Sing La La
The Turtles Lyrics

Poor old granddad
The singer refers to an old man and pities him.

I laughed at all his words
The singer is implying that at one point they did not take the old man seriously and laughed off his words.

I thought he was a bitter man
The singer initially believed that the old man was cynical and resentful.

He spoke of woman's ways
The old man spoke about women and their behavior.

They'll trap you, then they use you
The old man believed that women can manipulate and deceive men.

Before you even know
According to the old man, men can be deceived without their knowledge.

For love is blind and you're far too kind
The singer is warning about how love can make one blind and lead to being taken advantage of.

Don't ever let it show
The artist advises not to show too much kindness, especially to women.

I wish that I knew what I know now When I was younger
The artist expresses a wish that they had the knowledge they do now when they were younger.

The can can's such a pretty show
The artist now talks of a can can show which they previously found attractive.

They'll steal your heart away
The singer imparts that an attractive show/performance can captivate one's heart.

But backstage, back on earth again The dressing rooms are gray
Despite the excitement of the performance, the behind-the-scenes reality is often dreary and uninteresting.

They come on strong and it ain't too long Before they make you feel a man
The singer highlights that women can quickly make a man feel powerful and masculine.

But love is blind and you soon will find You're just a boy again
Despite feeling powerful, love can blind a man and make them feel vulnerable again.

When you want her lips, you get a cheek
The singer explains that when one desires a kiss, they may receive a nonchalant reply like a cheek from the other person.

Makes you wonder where you are
The inattentive response prompts one to question the state of their relationship with that person.

If you want some more and she's fast asleep
Whenever someone craves more closeness, but the other person is not receptive, the artist says that they end up getting nothing in return.

Then she's twinkling with the stars
The disregard from the partner makes them seem distant, like they have left the singer alone with nothing but the stars to look at.

Poor young grandson, there's nothing I can say You'll have to learn, just like me
The singer knows that they cannot adequately counsel their young relative about their love struggles; they must face their own experiences and learn from them.

And that's the hardest way Ooh la la, ooh la la la la, yeah
The most difficult path to take is learning in such an arduous way. The catchy 'ooh la la' refrain conveys a sense of regret about the trials of love.

I wish that I knew what I know now When I was younger
The song ends with the repeated refrain, emphasizing the intention of the singer to impart the importance of the lessons learned about love to younger generations.