Way Back Then
Nostalgic Echoes: Rediscovering Lost Connections in John Prine's 'Way Back Then'
Lyrics
Night is falling
Nighttime is approaching.
We're doing the things we do
We're engaging in familiar actions or behaviors.
You are acting just like me
You're mirroring my behavior.
I'm acting just like you
I'm mirroring your behavior.
Do you remember
Do you recall?
When you were my friend?
When you were close to me as a friend.
That's the way I'd like things
I wish for things to be reminiscent of that past time.
Just like way back then
Just like it was in the past.
Baby's sleeping
A baby is asleep.
Brother is on the run
A sibling is trying to escape or evade something.
I am out undoing
I'm reversing or undoing my past good actions.
All the good I've done
If you truly cared for me,
If you loved me
Here's what I'd do for you.
Tell you what I would do
I'd cover the world in silver foil and present it to you.
Wrap the world in silver foil
As of late, I'm feeling unable to pretend.
Bring it home to you
I might never encounter someone like you again.
Lately, I feel
Recently, I've been feeling unable to fake or disguise.
That I can't pretend
I might never have the chance to see someone like you again.
I may never, ever see
I go for a walk, return home, and take a moment.
The likes of you again
I observe horses dancing around an empty wishing well.
I take a walk, I come back home
Then I sit a spell
It's nighttime.
Watch the ponies dance around
I've confessed or disclosed my actions.
The empty wishing well
The only time a baby, possibly me, sleeps peacefully.
Night has fallen
Remember when we were close friends?
I've said the things I did
I long for things to be similar to those times.
The only baby sleeping
When I was a child, that's when I could sleep peacefully.
Is when I was a kid
Do you remember
Do you recall?
When you were my friend?
When we shared a deep friendship.
That's the way I'd like things
I wish for things to resemble that past.
Just like way back then
Just like it was in the past.
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