Yesterday Once More – English Lyrics

• By: Carpenters

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the timeless beauty of 'Yesterday Once More' to practice your English. With its clear articulation, slow tempo, and heartfelt vocabulary centered on memory and emotion, this song is perfect for learners wanting to master natural phrasing and sentimental expressions in English.

[English]

[Music]

when I was young i' listen to the

radio waiting for my favorite

songs when they played i' sing along

along it made me

smile hey it's Nate and today I am doing

Yesterday Once More by Carpenters like

many Carpenters songs it's a gorgeous

piano ballad with lots of really cool

Jazzy chord changes in it I think you're

going to love playing and singing it

let's jump

in okay so first off I recommend you get

the chords and lyrics chart there's a

link down in the description and that's

going to help you follow along and see

where the chords and the lyrics line up

with each other let's start out with the

intro here it is it's just one measure

of e major going to voice it like that

this is Middle C here so you get the

octave and I'm just doing b e and G

sharp 135 um and it's just one measure

and right off the bat let's do quarter

notes in the right hand so just playing

on every count so the intro would be 1 2

3 4 and the singing actually starts as

pickup notes in the intro 1 2 3 when I

was young I listen so then we're in the

verse let's look at that verse here are

the chords for that there is a lot going

on here um but it starts out with the

measure of e and so starting on the

verse I'm going to start adding left

hand bass notes so I've got my first

finger on this e and octave lower young

I'd listen to the

radi so G Shar minor over a d Shar the

only thing that needs to change in each

hand is the E need to step down to D

Sharps

radio waiting for for my a c Shar minor

here C Shar e and G Shar step down to my

third finger there on the C Shar in the

left hand and just a little note in this

first verse here um they do do on the

second count of that uh sus two so you

could use your second finger on the dsh

like for my favorite

songs so C minor for B only thing that

changes is we have a b Bas note and

actually I'm going to if I can remember

cross my left hand thumb under to hit

that b bass note there cuz that sets us

up for where the left hand needs to go

next 2 3 when they played at it's a

little high for me I'll sing it down in

octave played at sing

along so there we had this a major 7 um

I went to the a Bas note but the right

hand stayed the same uh C Shar minor

with an a Bas note is an a major 7 and

then for this gar Minor 7 we're stepping

down to the G sharp in the left hand and

then B dsharp and F in the right hand

this is also just a B major Triad and we

are going to use that in a minute so

make note of that then we have this F

minor

7 um you can do a C sharp and E in the

right hand a major chord while doing

that F sharp bass note Let Me Slowly

play through that one more time when I

was young I listen to the

radio waiting for my favorite

song when they played I'd sing along

along it made me

[Music]

smile those were such happy okay so we

got to go over this kind of complicated

thing here there are simpler ways to do

it including what I'm going to show you

the second verse it does something

really simple um but at its core we're

going to hit this F minor 7 and instead

of just doing those chord notes we're

going to play on count one and then the

and after two so thinking in eighth

notes one and two and three and four and

1 and 2 and three and four and you can

also throw in on the four and top two

notes of the right hand chord bottom

Note 1 2 and and three 4 and okay and

then here's the tricky part a slightly

simpler way to do it is 1 2 and 3 4 so

we've got this B um in the right hand

over dsharp um so that's the same B

chord I pointed out earlier and then

we've got a over C

sharp A over B so we're just doing an a

major chord in the right hand for those

last two hits and the left hand is just

stepping down D Shar C Shar B timing

there is 1 and 2 and 3 4 you can step

back up to a B major chord on Beat 4

again 1 2 and 3 4 and you want to make

that first a hit really staccato 1 2 and

3 4 um there's a little bit more to it

on the recording where on the beginning

on the B chord instead of just going

they go

so if you want to add that you can voice

that B chord uh with your second third

and fifth finger and then use your first

finger to hit this fshp and that would

be on the 1 and 2 and three those were

such happy times so now we are in the

third line it starts really similar to

what it did before so happy times and

not so long ago

how I

wondered where they so I just want to

point out here that we once again are

going from C minor crossing our first

finger under to that c Shar minor over B

but this time it's happening um twice as

fast it's only two counts of C minor

before stepping down to the C minor over

B and then the a major 7 there at the

bottom of it this measures a bit of a

doozy it's going to sound like this with

it

gone but this back again so we've got uh

just two counts of the a major 7 the

little Dash represents a second count of

it so 1 2 then we've got this dsharp

Minor 7 flat 5 um so coming all the way

down to this dsharp bass note super low

a csharp and F here 1 125 and then to

get to the gsh 7 we're going to come up

to a gar Basse note you can use your

second finger there and the only thing

that needs to happen in the right hand

is both of these bottom notes are going

to step down a half step so G sharp and

c and you could just use one and two one

and two if you want to voice the dshp in

that chord you totally can but you don't

need to so but there and again the

timing there is 1 2 3 4 okay last line

here for the verses but they're back

again just like a long lost friend so

for these two measures we're going to do

a similar Rhythm to what we talked about

before but it's just on the one and then

the end after two 1 and 2 and 3 4 so C

Shar minor over B I did start doing

octaves here if you can't make the

stretch you can stick with single bass

notes maybe play an octave lower but I'm

doing that for more power here 1 2 and 3

4 1 2 and 3 4 when you get to the a

major 7 um of course the right hand

stays the same we're going to come down

to the a octaves uh but you can kind of

just resume the quarter notes There song

I love so so uh for the F minor 7 a c

Shar e in the right hand love so

well A over B so still doing the same

right hand essentially a major Triad

that we were doing for the F minor 7 but

then the base note changes to a b that's

a really awesome expectant sound that

happens all throughout the song um and

this is leading into the chorus here um

and you got the three counts of A over B

that's what those dashes are 1 2 3 4

just stepping up to that B major chord

um best way to kind of figure out that

timing is it is like I said leading into

the chorus and the last count of the A

on count three is on F and then the B

chord is on re for sh la la la so again

from the a major 7 and I forgot to point

out that it's just two counts of a major

7 2 counts of fstar Minor 7 so that's

going to be songs I love so

well every sh la la la okay so the

chorus is next but first i'm going to do

a slow sing through of that whole first

verse and just one more detail I'm going

to add that's optional is adding some

extra bass notes in the left hand on the

and after four so one 1 2 3 4 and 1 2

you don't have to do it every time but

it just kind of leads in the next

chord when I was young i' listen to the

r waiting for my favorite

songs when they played at sing along

it made me

[Music]

smile those were such happy times and

not so long

ago how I

wondered where they

gone but they're back again just like a

long lost friend all the songs I love

love so

well every sha so that's going into the

chorus okay so here are the chords for

the chorus a lot of the same chords

we've already done in the verse um right

off the bat in the chorus I'm going to

be playing octaves like we were at the

end of the verse I'm also going to sing

an octave lower just cuz it's a little

too high for my voice we've got a

measure of

e to C Shar minor and it just goes back

and forth between those a few times um

I'm just doing a little Rhythm too like

1 2 and three and four you can just kind

of throw in some eighth notes on the top

octave with your first finger in between

right hand hits if you want every sh

La every

wo still

[Music]

shines I hear that strings Melody if you

want to imply it a little bit you

can add just like a add two there on the

D every single

linging that this start sing so

fun okay so on this F Shar Minor 7 uh

the measure starts with a few chord

notes 1 2 3 and four and so here are the

notes and counts for that um we're going

to play the f octaves in left hand on

count one when we hit that measure 1 2

and then 3 and 4 and just stepping up FP

G Shar a b and actually that b is going

to the B major chord that starts the

next measure it it hits a eighth note

early it anticipates the next measure so

1 2 3 and four and 1 2 and then we have

this A over B

B on Beats three and four of that

measure so fun 2 3 and four and 1 2 3

when they okay now we've got this C

minor and here we're going to go back to

that one two and three only difference

is I'm also going to hit just the right

hand on beat for get to the part where

he's breaking a heart uh so C augmented

here we have some funky looking chords

coming up but really all that's going to

happen is we're going to step the bottom

note down chromatically so C augmented

is c e and G Shar and then the E over B

looks like that uh with a b e g Shar and

when I get to that e over B I'm going to

resume the quarter note rhythm in the

right hand but just very lightly going

to pull back the Dynamics

really make me cry so a sharp Minor 7

flat 5 but again it's just the same top

notes as we had before and that note

just going to hold really make me cry

just like

before okay so e over B we're doing that

same e we've been doing with a B bass

Note 2 3 4 A over B it's happiness once

more E major 7 um and you can do uh G

sharp B and D Shar in the right hand

coming down to a low e base not once

more um there is this cool arpeggio

there that I want to point out this is

totally optional it's going to sound

like this just like

before it's happiness so we're going to

climb up you do that e e major chord in

the right hand on count one and then

every eighth note thereafter we're kind

of just stepping up the an arpeggio on

that so one and two and you can cross

your thumb under to the B here so b e g

sharp b e and then F G sharp again

four the melody then goes to there but

it's it sounds like an overdub because

you also hear that right-and chord so

I'm just going to hop down to that a

like

B you could do it up here too if it's

too big of a jump It's happiness once

more then we have these two measures of

e major 7 to A over

[Music]

B Lang Lang 2 three looking back and

that would be going uh to the next verse

final optional fancy thing you can do

here at the end of the last chorus would

sound like

this Lang

Lang um so that would be 1 2 3 and for

and uh coming up b e f sharp and that

would hit on the and after four for that

A over B chord 1 2 3 and four and 1 and

2 and three yeah that's the last thing

is if you want to do some eighth notes

on a a there you do hear that there for

a sec before it goes into the next verse

let me do a sing through of that whole

chorus one two every so pick up notes

from the verse Sha la la every wo

wo still

shines every single Ling aing that

they're starting to sing so fun 2 3 and

four and

one when they get to the part where he

he breaking a heart it can

really make me

cry just like

before it's yeserday once

[Music]

more be do Lang l

looking back on how okay so now we're on

the second verse here's the chords for

the second verse and you'll notice it is

almost identical to the first verse um

the only difference really is that at

the end of the second line it's a little

simpler than it was but also here's

where there's a harp arpeggi on the

recording that has this eighth note feel

if you want to capture that a little bit

in you're playing which I think I will

do you could start doing this pattern

instead of just doing the simple chord

note start

going this rocking

um where you do the top two notes and

the bottom Note 1 and two and three and

four

and and the good times that I

had makes today seem rather

sad so much has change

it was songs of so we don't do that

fancy Rhythm we did we just keep doing

whatever we're

doing then a for two counts B it was

songs of love and then yeah it's the

same from there just different words

after that we've got the second chorus

here's the chords for that it looks just

like the first chorus the only

difference is at the end of it there is

only once on the a major 7 to the A over

B um and here's where I'm going to

differ from the recording cuz at the end

of this what happens is just like before

it's Yesterday Once

More every sh it just Loops back into

the first part of the chorus which you

could totally do it starts just doing

the first two lines of the chorus over

and over again but fading out and when

you get into that there's really no good

place to end if you're not fading out so

I am just going to do

um it's Yesterday Once More and end it

there on a e major chord um and I'm

going to do a root position E major

chord uh just so it sounds more final so

e g sharp and B I'm just going to end it

there and let it ring out and then the

song is over all right thank you for

sticking with me I am now going to do a

full run through of the whole song so

you can see how all the parts fit

together just a note I'm going to do a

little bit of jumping up and down the

octave with my singing just so so it

fits for my voice but um don't let that

confuse you this is the original key and

you can sing it in her register the

whole time if that works for you if you

enjoyed this video please do give it a

like And subscribe to my channel if you

haven't already and click the Bell so

you know when I put out more videos like

this one okay here's my version of

Yesterday Once

More when I was young i' listen to the

radio

waiting for my favorite

songs when they played i' sing along

along it made me

smile those were such happy times and

not so long

ago how I wondered where theyd gone

but they're back again just like a long

lost friend all the songs I love so

well every sh la la every wo wo still

shines every Shing aing aing

that they're starting to sing so

fun when they get to the part where he's

breaking a heart it can really make me

cry just like

before it's yesterday one

[Music]

small should do l

l looking back on how it was in Years

Gone by and the good times that i'

had makes today seem rather sad

so much has

changed it was songs of love that I

would sing to them and I

Miz each

word those old

Melodies still sound so good to me as

they melt the years away

every sh la la la every wo wo still

shines every shingling a ling that

they're starting to sing so

fine all my best

memories come that clearly to me some

can even make me cry just like

before it's Yesterday Once More

[Music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
yesterday /ˈjestərdeɪ/ A1	noun - the day before today
favorite /ˈfeɪvərɪt/ A2	adjective - preferred before all others
smile /smaɪl/ A1	verb - to form one's features into a pleased expression
happy /ˈhæpi/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
wonder /ˈwʌndər/ B1	verb - to desire or be curious to know something
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
shine /ʃaɪn/ A2	verb - to emit or reflect light
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - to cause to separate into pieces; to end or interrupt
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood; symbol of emotion
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to shed tears
memory /ˈmeməri/ A2	noun - the faculty by which the mind stores information
melody /ˈmelədi/ B1	noun - a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	verb - to become different
listen /ˈlɪsən/ A1	verb - to give one's attention to a sound
young /jʌŋ/ A1	adjective - having lived or existed for only a short time

Key Grammar Structures

• When I was young, I'd listen to the radio.

  ➔ Past Habit (would + infinitive)

  ➔ The structure "would" + verb is used here to describe repeated actions or habits that took place in the past.

• How I wondered where they'd gone.

  ➔ Past Perfect (had + past participle)

  ➔ The "Past Perfect" is used here to refer to an action that happened before another action in the past ("wondered").

• But they're back again just like a long lost friend.

  ➔ Simile (just like)

  ➔ "Just like" is used as a comparative structure to establish a relationship of similarity between the songs and a friend.

• When they get to the part where he's breaking a heart.

  ➔ Relative Clause (where)

  ➔ The relative adverb "where" introduces a clause that provides more information about the "part" of the song.

• And the good times that I'd had makes today seem rather sad.

  ➔ Subjunctive/Contrasting effect (makes... seem)

  ➔ The construction "makes... seem" is used to express how a past memory causes a present emotional state.

• It was songs of love that I would sing to them.

  ➔ Cleft Sentence (It was... that...)

  ➔ The "It was... that..." structure is used to focus emphasis on the object ("songs of love").

• As they melt the years away.

  ➔ Causative structure (melt... away)

  ➔ The verb "melt away" is used metaphorically to describe how music causes the feeling of time passing to disappear.

• All my best memories come back clearly to me.

  ➔ Adverb of Manner (clearly)

  ➔ The adverb "clearly" modifies the verb "come back," describing the vividness of the memory recall.