Originally created as a label under which another Finnish band, the Sleepy Sleepers, could release their English songs and concert extravaganzas, the joke acquired a life on its own. Since its foundation in the late 1980s, the group has appeared in three films by Aki Kaurismäki (Leningrad Cowboys Go America, Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses and Total Balalaika Show) and also enjoys some success worldwide.
Currently, the band has eleven Cowboys and two Leningrad Ladies. The songs, always somewhat influenced by polka and progressive rock, have themes such as vodka, tractors, rockets and Genghis Khan, not to mention folkloric Russian songs, rock and roll ballads and covers from bands as diverse as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd, all with lots of humour.
The sight of thousands of people singing along 30 years later to yellow submarine listen and decide.
Those Were the Days
Leningrad Cowboys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And dreamed of all the great things we would do
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
The Leningrad Cowboys's song "Those were the days" reminisces on a time when life was carefree and full of laughter. Set in a tavern, the lyrics describe the nostalgia of looking back on the past, and how the passage of time can change one's perception of things. The first verse sets the scene, describing a tavern where friends used to gather, laugh and dream of great things to come. The chorus, "Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end," highlights the power of nostalgia and how easy it is to get lost in memories of the past.
As the song progresses, the lyrics lament the loss of those starry-eyed notions, as the "busy years" go rushing by. The second verse suggests that if the singer were to see their old friends from the tavern again, they would smile and reminisce about the past. The final verse describes the singer standing outside the tavern, looking in, and feeling a sense of disconnect, as the reflection in the glass doesn't match their memories. However, when one of their old friends walks in and calls out their name, they are transported back to their youth, and the dreams they had are rekindled.
In summary, "Those were the days" by the Leningrad Cowboys is a song about nostalgia, the passage of time, and the enduring power of friendship and dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time there was a tavern
In the past, there was a bar that we used to hang out at
Where we used to raise a glass or two
We drank a bit there
Remember how we laughed away the hours
We spent a lot of time there laughing and enjoying ourselves
And dreamed of all the great things we would do
We had aspirations and dreams for the future
Those were the days my friend
That period was the best
We thought they'd never end
We believed that it would last forever
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We enjoyed ourselves and had a lot of fun
We'd live the life we choose
We had the freedom to live life the way we wanted
We'd fight and never lose
We were strong and confident and never gave up
For we were young and sure to have our way.
When we were young, we were convinced that we'd always come out on top.
La la la la
Non-lyric interlude
Then the busy years went rushing by us
Time passed quickly and we got older
We lost our starry notions on the way
We lost our idealistic beliefs along the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
If I ever saw you in that bar again
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
We'd reminisce about the good old days
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
I recently was outside of that bar
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
Things have changed and it's not the same as before
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
I looked in the mirror and felt disconnected from myself
Was that lonely woman really me
I felt like a stranger, and unsure of who I am
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I heard laughter coming from the bar as usual
I saw your face and heard you call my name
I recognized and heard you speaking to me
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
We've aged, but haven't necessarily become any smarter or wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
We still have the same dreams and hopes in our hearts
Those were the days my friend
That period was the best
We thought they'd never end
We believed that it would last forever
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We enjoyed ourselves and had a lot of fun
We'd live the life we choose
We had the freedom to live life the way we wanted
We'd fight and never lose
We were strong and confident and never gave up
For we were young and sure to have our way.
When we were young, we were convinced that we'd always come out on top.
La la la la
Non-lyric interlude
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
That period was the best
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gene Raskin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@otafuku16
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
Think of all the great things we would do
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
La ra ra ra la la
La ra ra ra la la
La ra ra ra la ra ra ra ra ra
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days
Oh, yes, those were the days
La ra ra ra la la...
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me?
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days
Oh, yes, those were the days
La ra ra ra la la...
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh, my friend, we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same...
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days
Oh, yes, those were the days
La ra ra ra la la...
@Spiechu78
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
Think of all the great things we would do?
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
La-la-la-da-da-da
La-la-la-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days
La-la-la-da-da-da
La-la-la-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me?
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days
La-la-la-da-da-da
La-la-la-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
La-la-la-da-da-da
La-la-la-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
Through the door, there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh, my friend, we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts, the dreams are still the same
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days
La-la-la-da-da-da
La-la-la-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
La-la-la-da-da-da
La-la-la-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
@Dafury100
Those indeed were the days.... still coming back for this song time by time
@utdfortreble
I have no idea how but my friend discovered this and played it at a party yesterday. I've never seen people going nuts as much from a song that nobody had ever heard of before as they did yesterday.
@ju87stukadivebomber87
I originally heard the red army choir version. It's better. I'll give the commies one thing, they can sing.
@daxd3160
those were 12 years ago
@dirttyclean
Enough said 😉
@p.s.7430
I know it for ages.
@jave2274
Have you seen the movie?
@fabiamantonio100
What a great band, and that's one of the greatest songs i've ever heard... GREETINGS FROM MEXICO!!!!! Long life to the cowboys!
@ozkangurbuz8300
Greetings from Türkiye
@user-yg3eo4be6m
Очень вдохновенная песня. Ленинград ковбойз случайно увидал по тв СССР в конце 80-х. И зацепило...