Let me tell of a time When the world was in rhyme With the sound of our laughter Montmartre hanged with flowers For far-forgotten hours of hunger and of love Unaware in our youth of the sobering truth Of the years that came after We laughed at common men For we were heroes then And heaven smiled above La boheme, la boheme Poor hungry you, poor hungry me La boheme, la boheme See the old world that could not see All those innocent hearts Who imagined their arts Could be casually mastered I miss them every one For the sands of time have run away for each and all For it seems that our schemes were impossible dreams That could never have lasted For when we woke at last the big parade had passed And spring had gone its way La boheme, la boheme Someone to care, someone to mind La boheme, la boheme We were in love and love is blind Now and then I return And the memories burn with a bittersweet aching I climb the same old stairs But no-one longer cares And there's no-one to greet In the streets where we walked And the bars where we talked Of a world we were making I stand upon that hill until I drink my fill Then leave it all behind La boheme, la boheme Moments of joy, moments of pain La boheme, la boheme Nothing can bring them back again