"The Way We Were" lyrics - ARETHA FRANKLIN

We would like to take you back down the vista of the past
And underscore a very, very special friendship
That we have maintained over the years
And we go back to the time that we were 16 and 17 years old

Memories light the corners of my mind
Misty water, colored memories
For the way we were
Oh darling

Scattered pictures
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were

Could it be it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? Could we?

Memories
They may be beautiful and yet
What is too painful to remember
We simply have let go and choose to forget

So is the laughter
The laughter, we will remember
We will remember
The way we were

Could it be it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had a chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
I don't know, could we?

Memories can be beautiful
Beautiful and yet, and yet, and yet
What is too painful to remember
Could be, we simply choose to forget

So it's the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were
The way we were

I remember
Are you gonna remember and do you remember the way we were
I can't get it off my mind
The way we were
We were