The Four Freshmen began as a American vocal group popular from the 1950s th… Read Full Bio ↴The Four Freshmen began as a American vocal group popular from the 1950s through to the early 1960s. Founded by brothers Ross and Don Barbour in 1948 as freshmen at Butler University, the other two original members included their cousin Bob Flanigan and Hal Kratzsch. Well-known for their multi-part harmonies, they are notable as early purveyors of vocalese and as the forerunners of vocal-harmony based rock music, particularly that of The Beach Boys. In their current configuration, The Four Freshmen continue to perform.

The group took off after being signed to Capitol Records in 1952 at the insistence of high profile fan, Stan Kenton. They remained popular throughout the 50s and early 60s, releasing a wide array of successful albums, movie and television appearances and performing countless sold-out concerts. The band eventually lost mainstream attention with the emergence of the British pop bands of the 1960s, even though they managed to stay together even after the retirement of final original member Bob Flanigan in 1992.

As of 2001, the Freshmen have been composed of Bob Ferreira, Brian Eichenberger, Curtis Calderon, and Vince Johnson. Although the new lineup of the Four Freshmen have continued the legendary vocal tradition of the original band and perform many of the same standards, the current sound has more of a lounge sound rather than focusing primarily upon harmonies. This modernized sound has proven quite successful, as the group won Down Beat magazine's reader's poll award for Vocal Group of the Year in 2000, proving the quartet's prominence in the jazz world today.

Time Was
The Four Freshmen Lyrics

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Time was
When we had fun on the school swings,
When we exchanged graduation rings
One lovely yesterday.
Time was
When we wrote love letters in the sand,
Or lingered over coffee and
Dreamin' our time away.

Picnics and hay rides
And midwinter sleigh rides,
And never apart.
Hikes in the country;
There's more than one tree
On which I've a place in your heart!

Darlin',
Every tomorrow will be complete
If all our moments are half as sweet
As all our time was then!

Picnics and hay rides
And midwinter sleigh rides,
And never, never apart.
Those hikes in the country;
And there's more than one tree
On which I've a place in your heart!

Darlin',
Oh, every tomorrow will be complete

If all our moments are half as sweet
As all our time was then!

Overall Meaning

The Four Freshmen's "Time Was" is a nostalgic classic that recounts the memorable and bittersweet moments of youth. The song is essentially a tribute to the experiences, friendships, and romantic relationships that were cherished during adolescence, and proposes that the sweetness of those memories should be carried into the present and future. The song opens with a wistful tone, “…When we had fun on the school swings, When we exchanged graduation rings, One lovely yesterday…” The four-part harmonies in the chorus evoke happy memories of picnics, hay rides, and midwinter sleigh rides; seemingly endless hikes in the country where there was always "more than one tree" and moments spent reminiscing over coffee. The song’s memorable melody and simple, flowing structure adds to the nostalgic and tender feel of the lyrics, as the Four Freshmen reminisces about how blissful those precious moments felt. The lyrics suggest that the artist has found value in themselves and their life trajectory as they reflect on the past, "On which I've a place in your heart!"

Line by Line Meaning

Time was
In the past

When we had fun on the school swings,
We enjoyed playing on the swings at school

When we exchanged graduation rings
We exchanged rings when we graduated

One lovely yesterday.
It was a beautiful day in the past

When we wrote love letters in the sand,
We expressed our love by writing letters in the sand

Or lingered over coffee and
We spent time together over coffee

Dreamin' our time away.
We spent time daydreaming

Picnics and hay rides
We went on picnics and hay rides

And midwinter sleigh rides,
We enjoyed sleigh rides in the winter

And never apart.
We were always together

Hikes in the country;
We went on hikes in the countryside