Yesterday When I Was Young

Yesterday, when I was young, The taste of life was sweet, as rain upon my tongue, I teased at life, as if it were a foolish game, The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I Planned, I always built, alas, on weak and shifting sand, I lived by night, and shunned the naked light of day, And only now, I see, how the years ran away Yesterday, when I was young, So many drinking songs were waiting to be sung, So many wild pleasures lay in store for me, And so much pain, my dazzled eyes refused to see I ran so fast that time, and youth at last ran out, I never stopped to think, what life, was all about, And every conversation, I can now recall, Concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all Yesterday, the moon was blue, And every crazy day, brought something new to do, I used my magic age, as if it were a wand, And never saw the worst, and the emptiness beyond The game of love I played, with arrogance and pride, And every flame I lit, too quickly, quickly died, The friends I made, all seemed somehow to drift away, And only I am left, on stage to end the play There are so many songs in me, that won't be sung, I feel the bitter taste, of tears upon my tongue, The time has come for me to pay, For yesterday, when I was young