Yesterday Once More – English Lyrics

• By: The Carpenters

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the timeless melodies of 'Yesterday Once More' to practice English. This song is perfect for learners because of Karen Carpenter's exceptionally clear diction and the song's slow tempo, allowing you to master emotional expression and vocabulary related to memory and nostalgia.

[English]

When I was young I'd listen to the radio 

Waitin' for my favorite songs When they played I'd sing along 

It made me smile. Those were such happy times 

And not so long ago How I wondered where they'd gone 

But they're back again Just like a long lost friend 

All the songs I loved so well. Every Sha-la-la-la 

Every Wo-o-wo-o Still shines 

Every shing-a-ling-a-ling That they're startin' to sing's 

So fine. When they get to the part 

Where he's breakin' her heart It can really make me cry 

Just like before It's yesterday once more. 

Lookin' 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 then And I'd memorize each word 

Those old melodies Still sound so good to me 

As they melt the years away. Every Sha-la-la-la 

Every Wo-o-wo-o Still shines 

Every shing-a-ling-a-ling That they're startin' to sing's 

So fine. All my best memories 

Come back clearly to me Some can even make me cry. 

Just like before It's yesterday once more.

Every Sha-la-la-la 

Every Wo-o-wo-o Still shines 

Every shing-a-ling-a-ling That they're startin' to sing's 

So fine.

Every Sha-la-la-la 

Every Wo-o-wo-o Still shines 

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
radio /ˈreɪdiəʊ/ A1	noun - the transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves carrying sound messages
favorite /ˈfeɪvərɪt/ A2	adjective - preferred before all others of the same kind
happy /ˈhæpi/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
wondered /ˈwʌndərd/ A2	verb - desired or be curious to know something
shines /ʃaɪnz/ A2	verb - to give out a bright light
breakin' /ˈbreɪkɪn/ A1	verb - to cause to separate into pieces; to cause emotional suffering
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood; symbol of emotion
yesterday /ˈjestərdeɪ/ A1	noun - the day before today
memorize /ˈmeməraɪz/ B2	verb - to commit to memory; learn by heart
melodies /ˈmelədiz/ B1	noun - a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying
melt /melt/ B1	verb - to change from a solid to a liquid state; to diminish gradually
memories /ˈmeməriz/ A2	noun - something remembered from the past
clearly /ˈklɪrli/ B1	adjective - in a clear manner; easily seen or understood
sad /sæd/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy
fine /faɪn/ A1	adjective - of high quality; satisfactory

Key Grammar Structures

• I'd listen to the radio

  ➔ Would for past habits

  ➔ Here, "would" is used to describe a repeated action in the past, similar to "used to".

• When they played I'd sing along

  ➔ Conditional/Time clause structure

  ➔ The "When" clause sets the background for the past action that followed, using "would" to denote the recurring nature of the singing.

• How I wondered where they'd gone

  ➔ Past Perfect Tense

  ➔ "They'd gone" (they had gone) uses the past perfect to show an action completed before the moment of wondering in the past.

• That they're startin' to sing's so fine

  ➔ Present Continuous and Subject-Verb Agreement

  ➔ The phrase "startin' to sing's" is a contraction for "starting to sing is", where the gerund phrase acts as the subject.

• It can really make me cry

  ➔ Causative verb 'make'

  ➔ The structure "make + object + bare infinitive" is used here to indicate that the songs cause the emotion of crying.

• Lookin' back on how it was

  ➔ Noun Clause as object of preposition

  ➔ "How it was" functions as a noun clause acting as the object of the preposition "on".

• Makes today seem rather sad

  ➔ Causative with bare infinitive (after seem)

  ➔ The causative verb "makes" is followed by the object "today" and the bare infinitive "seem" to express a state of perception.

• It was songs of love that I would sing to then

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

  ➔ This structure is used to emphasize "songs of love" as the specific thing that the speaker sang to in the past.