When I Was a Boy

When I was a boy

This was a green and pleasant land

I don't understand

Why we went dreadfully awry

When I was a boy

There were no dark satanic mills

I recall green hills and clear blue sky

How I miss the simple pleasures

The boundless store of nature's treasures

That I'd explore

How I wish those days were back again

Bring me back the youth I lack

That I'd then enjoy

When I was a boy

When I was a boy

There were wonders to be seen

Trees of Christmas green

A Christmas play

When I was a boy

There were circuses in town

Now every circus clown

Has slipped away

Oh, I know it's sentimental

But there was something fundamental

We've lost since then

Now we sit and count the cost

Of everything that we have lost

That brought us joy

When I was a boy

When I was a boy

Sometimes as I wander

Through this dark and cheerless town

I hear echoes of a long forgotten song

Sometimes now I wonder

As I wander through this town

Wondering why we went so wrong

For so long

When I was a boy

We let our fancy wander free

We had eyes to see and ears to hear

When I was a boy

We knew enough to fantasize

But we shut our eyes and let our fancy disappear

How I wish that I had had the will

To hold on to dreams that used to thrill

In days gone by

Why did we get so much colder

And forget as we grew older

The ways we helped destroy

From when I was a boy

When I was a boy

When I was a boy