I got my first real six-string,

Bought it at the five-and-dimes,

Played it till my fingers bled,

It was the summer of '69.

Me and some guys from school

Had a band and we tried real hard.

Jimmy quit and Jodie got married,

I shoulda know we'd never get far.



Oh, when I look back now,

And if I had the choice,

Yeah, I'd always wanna be there,

Those were the best days of my life.



Ain't no use in complainin'

When you've got a job to do,

Spent my evening's down at the drive-in,

And that's where I met you.



Standin' at your mama's porch,

You told me that you'd wait forever,

And when you held my hand

I knew that it was now or never,

Those were the best days of my life.



Back in the summer of '69.

Man, we were killin' time,

We were young and restless,

We needed to unwind.

I guess nothin' can last forever,

Forever, no.



And now the times are a-chanign',

Look at everything that's come and gone.

Every time I play that old six-string,

Think about you, wonder what went wrong.



Standin' by your mama's porch,

You told me it would last forever.

Oh, the way you held my hand,

I knew that it was now or never.

Those were the best days of my life.



Back in the summer of '69