Yesterdays
J. Kern Lyrics


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Yesterdays, yesterdays
Days I knew as happy sweet
Sequestered days
Olden days, golden days
Days of mad romance and love

Then gay youth was mine, truth was mine
Joyous free in flame and life
Then sooth was mine
Sad am I, glad am I
For today I'm dreamin' of yesterdays

Yesterdays, yesterdays
Days I knew as happy sweet
Sequestered days
Olden days, golden days
Days of mad romance and love

For then gay youth was mine, truth was mine
Joyous free in flame and life
Then sooth was mine
Sad am I, glad am I
For today I'm dreamin' of yesterdays





Yesterday

Overall Meaning

The song Yesterdays by J. Kern is a melancholic reflection on happy days that have now passed. The repetition of the word "yesterday" evokes a sense of nostalgia and longing for a time that was simpler and more carefree. The singer remembers these days as being "happy sweet" and "sequestered," suggesting a sense of isolation or separation from the outside world. The use of the words "olden days" and "golden days" conveys a sense of idealization of the past, as if the singer is viewing it through rose-tinted glasses.


The second stanza begins with the assertion that "gay youth was mine, truth was mine" during these happy days. This suggests a sense of ownership over one's own personal truth and identity, and a feeling of joyous freedom and passion. However, the next line - "then sooth was mine" - hints at a darker undercurrent to the singer's memories. The word "sooth" can mean either "truth" or "comfort," and it is unclear which interpretation the singer intends. Either way, the line suggests that the happy memories are not entirely free from pain or sadness.


The final stanza repeats the first almost verbatim, emphasizing the sense of longing for yesterday. The final lines - "sad am I, glad am I / for today I'm dreamin' of yesterdays" - capture the bittersweet nature of nostalgia. The singer is simultaneously sad that those happy days are gone, but glad to have experienced them and able to relive them in memory.


Overall, Yesterdays is a poignant reflection on the passage of time and the power of memory to both uplift and sadden us.


Line by Line Meaning

Yesterdays, yesterdays
Reflecting on the past, specifically previous days


Days I knew as happy sweet
The days the singer is referring to were joyful and pleasant


Sequestered days
The days being referred to were hidden away, like a secret or secluded


Olden days, golden days
The days being referred to were from a time gone by, seen through the lens of nostalgia as a time of great value


Days of mad romance and love
The days the artist is referring to were full of intense feelings of love and romance


Then gay youth was mine, truth was mine
In the singer's past, they were full of youthful energy and optimism and felt a strong sense of truth about life


Joyous free in flame and life
The singer felt free and full of passion in their past


Then sooth was mine
The artist felt a sense of truth or certainty in their past


Sad am I, glad am I
The artist is experiencing mixed emotions, both sadness and joy, as they reflect on their past


For today I'm dreamin' of yesterdays
The artist is currently yearning for the past and the happiness and freedom they experienced during that time




Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: JEROME KERN, OTTO HARBACH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@ChrisShahinMusic

Great feel! Thank you!

@debackersebastien724

have some red wine if you want to get out of town : a glass and the kiss of such a song should do it !

@jufegom

Maravilloso.

@dylanfitch2997

I love busting out my real book, taking a stab at a tune, then listening to what the original sounded like

@davidbogdanovic1622

I cannot take it anymooore.... I have to get awaaayy.. haha.. But then i saw your faaacee.. and you maade my daaayyyy

@davidbogdanovic1622

Lyrics made by me xD

@ShaneFlett

I took a trip across country in the states awhile ago, and visited many great citys, towns, and me being native, reservations(I'm from Canada). Well anyways, There was this one particular town, near North Dakota, that stuck out to me. It was a complete ghost town, except for people who worked there and acouple residents it looked like. I asked the hotel manager "Where is everyone? It looks like as if everyone up and left?", and so she said "Well yeah, we were a mining town, but once there was no work, people started leaving, looking for better work, while otheres just wanted to move to another place.. It's a shame, because we barely get any visitors". So i took my things and went to my room. nice lil shabby cozy motel kinda. That evening i decided to go for a drive around town, see what's up. Everything looked nice, last generation homes, some old business that were abandoned. After visiting and seeing the center of town, eating at a restaurant, I was curious about the residential area, so i drove around. It was getting late that evening and dark, but I still wanted to check things out.. so went.
One thing that creeped me out till this day, was as i was driving, I could barely see in the bushy forest area beside the road, and the street light wasn't helping either due to it giving the forest area a shadowy look. But for a second I swear I saw someone standing near the tree line next to the road, Full body and everything but his head.. it was like a cone shape, and his face.. well he had no face, it was just like a box cone thing on 'it's' or his head. I stopped my car and parked near the side of the road. I was jus far enough away to make its figure out but it was still too dark to see. when i got out and tried focusing, It went away and I honestly didn't know if i was tripping or what.. thinking of possibilities.. (keep in mind I only smoke weed. I did try acid and shrooms once in my life) but it couldn't have been any of those. I was sober as a boyscout and didn't drink anything either. That goddamn thing scared the shit outta me. like, wtf was that thing? Thing was too, was i swear i heard music coming from its direction, kinda jazzy like that song.. but I just went in my car started driving to the residential area, thinking I was just seeing things, or maybe it was someone playing a trick on me, maybe just a crazy person. I got to a Neighborhood and started slow cruising. Rolled down my window. It was perfect.. nice summer time weather, cool breeze, Beautiful scenery. The whole town looked 1970's ish, with all the places looking as if it was built in the 1920's. As I was cruising, I started hearing music. And again, like the jazzy music I heard before with the guy I saw, It sounded like this song.. but slowed down. It still sounded good even slowed, but I was curious were the sound was coming from.. I mean, the towns almost abandond, right?
I finally found the source, driving around, and it was coming from this old 1 story house. a cozy old persons house. I parked my car and got out, leaving it on just incase I had to leave quickly. (from what I learned in life, always be prepared for anything). I could hear the song clear as day at this point and it was just wow,.. nice summers night breeze and this music. calming. I walked up to the front, and as i was, each step felt like i was walking through wind, or something.. it felt wierd but the place looked abandoned. I said "hello?" wondering if a person would respond, but nothing. i checked to see if the door was unlocked, and (to my suprise, but at the same time, no lives there soo) it was. I walked in and explored the little home. The music was coming from a lil record player, with a record playing. 'Yesterday's by jerome kern' it said, with the engraving '-The Joy of Listening, Matherson Music-' on the side of the player. What kinda freaked me out, or more confused me, was that there was no plug connected to the player.. no power source of anykind.. Could it be powered internally somehow? hmm.. you could.. I guess.
well anyways, I started getting creeped out due to the shit I saw earlier and what i was seeing.
I wanted to stay, for awhile.. or longer.. and listen, but at the same time I felt the need to leave.. leave town, and just get outta the creepy place.
I just collected my self mentally and left. drove back to the hotel and called it a night. tried sleeping that night, but the tune was stuck in my head.. finally i just said fuck it, packed up and decided to call it an early departure. I gave the keys back to the lady (hotel manager) and she asked "was there something wrong with your stay?" looking concerned. I just said no, it was fine, just couldn't sleep. she said ok, and I left. I wanted to hear the song one more time at that place.. but just headed towards the highway instead.
Listening to this on Youtube now, isn't the same.. It felt euphoric, as if I had a blast of kush, and was mellowed out. dazed, and tranced. sitting cross legged and relaxing. listening in that dark house in the living room. The place still had its furnishing, but it was just old and dusty. The closest it sounded like was as if you changed the speed on youtube to .75 on the song. but a lil more speed. I wanna hear the song again, but I don't wanna go back to that old place of a town. damn.. once in a lifetime experience. The creepy thing i saw didn't even equate to the place i was at. the place was soo good, That i almost forgot about the thing, and the bad/fear was gone i was feeling. I should go back at least once..

@ivangvs3549

Shane Flett spam

@matttownend4743

You tell a good story, glad i red it. Sometimes yt leads you to some gems.

@ENCHANTMEN_

@@matttownend4743 It's a reference to SCP-2812

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