The three subsequently sang together, in concerts produced by Hungarian Tibor Rudas and others, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for the 1994 World Cup finals, at the Champs de Mars, below the Eiffel Tower in Paris during France '98 and in Yokohama during the 2002 tournament. They have also played in other cities around the world, usually performing in stadiums or other large outdoor venues.
Those Were The Days
The Three Tenors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
a vdali melkali aganki ...
ekh, kagda bı mnye tipyer sa vami,
dushu bı rasvyeyit ot toski ...
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.
The first two lines of the song are in Russian and roughly translate to "We used to ride in a troika with bells, and far behind floated the sledges...Oh, when I would go out to the village, my soul would be soothed by yearning." The imagery here is of a traditional Russian sleigh ride through the snow-covered countryside, a nostalgic memory for many Russians. The singer seems to be reminiscing about a simpler time, when he could escape to the countryside and feel a sense of peace and longing.
The chorus, in contrast, is in English and reflects on the carefree spirit of youth. The phrase "those were the days" is often used to evoke nostalgia for a past era, and the lyrics describe a group of young people who lived life to the fullest, singing and dancing without a care in the world, confident in their abilities to overcome any challenge. The repetition of "we thought they'd never end" highlights the fleeting nature of youth and the realization that time moves on.
Line by Line Meaning
yekhali na troike s bubentsami
We rode in a sleigh with bells.
a vdali melkali aganki ...
And in the distance, the fields were white with snow.
ekh, kagda bı mnye tipyer sa vami,
Oh, when I meet you today,
dushu bı rasvyeyit ot toski ...
My soul will be overcome with nostalgia.
those were the days, my friend,
Those were the wonderful times, my friend
we thought they'd never end;
We thought they would last forever
we'd sing and dance forever and a day.
We would sing and dance for eternity.
we'd live the life we'd choose,
We could live the life we wanted to.
we'd fight and never lose;
We were strong and would never be defeated.
for we were young and sure to have our way.
We were young and confident that we could accomplish anything.
Contributed by Aubrey T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.