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Were Those The Days? is an original song written, produced and with lyrics by Paul Robert Thomas with music exclusively commercially licensed to Paul from the album More Folk
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Were Those The Days? is available to download at all good download stores as well as on Bandcamp
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You can download the album More Folk at all download stores HERE and on Bandcamp HERE
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Were Those The Days is an introspective, melancholy folk song exploring the tricks memory plays on us. It centers on a narrator who is looking back at their youth—a classic era of “wine, women, and song”—while simultaneously questioning whether those times were actually as perfect as they remember, or if time has simply softened the rough edges.
The narrator shifts between two mindsets. On one hand, they miss a simpler past where things moved slower, were “built to last,” and they were in their physical prime. On the other hand, they exhibit a sharp self-awareness, wondering out loud if their mind is “playing tricks.”
The mention of Mary acts as an anchor to reality. The narrator pleads, “Oh Mary, don’t tell me that I’m wrong,” suggesting they are desperate to hold onto their beautiful memories, even if someone close to them threatens to break the illusion with the cold truth.
The brilliance of the song lies in the subtle shift of your title and chorus line. It constantly flips between a confident statement (“Those were the days”) and a doubting question (“Were those the days?”). By describing the past as “lost in a foggy haze,” the song perfectly captures the foggy nature of human memory.
Because these are folk lyrics, the repetition of the chorus mimics a circular thought pattern—someone pacing the floor, trapped in their own head trying to decide: “Now or then, should I pick?” It has a deeply relatable, bittersweet tone that contrasts a warm affection for the past with the fast-paced, disposable nature of modern life.
It’s a beautiful piece of writing—simple on the surface, but emotionally complex underneath!
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Were Those The Days? lyrics
Those were the days of wine, women and song
Oh Mary, don’t tell me that I’m wrong
Has nostalgia made me blind?
Can I be so wrong this time?
Those were the days
Were those the days?
All lost in a foggy haze
Those were the days
Were those the days?
Things were better then or so they say
More time to breathe, more time to play
Maybe my mind is playing tricks
Now or then, should I pick?
I was younger then and in my prime
Things have changed with the passage of time
Things were slow, now they move too fast
In this day and age things aren’t built to last
Those were the days
Were those the days?
All lost in a foggy haze
Those were the days
Were those the days?
Those were the days of wine, women and song
Oh Mary, don’t tell me that I’m wrong
Has nostalgia made me blind?
Can I be so wrong this time?
Those were the days
Were those the days?
All lost in a foggy haze
Those were the days
Were those the days?
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Paul Robert Thomas PRS No. 497904008 (London)
PRS Tunecode: 032264WA ISWC: T-341.172.090-2
Audiosparx Catalogue ID: 1426779 ISRC: US5UL2655135
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You can check out Paul’s complete Music Discovery HERE that includes 53 of Paul’s albums, as well as 569 of Paul’s songs catogorized according to their music genre HERE and you can also read Paul’s interesting and eventful Bio HERE
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Take a tour of Paul’s music site HERE where you’ll find not only great songs, but you can also read about Paul’s meeting with Andy Warhol, the letter that Robert Johnson’s grandson’s sent to Paul, the letter to Paul from Buckingham Palace, Paul’s successful court battle against the London police, Paul’s Dylan concert reviews, articles and much much more!
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Paul is a member of the PRS (London) CAE 497904008
Join Paul on YouTube HERE and on Facebook HERE and on Bandcamp HERE
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You can contact Paul via email at paul@paullyrics.com
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