Those Were The Days – Mary Hopkin and The original Russian song

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Nick Naggar
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Uploaded by on Jul 11, 2011

Mary Hopkin – Those were the Days 1968

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 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 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 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 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

 

 

Those were the days (The original Russian song) – Дорогой длинною

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Uploaded by on Feb 15, 2009

“Those Were the Days” is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to the Russian song “Dorogoi dlinnoyu” (“Дорогой длинною”, lit. “By the long road”), written by Boris Fomin (1900–1948) with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevskii.

It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism.
The Georgian Tamara Tsereteli (1900–1968) in 1925 and Alexander Vertinsky in 1926 made what were probably the earliest recordings of the song.

However, it is best remembered for Mary Hopkin’s 1968 recording, which was a top-ten hit in both the U.S. and the U.K.

On most records of the song, Gene Raskin is credited as the writer of the song, even though he just wrote the English lyrics and not the melody.

 

 

 

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