… Read Full Bio ↴Blossom Dearie (1924-2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist.
Born on 28th April 1924 in East Durham, New York, of mixed Scottish and Norwegian ancestry, Dearie began her career in vocal groups in New York. In the early 1950s she moved to Paris, forming her own vocal group, The Blue Stars, later to become the Swingle Singers.
After signing to Verve, Dearie returned to the U.S. where, despite developing a successful career and achieving international fame, by 1974 the lack of interest from major labels led her to start her own label, Daffodil Records. She continued performing into her eighties.
Blossom Dearie died on 7th February 2009, at her apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City
Yesterday When I Was Young
Blossom Dearie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The taste of life was sweet, as rain upon my tongue,
I teased at life, as if it were a foolish game,
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned,
I always built, alas, on weak and shifting sand,
I lived by night, and shunned the naked light of day,
Yesterday, when I was young,
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung,
So many wild pleasures lay in store for me,
And so much pain, my dazzled eyes refused to see
I ran so fast that time, and youth at last ran out,
I never stopped to think, what life, was all about,
And every conversation, I can now recall,
Concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all
Yesterday, the moon was blue,
And every crazy day, brought something new to do,
I used my magic age, as if it were a wand,
And never saw the worst, and the emptiness beyond
The game of love I played, with arrogance and pride,
And every flame I lit, too quickly, quickly died,
The friends I made, all seemed somehow to drift away,
And only I am left, on stage to end the play
There are so many songs in me, that won't be sung,
I feel the bitter taste, of tears upon my tongue,
The time has come for me to pay,
For yesterday, when I was young
Blossom Dearie's song "Yesterday When I Was Young" tells the tale of someone reflecting on their past life and the mistakes they made. The lyrics speak to the notion of how time seems to pass so quickly, and how easy it is to get caught up in life and not appreciate its beauty until it's gone.
In the first verse, the lyrics describe how as a young person, life felt sweet and exciting, like a playful game. Despite having grand ideas and dreams, the singer admits they did not have a solid foundation to build upon. They were too focused on pleasure and avoiding responsibility that, in retrospect, caused them to waste much of their youth.
In the second verse, the lyrics get a bit darker as the singer realizes that they never really understood the importance of life or relationships. Instead of truly connecting with others, they were more interested in their own ego and frivolous pursuits, causing them to be alone now in their reflection. They also reflect on how time always felt fleeting, and they never really took ownership of their life.
The last verse is the most introspective, the line "there are so many songs in me, that won't be sung" depicts the regret and failure that collectively builds up within the singer. The lyrics depict this pain sharply as the regret felt and tears upon the tongue is about to be paid.
Overall, the song is more like a call for people to stop and reflect on their lives, cherish their youthfulness and be responsible when they still have the time.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday, when I was young,
In the past, when I was younger,
The taste of life was sweet, as rain upon my tongue,
I enjoyed life and its pleasures completely,
I teased at life, as if it were a foolish game,
I didn't take life seriously,
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame
Like how a breeze can make a candle flame flicker and dance, I was easily swayed by the fun of life
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned,
I had many dreams and aspirations that I wanted to achieve
I always built, alas, on weak and shifting sand,
Unfortunately, my dreams were not solid plans as they were not based on strong foundations
I lived by night, and shunned the naked light of day,
I lived a life of carefree nights and avoided the harsh realities of the day
And only now, I see, how the years ran away
Only now, in retrospect, do I realize how quickly the years have passed by
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung,
There were so many joyous moments and opportunities that I missed
So many wild pleasures lay in store for me,
There were many exciting and pleasurable experiences that I could have had
And so much pain, my dazzled eyes refused to see
I was blinded by my carefree lifestyle and missed the painful realities of life
I never stopped to think, what life, was all about,
I never took the time to contemplate the meaning and purpose of life
And every conversation, I can now recall,
I vividly remember that every conversation was about me and my desires
Concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all
My life revolved around me and my wants, with no consideration for others
The game of love I played, with arrogance and pride,
I approached love arrogantly and pridefully like a game
And every flame I lit, too quickly, quickly died,
Every relationship I entered into ended swiftly
The friends I made, all seemed somehow to drift away,
All my friendships seemed to have vanished over time
And only I am left, on stage to end the play
Now, I'm the only one left to bear the responsibility of my actions and decisions
There are so many songs in me, that won't be sung,
There are many things I wanted to achieve, areas I wanted to explore, but was never able to
I feel the bitter taste, of tears upon my tongue,
I now realize the bitterness of my past actions
The time has come for me to pay,
Now, it's time for me to face the consequences and take responsibility for my deeds
For yesterday, when I was young
For the careless, fun-filled days of my youth
Lyrics © EDITIONS MUSICALES DJANIK
Written by: Charles Aznavour, Herbert Kretzmer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@suntzu6122
Yesterday, when I was young
The taste of life was sweet
Like rain upon my tongue
I teased at life as if
It were a foolish game
The way an evening breeze
Would tease a candle flame
The thousand dreams I dreamed
The splendid things I planned
I always built to last
On weak and shifting sand
I lived by night and shunned
The naked light of day
And only now I see
How the years have ran away
Yesterday, when I was young
So many drinking songs
That waited to be sung
So many wayward pleasures
That lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
I ran so fast that time
And youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think
What life was all about
And every conversation That I can recall
Concerns itself with me
And nothing else at all
Trumpet##
Yesterday, the moon was blue
And every crazy day
Brought something new to do
And I used my magic age
As if it were a wand
And never saw the waste
And emptiness beyond
The game of love I played
With arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit
To quickly, quickly died
The friends I made all seemed
Somehow to drift away
And only I am left
On stage to end the play
There were so many songs
That waited to be sung
So many wild pleasures
That lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung
I feel the bitter taste
Of tears upon my tongue
And The time has come for me
To pay for yesterday
When I was young.
@reginaldocruz9958
Ontem, Quando Eu Era Jovem
Ontem, quando eu era jovem,
O sabor da vida era doce como chuva sobre minha língua,
Eu brinquei na vida como ela fosse um jogo insensato,
A forma como a brisa da noite brinca a chama de uma vela,
As centenas de sonhos que eu sonhei,
As coisas esplêndidas que planejei eu sempre construí, pena,
Em areia fraca e mutante;
Eu vivi pela noite e para o brilho da nua luz do dia
E só agora eu vejo como os anos vão embora
Ontem
Quando eu era jovem,
Tantos músicas para beber era esperadas para ser cantadas,
Tantos prazeres sórdidos dispostos como numa loja para mim
E tanta dor meus olhos ofuscados se negavam a ver,
Eu corria rápido que tempo e juventude enfim foram embora,
Eu nunca parei para pensar o que a vida significava
E cada conversa, agora posso relembrar, a meu respeito, só a mim e nada mais.
Ontem a lua estava triste
E cada dia louco traz algo novo para fazer
Eu usei minha idade magica como se fosse um mágico
E nunca via o desperdício e o vazio além
O jogo do amor eu joguei com arrogância e orgulho
E cada chama que eu acendi rapidamente apagou-se
Os amigos que fiz, todos pareciam estar longe de mim
E só agora eu estou saindo desse estágio para o fim do jogo
Existem tantas músicas em mim que não serão cantadas
Eu sinto o gosto amargo das lágrimas sobre minha língua
O tempo vem vindo para eu prestar contas por ontem,
Quando eu era jovem
@wimpers
normally it is sung as a sad, nostalgic song (hence the lyrics both in english as in the original french), but this particular rhythmic and almost joyful sounding version by Blossom Dearie and her idiosynchratic singing and phrasing somehow makes the absolute beauty of the melody jump out, yet still keeping the atmosphere bittersweet and definitely nostalgic!
What a singer!
@margarethandasyde8652
The pianistic timing, the metered voice,the emotion offered in rendition make Blossom a great surprise and a luxurious experience. She didn't need the firecrackers she had quality. "less is more" BRAVA!!!!!!!!!!!!
@suntzu6122
Yesterday, when I was young
The taste of life was sweet
Like rain upon my tongue
I teased at life as if
It were a foolish game
The way an evening breeze
Would tease a candle flame
The thousand dreams I dreamed
The splendid things I planned
I always built to last
On weak and shifting sand
I lived by night and shunned
The naked light of day
And only now I see
How the years have ran away
Yesterday, when I was young
So many drinking songs
That waited to be sung
So many wayward pleasures
That lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
I ran so fast that time
And youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think
What life was all about
And every conversation That I can recall
Concerns itself with me
And nothing else at all
Trumpet##
Yesterday, the moon was blue
And every crazy day
Brought something new to do
And I used my magic age
As if it were a wand
And never saw the waste
And emptiness beyond
The game of love I played
With arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit
To quickly, quickly died
The friends I made all seemed
Somehow to drift away
And only I am left
On stage to end the play
There were so many songs
That waited to be sung
So many wild pleasures
That lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung
I feel the bitter taste
Of tears upon my tongue
And The time has come for me
To pay for yesterday
When I was young.
@horseenthusiast1250
This song is so lovely! My mother and I listen to a lot of oldies, but it's hard to update the playlists sometimes due to stuff being buried. I'm really glad I found this
@lulubelle320
Beautiful voice, fresh cool flowing soft caressing lively luminous bright sunny loving voice.
@reginaldocruz9958
Ontem, Quando Eu Era Jovem
Ontem, quando eu era jovem,
O sabor da vida era doce como chuva sobre minha língua,
Eu brinquei na vida como ela fosse um jogo insensato,
A forma como a brisa da noite brinca a chama de uma vela,
As centenas de sonhos que eu sonhei,
As coisas esplêndidas que planejei eu sempre construí, pena,
Em areia fraca e mutante;
Eu vivi pela noite e para o brilho da nua luz do dia
E só agora eu vejo como os anos vão embora
Ontem
Quando eu era jovem,
Tantos músicas para beber era esperadas para ser cantadas,
Tantos prazeres sórdidos dispostos como numa loja para mim
E tanta dor meus olhos ofuscados se negavam a ver,
Eu corria rápido que tempo e juventude enfim foram embora,
Eu nunca parei para pensar o que a vida significava
E cada conversa, agora posso relembrar, a meu respeito, só a mim e nada mais.
Ontem a lua estava triste
E cada dia louco traz algo novo para fazer
Eu usei minha idade magica como se fosse um mágico
E nunca via o desperdício e o vazio além
O jogo do amor eu joguei com arrogância e orgulho
E cada chama que eu acendi rapidamente apagou-se
Os amigos que fiz, todos pareciam estar longe de mim
E só agora eu estou saindo desse estágio para o fim do jogo
Existem tantas músicas em mim que não serão cantadas
Eu sinto o gosto amargo das lágrimas sobre minha língua
O tempo vem vindo para eu prestar contas por ontem,
Quando eu era jovem
@gr8tastesforya799
Beautiful rendition.
@stephaniedegange2737
beautiful words, beautiful voice, beautiful lady
@mribeiro57
I heard the end of a talking show on radio (PBS, perhaps, This American Life), and they closed with a snippet of this song. I was looking for it on You Tube for two days, and now I've found it! This works so well with her voice and an uptempo arrangement! Thank you!
@hjvtube
+Marco Ribeiro Thank you for your confirmation. I has also listened that talk show on NPR and been looking for this jazzy rendition of this very fine and sentimental song. For some reasons, I thought this is a recent recording of a young singer. What a pleasant surprise to find out the performer was from the golden past.