“Yesterday” by the Beatles
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It’s easy to learn English if you sing along with your favorite songs.
In this next series of Easy English lessons, I’ve picked three pop (abbreviation for “popular”) songs from each decade since the 1960s to teach you the words (also called “lyrics”) to them and to explain the phrases that might confuse people less familiar with American slang.
Here is the great classic “Yesterday” from the Beatles. This song first came out in 1965 and is still a karaoke favorite. Hope you enjoy it!
Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away.
Now, it looks as though they’re here to stay.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly,
I’m not half the man I used to be.
There’s a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
Why she
Had to go, I don’t know. She wouldn’t say.
I said
Something wrong. Now, I long for yesterday.
Yesterday,
Love was such an easy game to play.
Now, I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Why she
Had to go, I don’t know. She wouldn’t say.
I said
Something wrong. Now, I long for yesterday.
Yesterday,
Love was such an easy game to play.
Now, I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm.
EXPLANATION OF PHRASES
1. “I believe in yesterday.”
Most of this song is straightforward, so it’s easy to guess at its meaning. However, there is one important lesson in it that I want to make sure you understand. The phrase “I believe in yesterday” expresses an abstract idea. Here, he means he “prefers” yesterday, and “yesterday” means “a time when love was easier for him, he had the woman he loved, and he was happy.”
Usually, the phrase “I believe in” is used to express deeply held beliefs such as:
“I believe in God.”
“I believe in democracy.”
“I believe in fairness.”
In the second verse, the sentence “Oh, yesterday came suddenly” does not seem to make sense in the context of this song. If he longs for yesterday, which means he strongly desires to go back to yesterday, then it’s probably more consistent to say either “Oh, today came suddenly” or “Oh, yesterday left suddenly.” But, songs are often inconsistent and, sometimes, even completely nonsensical. This one is mostly consistent, which is nice for purposes of teaching English.
2. “There’s a shadow hanging over me.”
“Shadow,” as used here, is a metaphor for “worries.” The American phrase is usually “a cloud hanging over me.” But, I realize that “shadow” sounds better in this song.
3. “Love was such an easy game to play.”
Since he calls love a “game,” we can guess he didn’t take his relationship with his lover very seriously. This guess is further supported by the fact that he considered it “easy to play,” so he probably didn’t put much effort into it. Finally, he admits he “said something wrong” that resulted in her leaving him. Whatever it was, it may have been so bad that she did not feel the need to even try to discuss it with him.
CONCLUSION
All songs are open to the listener’s unique interpretation. This is just my interpretation, which continues to change over time. It’s a beautiful song, even more beautiful for its simplicity. No wonder the whole world loves it!
May 21st, 2009 at 11:13 am
“Shadow,” as used here, is a metaphor for “worries.” The American phrase is usually “a cloud hanging over me.” - I think the reason for this might be that The Beatles were British, not American.
Though, it’s possible that the Bristish also use the phrase “cloud hanging…”. The song is great.