Brooklyn Roads
Neil Diamond Lyrics

If I close my eyes
The singer can almost visualize his past memories.

I can almost hear my mother
The singer misses the loving voice of his mother.

Callin', 'Neil, go find your brother
The singer's mother used to call both the brothers together.

Daddy's home, and it's time for supper
The father's arrival signaled supper time in the family.

Hurry on'
The artist and his brother used to run towards home quickly.

And I see two boys
The singer visualizes himself and his brother in the past.

Racin' up two flights of staircase
The singer and his brother ran quickly to reach their home floor.

Squirmin' into Papa's embrace
The artist and his brother hugged their father.

And his whiskers warm on their face
The artist fondly remembers his father's bearded face.

Where's it gone
The artist is wondering where those happy days have gone.

Oh, where's it gone
The singer is missing the past happiness.

Two floors above the butcher
The artist remembers the location of his childhood home.

First door on the right
The singer describes the entrance of his childhood home.

Life filled to the brim
The singer remembers his happy family life.

As I stood by my window
The singer used to stand by the window and observe his surroundings.

And looked out on those
The artist loves to remember his past memories.

Brooklyn Roads
The singer refers to the streets of Brooklyn, his childhood place.

I can still recall
The singer is still able to remember details of his past.

The smell of cookin' in the hallways
The singer remembers the smell of food cooking in his apartment building.

Rubber drying in the doorways
The artist remembers the children playing in the hallways.

And report cards I was always
The artist remembers the pressure of getting good grades in school.

Afraid to show
The artist was afraid to show his grades to his parents.

Mama'd come to school
The singer's mother was active in the singer's school life.

And as I'd sit there softly crying
The artist was disappointed in himself for not getting good grades.

Teacher'd say, 'He's just not trying
The teacher thought the singer was not putting in enough effort.

He's got a good head if he'd apply it'
The singer's teacher thought he was capable enough to do well.

But you know yourself
The singer knows himself better than others.

It's always somewhere else
The artist's mind would often wander elsewhere.

I built me a castle
The artist would build imaginary castles in his mind.

With dragons and kings
The imagined castles had various mythical elements.

And I'd ride off with them
The singer would imagine riding off to different places.

As I stood by my window
The artist would often stand by the window and imagine things.

And looked out on those
The artist remembers the surroundings he grew up in.

Brooklyn Roads
The artist is inspired by the streets of Brooklyn.

Thought of going back
The singer has considered going back to his childhood home.

But all I'd see are strangers' faces
The artist realizes that he doesn't recognize anyone anymore.

And all the scars that love erases
The singer has painful memories that he wishes would go away.

But as my mind walks through those places
The singer's mind is still tied to his past memories in Brooklyn.

I'm wonderin'
The singer is curious and questioning.

What's come of them
The artist wonders how things have changed since he left.

Does some other young boy
The artist wonders if there is another boy living in his old room.

Come home to my room
The singer thinks about his old bedroom.

Does he dream what I did
The singer wonders if the new inhabitant of his room dreams like he did.

As he stands by my window
The artist wonders if the new inhabitant also likes to stand by the window.

And looks out on those
The artist hopes that the new inhabitant admires the Brooklyn view like he did.

Brooklyn Roads
The artist feels a sense of nostalgia whenever he thinks of Brooklyn Roads.