the way we were
Emile Pandolfi Lyrics


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Memories light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
Could we?

Memories may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it's the laughter we will remember
Whenever we remember




The way we were
The way we were

Overall Meaning

In Emile Pandolfi's song "The Way We Were," the lyrics explore the idea of nostalgia and reminiscence about past memories. The first stanza talks about how memories brighten up the corners of our minds, and we simply cannot forget them. The second line follows up with "Misty water-colored memories of the way we were," indicating that these are not clear or sharp images, but rather hazy yet emotional instances that are imprinted in our minds. The next line refers to "Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind," which means the happy moments we shared with someone or something that we can't forget even if we are not with them anymore. Lastly, the line referring to "Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were" reflects how we can't help but share the positivity we once had with those in our past.


The second stanza addresses the idea of how the simplicity of things in the past used to be, and whether or not time has rewritten every lesson we learned. The next line is a question to ourselves asking, "If we had the chance to do it all again, tell me, would we? Could we?" This is alluding to the idea of whether we would still make the same choices we did and live the same way, or if we would choose differently. The last two lines of the song refer to how we choose to remember the happy moments rather than the painful ones. This is backed up with, "So it's the laughter we will remember, whenever we remember the way we were, the way we were."


Line by Line Meaning

Memories light the corners of my mind
The memories of our past flicker gently in the back of my brain


Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
The images of our past are unclear, like a hazy watercolor painting


Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
There are only a few scattered pictures capturing the happy moments we shared in the past


Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were
We smiled at each other reminiscing the way we used to be


Can it be that it was all so simple then
Could it really be that our past was simpler than our present?


Or has time rewritten every line
Perhaps the stories we tell ourselves about our past have changed because of the distance of time


If we had the chance to do it all again
If we were given the opportunity, would we repeat the same choices we made in the past?


Tell me, would we?
I'm curious to know if we would actually make the same decisions if we had the chance to go back


Could we?
Could we really relive those moments and make the same choices again?


Memories may be beautiful and yet
Our memories can be beautiful, despite other feelings surrounding them


What's too painful to remember
There are some memories that are too hurtful to recall


We simply choose to forget
So we choose to forget, rather than dwell on and be overwhelmed by the pain


So it's the laughter we will remember
Instead, we will try to focus on the joy and laughter from our past


Whenever we remember
Whenever we think back on our past


The way we were
We'll remind ourselves of how we used to be, nostalgic for a simpler time




Lyrics © Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Gabriela Darmont

Só conheci essa música na voz de barbra Streisand. Só o piano ficou lindíssimo tmb. Parabéns Sr. Pandolfi.
Obrigada!!!!

Emile Pandolfi

Barbra Streisand é uma grande artista, e foi aí que ouvi pela primeira vez esta canção há tantos anos atrás. Eu sabia que um dia a iria gravar. Bonita canção, letra maravilhosa.

torma993

👍