ONCE UPON A TIME
Saga Lyrics


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As a child
Each day seemed to last forever
All the answers
To mysteries were mine to uncover
As a child I was entertained by simple pleasures
All the questions
Were ways to find the earlen treasures
As a child
Sheltered by my innocence
I was searching
For ways to climb the highest fences
The days go by
Where did the time go

Goodbye once upon a time
No more thinking I'm past my prime
Goodbye once upon a time
No more living in the past
What's mine is mine

As a young man
My life's gone through so many changes
All the dragons
I thought I'd slain became my frustrations
As a young man
I've come to meet my childhood's end
All the answers
Have since convinced me,
I should stop pretending
As a young man
Finally I've realized
I've been dreaming
Living with my past disguises
Where did the time go

Goodbye once upon a time
No more thinking I'm past my prime
Goodbye once upon a time
No more living in the past
What's mine is mine

Goodbye once upon a time
No more thinking I'm past my prime
Goodbye once upon a time
No more living in the past
What's mine is mine

Goodbye once upon a time
No more thinking I'm past my prime
Goodbye once upon a time




No more living in the past
What's mine is mine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Saga's song "Goodbye" reflect on the passage of time and growing up. The first verse speaks about the experience of being a child, where every day seemed to last forever and there was a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. The stanza indicates that, as a child, understanding the world felt like an exciting puzzle to solve. The second verse describes the experience of being a young man, where life comes with countless changes and challenges. The song narrates the process of letting go of childhood's innocence, experiencing frustrations and having to face reality. The lyrics also speak about moving on and accepting what has been gained and lost over time. The chorus serves as a reminder that, despite past moments that were treasured, there is more to come, and progress should not be hindered by nostalgia.


The song "Goodbye" by Saga is a poignant piece that reflects on the emotions tied with the passage of time. The lyrics and music work together to cultivate a sense of nostalgia with an underlying feeling of hope. There are some interpretations of the song that point to the idea that the song was meant as a farewell to the band's former singer, Michael Sadler, who left the group before the release of this album. Nevertheless, the lyrics could also be taken as a broader reflection on life, the journey of growing up, and coming to terms with the past.


Line by Line Meaning

As a child
When I was young


Each day seemed to last forever
Days felt like they lasted a long time


All the answers
I knew all the answers


To mysteries were mine to uncover
I was excited to solve any mystery that came my way


As a child I was entertained by simple pleasures
Simple things made me happy as a child


All the questions
I had many questions


Were ways to find the earlen treasures
The answers to my questions felt like treasures


As a child
When I was young


Sheltered by my innocence
I was sheltered from the harsh realities of the world


I was searching
I was looking for something


For ways to climb the highest fences
I was determined to overcome any obstacles


The days go by
Time passes quickly


Where did the time go
I am surprised how quickly time has passed


Goodbye once upon a time
Farewell to my past


No more thinking I'm past my prime
I will no longer think that I am too old to do things


No more living in the past
I will no longer dwell on things that have already happened


What's mine is mine
I will focus on what I have control over and make it my own


As a young man
When I was younger


My life's gone through so many changes
My life has changed a lot


All the dragons
All the obstacles


I thought I'd slain became my frustrations
Things that I thought I had overcome became my new problems


As a young man
When I was younger


I've come to meet my childhood's end
I have realized that my childhood is over


All the answers
I now know the answers


Have since convinced me,
I now believe


I should stop pretending
I should stop pretending to be someone else


As a young man
When I was younger


Finally I've realized
I have come to a realization


I've been dreaming
I have been living in my own thoughts


Living with my past disguises
I have been hiding who I truly am




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN CRICHTON, JAMES CRICHTON, JAMES GILMOUR, STEVE NEGUS, MICHAEL SADLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

MAGNUM The Golden years 1974 - 88

Let's face it. Most bands could but dream of writing something this good.

Kalhur

What a profound masterpiece. In my humble opinion Saga is one of the most satisfying musical experiences I've had in my life.

Marc Moingeon

One of my top favourite songs by Saga. The album is quite "commercial" but contains splendid melodies, the production is wonderful, every musician plays so well (Ian Crichton delivers some great guitar solos there), Michael Sadler sings like an angel, and this song ends the LP with such a climax !

Richard Allen

Go back to Images at Twilight...they peaked early and kept it going...;)

ajogoz

In fact Behaviour is my favorite Saga album.

Marc Moingeon

@Richard Allen : "Images At Twilight" is excellent, and I certainly prefer it to Behaviour.. I'm not very original when I say that my favourite albums by Saga are the first four albums... "Worlds Apart" and "Images At Twilight" are the ones I prefer, maybe... But "Silent Knight" features "Don't Be Late", my top favourite Saga song ever. "Head or Tales" was initially a disappointment but I finally got to like it a lot too, but I prefer "Behaviour" to it. There are very good ones during the late 90's and early 2000's, like Full Circle, Marathon, Network, 10 000 Days and Trust.

רוברט ויינגר

This album was saga's greatest success in germany, it climbed to number two on the german albums chart, I met the members of saga a few hours before their show and asked them why they don't play songs from the album behavior? it was in 2006, Michael sadler told me that it is a great album and they will try to include a few songs from the album in the future shows, they did so, in the last years, after 2014, they played one song or two from that album, I played that album more than any other album of the band

ajogoz

It’s my favorite

ProgNaut

Such a vastly underrated band!

y tatewaki

I love this medley with "Here I am". These progressive hard-rock songs are shining in the album.

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