Those Were the Days
ERIC CLAPTON &/THE CREAM Lyrics
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Long time before our time when the world was free,
Those were the days.
Golden cymbals flying on ocarina sounds,
Before wild Medusa's serpents gave birth to hell
Disguised as heaven.
Those were their ways, miracles everywhere are they now?
They're gone.
Those were their ways, yes they were, those were their ways.
Those were the days, yes they were, those were the days.
Tie your painted shoes and dance, blue daylight in your hair,
Overhead a noiseless eagle fans a flame.
Wonder everywhere.
Those were the days, yes they were, those were the days.
Those were their ways, miracles everywhere are they now?
They're gone.
Those were their ways, yes they were, those were their ways.
Those were the days, yes they were, those were the days.
The song "Those were the days" by Eric Clapton & The Cream is a nostalgic reflection on a mythical past in which Atlantis, an idyllic ancient city, existed above the sea long before the current world with all its problems and complications. The lyrics transport the listener to an era in which everything was beautiful, magical, and full of wonder, a time when miracles were commonplace, and the world was free from the grips of hell.
As the song continues, the lyrics talk about how this past was full of golden cymbals flying on ocarina sounds and the "blue daylight" in people's hair. The reference to Medusa's serpents gives birth to hell, disguised as heaven, is a symbolic way of saying that the world, in its contemporary state, is plagued by darkness, despair, and evil. The noiseless eagle, fanning a flame overhead, represents the idea of wonder and mystery in the past.
The song's central message is that there was a time when the world was beautiful and pure, and people lived freely without the weight of the world's troubles. The lyrics also lament how those days are gone, and the world has lost its magic, beauty, and wonder.
Line by Line Meaning
When the city of Atlantis stood serene above the sea,
In a time long ago, a mythical city known as Atlantis existed above the sea in a peaceful and calm manner.
Long time before our time when the world was free,
This city existed in a time long before our current age, when the world was free and unencumbered.
Those were the days.
These were a bygone era of peacefulness and freedom.
Golden cymbals flying on ocarina sounds,
Musical instruments, such as cymbals and the ocarina, were used to create beautiful sounds that soared.
Before wild Medusa's serpents gave birth to hell
Before the serpents of Medusa, which are symbols of evil, corrupted the world.
Disguised as heaven.
These evil forces may have appeared as heaven, but were actually hellish.
Those were the days, yes they were, those were the days.
This era of peace and beauty is missed dearly.
Those were their ways, miracles everywhere are they now?
People during this time period believed in miracles, but are they still common now?
They're gone.
These miraculous times and beliefs are no longer present.
Those were their ways, yes they were, those were their ways.
Believing in miracles and awe-inspiring beauty was a common mindset of the people during this time.
Tie your painted shoes and dance, blue daylight in your hair,
People were able to revel in life's simple pleasures, such as dancing and feeling the sun in their hair.
Overhead a noiseless eagle fans a flame.
The natural world was full of wonders, even an eagle flapping its wings could be a beautiful sight.
Wonder everywhere.
During this era, everything seemed wondrous and beautiful.
Those were the days, yes they were, those were the days.
This era was truly special and missed dearly.
Those were their ways, miracles everywhere are they now?
People believed in miracles and eager to see and experience it.
They're gone.
These times and beliefs have become history.
Those were their ways, yes they were, those were their ways.
Believing in the miracles of life and having a sense of wonder was a common mindset of the people in this era.
Those were the days, yes they were, those were the days.
These times were truly special and missed greatly.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Walt Disney Music Company
Written by: KEVIN BASSINSON, HOWARD ASHMAN, THOM SHARP, DREW NEUMANN, MARK WATTERS, MICHAEL SILVERSHER, JAMES STEMPLE, JEROME GRANT, PATRICIA SILVERSHER, ALAN MENKEN, JOHN BEASLEY, STEPHEN JAMES TAYLOR, ED FOURNIER, CRAIG GARFINKLE, ALBERT OLSON, JOHN VESTER, CARL JO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrDino1953
So many Cream songs still send shivers up my spine. This one, "Dance the Night Away" and "Deserted Cities of the Heart" in particular. Just surreal.
@grimson
I absolutely love both of those (and this one). The monster songs like White Room, SWLABR, Ulysses etc are of course incredible, but there's so much more to this band.
@if6was929
As an 18 year old in 1968 songs like this fed the imagination with fantastic visions and ideas. These were not just songs, they were messages from the artists, "I'm into the same things you're into, this is where my experiences have taken me and I want to share it with you". The counterculture was a small part of the generation and the artists were not far removed from the listeners. We were brothers and sisters tapping into the same collective consciousness, committed to our dream, sharing and supporting each other through an all too brief time of wonderment and reverie. Those truly were the days.
@palfers1
We are the same age and - yes, precisely!
@monkeysbum999
Yes!
@grimson
Man, you nailed it.
@granthurlburt4062
Well said. An enormous part of life in my late teens and early twenties. And yes, I guess not everyone was into it. I heard so much in high school -Cream, Santana, CCR, Dave Mason, Grateful Dead, Blind Faith, Quicksilver, Moody Blues, Canned Heat, James Taylor, the Woodstock album, and some more obscure bands too.
@kevinpennick3604
Great stuff.
@ThePondDogs
Everything is perfect in this song. The awesome vocals and exploring bass, the killer drums, the screaming guitar solo. One thing I think most people overlook in this song is the element added by the bells. It gets me every time, for me they really add an old world effect that truly gives the song the title "Those were the Days."
@RightToRemainMoody
What kind of bells are they do u know?