Yesterday, When I Was Young

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