candidate: The song was originally written in the early 90s with the song being about " what L.A. came to represent , rather than what it is " while it also mentions when McKagan first moved to Los Angeles from Seattle in 1984 with the lyrics " movin ' to the city sight unseen / 19 years of age I 'm packing my bags / Hollywood was all the rage / I came to you in 1984 / You showed me in , then you shut the door . "