the way we were
Dave Koz feat. Vanessa Williams Lyrics

The lyrics of Dave Koz and Vanessa Williams’ song “The Way We Were” is an ode to memories, both beautiful and painful. The first stanza talks about how memories can be like faint lights in the corners of our minds, and how certain memories, like misty watercolors, can bear the vivid colors of our past. The “scattered pictures of the smiles” that the singer and the addressee have left behind are presented as tokens of their past, which were given to each other for the sake of their shared history.

The second stanza then contemplates whether the past really was as simple as they remember it to be, or whether time has rewritten every line of that past. The singer then asks a poignant question: if they had the chance to live through it again, would they? It is a question that speaks to the doubt that often clouds our perception of the past. The final stanza speaks about how remembering the smiles and the laughter is the best way to remember the past, and how forgetting the pains is often necessary to be able to do so.

In a way, the song “The Way We Were” is a heartfelt tribute to the memories that we all hold dear, both good and bad. It speaks of the inevitability of change and how sometimes, it is easier to simply move on and focus on the good times than to dwell too much on the bad. It is a song that reminds us to cherish the moments that we share with the ones we love, because those moments are what we take with us as we live out the rest of our lives.