| 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 dreamed 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 | 
| Oh yes, those were the days | 
| How 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 | 
| For we were young | 
| Oh yes, those were the days | 
| 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 person 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 | 
| For we were young | 
| Oh yes, those were the days | 
| 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 our 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 | 
| For we were young | 
| Oh yes, those were the days |