anyhow.
I was leaning chewing cashews off the starboard bow,
That sunset wow,
Well anyhow.

I remember telling Joey "God you're sweet",
Or was it Pete?
Well anyhow.
"I wonder why I feel so incomplete?"
"Something's missing" Joe,
"Something's missing" Pete,
Something's missing here...

Where are my - colored lights,
Beads and bleachers and colored lights?
Passing smiles,
Round and round,
Thumping "oomp pa pa" organ sound,
Noisy boys long and lean,
Giggles of girls in the mezzanine,
Filter through colored lights,
Gold and amber,
And green.

And I tried to find the answer in the friends I made,
Or beds I'd share,
Well anywhere.
But with other people's music ringing in my ear,
I couldn't sing,
Well anything.
And I thought if I could just be 12 again,
Or was it 10?
Well anyway.
It seems to me I knew the secret then,
It's so simple 12,
It's so simple 10,
It was simple then.

Passing smiles round and round,
Thumping "oomp pa pa",
Noisy boys long and lean, Giggles of girls in the mezzanine,
Filtered through colored lights.
Red and orange and gold and amber and pink and yellow and green.
Oh !

Leaving home - years ago,
What was I looking for?
I don't know.
I can't recall,
Well, anyway,
Soon I'll have my days and nights,
Of wonderful, glimmering, beautiful shimmering...
Colored lights.