Let me tell of the time, when the world was in rhyme with the sound of our laughter Montmartre hung with flowers Those far farther than ours, of hunger and of love And aware 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 bohème, la bohème Poor hungry you, poor hungry me La bohème, la bohème Silly old world that could not see All those innocent hearts, who imagined their arts could be casually mastered And each and everyone, the sands of time had gone away from each and all For each scenes that are schemed For impossible dreams that could never have lasted For when we woke at last the big parade had passed And Spring had gone it's way La bohème, la bohème Someone to care, someone to mind La bohème, la bohème We were in love and love is blind Now and then I return, and the memories burn with a bitter sweet aching I climb the same old stairs, but no one longer cares And there's no one to greet in the street were we walked, Or the bars were we talked of the world we were making I stand up on that hill, until I drink my fill, then leave it all behind La bohème, la bohème Moments of joy, moments of pain La bohème, la bohème Nothing can bring them back again