What songs do you like when you're feeling old and nostalgic?
Here's one of my favorites:
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And think of all the great things we would do
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
la la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
Songwriters: Gene Raskin / Christopher Birch / Orville Burrell
Those Were the Days lyrics © T.R.O. Inc.
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Eagles. Soundtrack of my child hood.
may I add something about Mary Hopkins - I lived in England when that song came out....I remember watching a Miss World competition and thinking Mary was prettier than all of them
Yes, you may add something about Mary Hopkin, please and thank you.
And, might I add, you are one polite ass-kicker.
yes, I am exceedingly polite.......drilled into me by my English grandparents. 
have always loved him
Thank you, Grandpa.
Or 60's/70's soul music.
Or, Johnny Mathis
... with the good taste of a with it child of the 60s/70s.
True story:
I was in a nostalgic old Russian Restaurant/cabaret on e time in Paris with a friend from the States. We were the only people in there under the age of 60 except for the musicians. VERY weird. There was a roving gypsy band playing sort or Hungarianized versions of old Russian folk songs, which I knew, but my colleague did not. He was getting very frustrated at knowing none of the music, and when the band came to our table and asked if we had any requests, he said, "why can't they play something I know, like 'Those Were The Days?'"
I told him, "you think you know so much about music? It just so happens that Those Were The Days is a commercial text plastered onto an old Russian Folk song." He thought I was giving him a hard time. I turned to the band and requested "Дорогой длинною."
It's pronounced "darogoi dlinnayu" and means "by the long road." The band immediately started playing Дорогой длинною, which my friend only knew as "Those Were The Days." He was, needless to say, dumbfounded.
Here is how the Russians do it when they want to put on a show:
Here is probably more what the melody sounded like where it originated:
Here are some 20th century lyrics to the original Russian song, translated into English:
You rode on a troika with sleigh bells,
And in the distance lights flickered..
If only I could follow you now
I would dispel the grief in my soul!
(Chorus
By the long road, in the moon light,
And with this song that flies off, ringing,
And with this ancient, this ancient seven-string,*
That has so tormented me by night.
But it turns out our song was futile,
In vain we burned night in and night out.
If we have finished with the old,
Then those nights have also left us!
(Chorus)
Out into our native land, and by new paths,
We have been fated to go now!
...You rode on a troika with sleigh bells,
[But] you've long since passed by!
(Chorus)
*Russian guitars have seven strings, so the "seven string" reference is to a guitar
Way back in my teen years, I once wrote a song whose lyrics I have long since forgotten. The chorus, though I still remember:
When you're young, you wonder how time is spent
When you're old, you wonder where it all went.
Last edited Sat May 13, 2017, 03:08 PM - Edit history (1)
I was aware that it was loosely based on a Russian folk song, but I'd never seen those lyrics or a Russian performance. Thank you for that.
I am fond of the Mary Hopkin/English version, although I'm sure that's largely attributable to it being the first version I had heard. I still think the English lyrics have a certain poignancy all their own.
Have you considered recreating your song? That's one heck of a chorus.
My buddies and me would sometimex sing "Duke of Earl", when we were a bit in our cups. I'm not quite sure why, as it was a bit before our time.
Usually, I'm a bit predjudiced against cover versions, but I do like this one:
Last edited Sat May 13, 2017, 04:07 PM - Edit history (3)
My sister was a fan of that album and "Frampton Comes Alive!", and I, naturally, had completely opposite tastes, preferring prog rock and new wave.
A few years later, I appreciated both. 5 years later, saw Starship live & thought they were great.
As is turned out, I was a bit narrow minded when I was a teenager.
