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