From California Dreamin', right? The verse as a whole is: Stopped in to a church I passed along the way Well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray You know the preacher liked the cold, he knows I'm gonna stay California dreamin' on such a winter's day Song lyrics are often written to be ambiguous and to let the listener decide, or sometimes words are chosen simply because they sound good with the music. But I will tell you my interpretation of these lyrics. It doesn't mean it is right, it is just what I feel. From the verse, it is cold outside and the narrator goes into the church only to keep warm (and thus he pretends to pray to convince anyone watching he has religious reasons for entering the church). There is nothing there specifically about the preacher's feelings towards the person in the church. Just that he knows the person 'will stay', presumably because it often happens that people come in to avoid the cold. However the preacher 'liked the cold'. Now to me I think the reason the preacher 'liked the cold' is because he gets visitors to the church as they try to keep warm, and he likes this because he has some company. But perhaps I am wrong. That is the beauty of lyrics, sometimes there is no concrete answer.