Yesterdays
Johnny Smith Quintet Lyrics

The song "Yesterdays" by the Johnny Smith Quintet reflects on the bittersweet memories of the past. The lyrics describe the days of "mad romance and love" and the "joyous free and flaming life" of the singer's youth. The past is depicted as a time of happiness, where everything was vibrant and exciting, and the singer wishes to go back to those days. However, the lyrics also note that these times are gone, and the singer is left with a sense of longing and melancholy.

The opening lines of the song, "Yesterdays, yesterdays, days I knew as happy," set the tone for the rest of the piece. The repetition of "yesterdays" emphasizes the nostalgia and longing that the song embodies. The use of adjectives such as "sweet sequester days" and "olden days, golden days" gives a sense of the beauty and nostalgia of the past.

The lyrics also suggest the transience of youth, as the singer acknowledges that "gay youth was mine, truth was mine." The use of the word "gay" in this context refers to its original meaning of "light-hearted and carefree," rather than its modern connotations. The phrase "forsooth, was mine" adds to the poetic and romanticized language used in the song.

Overall, "Yesterdays" is a wistful reflection on the beauty and joys of the past, and the reality of aging and the transience of life.