Those Were The Days
Bobby Vinton Lyrics
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Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And dreamed of all the great things we would do
Then, the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If, by chance, I'd see you in the tavern,
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we'd choose
We'd fight, we'd never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days
Just tonight, I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass, I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely fella really me?
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we'd choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days
Through the door, there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh, my friend, we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts, the dreams are still the same
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we'd choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di
Di di di di di di di di di di
The song "Those Were the Days" by Bobby Vinton is a sentimental ballad that reminisces about the good old days in the past. The first verse begins with the description of a tavern where the singer and his friends used to drink and have a good time. They had big dreams in their youth and they believed that anything was possible. However, as time went by, life happened, and they lost their idealism and innocence. They aged and forgot about the happiness and excitement they experienced in the past.
The chorus of the song is a nostalgic cry for the old times. The singer wishes that they could go back to those days when they sang, danced, and had no worries. Their youthful spirit made them feel invincible and they thought they could conquer the world. They fought for their dreams and did not fear failure. The repetition of "di di di di di di" creates a sense of a party atmosphere and emphasizes the joyful memories.
The third verse talks about the return of the singer to the tavern. The former excitement and fun are now replaced with loneliness and regret. The reflection from the glass reveals him as an old man who has lost his spark. The bridge of the song brings back the laughter of old friends, and the appearance of a familiar face makes the singer feel young again. Despite aging and wiseness, the dreams from the past still hold a place in their hearts, and they will always remember the good old days.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time, there was a tavern,
Long ago, there was a place where we used to go to drink.
Where we used to raise a glass or two
We would drink there and enjoy each other's company.
Remember how we laughed away the hours
We would spend hours laughing and having a good time.
And dreamed of all the great things we would do
We had big dreams and aspirations for our future.
Then, the busy years went rushing by us
Time passed quickly and life got busy.
We lost our starry notions on the way
We lost some of our idealistic dreams as we got older.
If, by chance, I'd see you in the tavern,
If I happened to see you again at the place we used to go.
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
We would greet each other and reminisce about the past.
Those were the days, my friend
Those were good times, my friend.
We thought they'd never end
We thought those good times would last forever.
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We would have fun singing and dancing as long as we wanted.
We'd live the life we'd choose
We believed we could live the life we wanted.
We'd fight, we'd never lose
We were confident we could overcome any obstacle.
For we were young and sure to have our way
Because we were young and full of confidence.
Just tonight, I stood before the tavern
Recently, I stood in front of the place where we used to go.
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
Things had changed and it didn't feel the same anymore.
In the glass, I saw a strange reflection
I saw myself in the reflection and it felt unfamiliar.
Was that lonely fella really me?
I felt lonely and wondered if this was really who I had become.
Through the door, there came familiar laughter
I heard laughter from inside, which was familiar to me.
I saw your face and heard you call my name
I recognized you and heard you call my name.
Oh, my friend, we're older but no wiser
We are older now, but we haven't necessarily become wiser.
For in our hearts, the dreams are still the same
We still have the same dreams and aspirations in our hearts.
Di di di di di di
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Di di di di di di
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Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days
Those were truly good times, and we cherish those memories.
Di di di di di di di di di di
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Di di di di di di
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Di di di di di di di di di di
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Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GENE RASKIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RC
on Venus
Frankie Avalon is the best-known version of this song.