-5  6  -6  6 -6 6- 6 -7  7
Yesterday when I was young 
 7 7  -6  6  -6  6  6  6  6  6      7         -6 
The taste of love was sweet as rain upon my tongue
 6 -6  6  -6  6   -5  -5   -5   -5  -5    -6 6
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game 
  -5  6  -5 6  -5   5   5  5  5   5     -5         6
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame
  
6    6    6  -5     6      -6   -6    -6    -6     -7      7
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
 7     7    -7    7  -6     6    6   6  6    7  -6
I always built to last on weak and shifting sand
 -6   -6  6  -6   6    -5   -5 -5 -5 -5  -6    6
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
 6   6    -5  6  -5   5  5  5 5 5   -5   6
And only now I see how the years ran away
  
 -6  7  -7  -8 -8 9  -9
Yesterday when I was young
-8 -9 -8  -9  -8  8   8 8 8 8     -9      -8
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung
 -8 -8  8  -8  8  -7  -7   -7   -7  -7    -8 8’
So many wayward pleasures lay in store for me
 -7  8  -7 8  -7   7   7  7  7   7     -7    8
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
 
 7    7    7  -6     7   -7  -7  -7  -7   8   -8
I ran so fast that time and youth, at last, ran out
8     8    -8    8  -7    7    7   7  7    8  -7
I never stopped to think what life was all about
 -7   -7  7  -7   7    -6   -6 -6 -6 -6  -7    7
And ev'ry conversation I can now recall 
  7   7    -6  7  -6   6  6  6 6 6   -6   7
Concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all
 
 -5  6  -6  6 -6 6- 6 -7  7
Yesterday the moon was blue
 7 7  -6  6  -6  6  6  6  6  6    7      -6
And ev'ry crazy day brought something new to do
 6 -6  6  -6  6   -5  -5   -5   -5  -5    -6 6
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
 6   6    -5  6  -5   5  5  5 5 5   -5   6
And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond
 
 7  7   7   -7   7  -7   -7 -7 -7    8      -8
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride 
 -8   -8    -7   -8   -7  8   8  7  8 -9   -8  
And ev'ry flame I lit too quickly, quickly died
 -7  -7   7  -7  7 -6  -6 -6 -6  -6        -8  8’
The friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away 
 -7  7  -7  7   -6  6   6  6   -5  5   -5 5
And only I am left on stage to end the play
 6  6 6 -5  6  -6   6- 6-      -7           7
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung
 7 7 -7  7  -7  7  7 7  -7 7 
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue
 5    -5     5       -5        5          -4 
The time has come for me to pay for yesterday  
 -5  -4    3   -3
When I was young