Yesterday
Reflections on Youth: Shirley Bassey's Poignant Ode to Life's Sweetness and Regrets
Lyrics
Yesterday when I was young
Reflecting on the past when the speaker was young.
the taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue.
Describing the pleasant and enjoyable aspects of life in youth.
I teased at life as if it were a foolish g ame,
Approaching life with a playful attitude, treating it as a game.
the way the evening breeze may tease a candle fl ame.
Comparing life's challenges to the way a breeze may play with a candle flame.
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
Acknowledging ambitious dreams and plans.
I always built alas on weak and shifting sand.
Realizing that past endeavors were built on unstable foundations.
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of the day
Choosing to live in the shadows, avoiding the scrutiny of daylight.
and only now I see how the years ran away.
Regretting the swift passage of time.
Yesterday when I was young
Continuing to reminisce about the past.
so many drinking songs were waiting to be sung,
Noting the abundance of carefree and indulgent opportunities in youth.
so many wayward pleasures lay in store for me
Expressing a disregard for consequences and a pursuit of pleasure.
and so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see.
Acknowledging ignorance to inevitable pain.
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out,
Recognizing the swift passage of time and the depletion of youth.
I never stopped to think what life was all about
Admitting a lack of contemplation about the meaning of life.
and every conversation I can now recall
Recalling self-centered conversations with no consideration for others.
concerned itself with me and nothing else at all.
Highlighting a past focus on personal concerns to the exclusion of others.
Yesterday the moon was blue
Describing a nostalgic view of a time when everything seemed magical.
and every crazy day brought something new to do.
Noting the constant novelty and excitement in each passing day.
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
Treating a specific age as a magical period, oblivious to reality.
and never saw the waste and emptiness beyond.
Remaining unaware of the emptiness and futility beyond the magical facade.
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
Approaching love with arrogance and pride, unaware of consequences.
and every flame I lit too quickly quickly died.
Recognizing the ephemeral nature of relationships, initiated and extinguished hastily.
The friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away
Expressing a sense of isolation as friends drift away over time.
and only I am left on stage to end the play.
Feeling alone on the stage of life as others exit.
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung,
Expressing a regret for unfulfilled potential and unsung songs.
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue.
Feeling the bitterness of regret and unshed tears.
The time has come for me to pay for yesterday when I was young.
Acknowledging the inevitability of facing consequences for past actions.
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