A dirt dabber built its nest
On my only Sunday dress
And the roof leaked in my shoes
And when they dried they were too small
And the rats chewed a great big hole
In my only winter coat
And at night I'd hear them gnaw
The paper off my bedroom wall

But I still say those were the greatest days of all
Some happy and some sad
Some good and some bad
But I still say those were the greatest days of all

I used to wait by the garden gate
Where the hummingbirds came every day
To kiss the yellow roses
Growing up the garden wall
And in the tall grass I would lie
'Til evening shadows brought the night
Threw the window of my room
I'd hear the whippoorwill's sad call

And I still say those were the greatest days of all
Some happy and some sad
Some good and some bad
But I still say those were the greatest days of all
Now as I make my way along the busy city sidewalks
My head a-roaring from the deafening city sounds
You can't hear a whippoorwill in this noisy city
And tall green grass don't grow along the sidewalks of this town
And hummingbirds don't fly around these artificial roses
Like they did around the garden wall
And, oh, so often in my mind I'll go back to another time
And I still say those were the greatest days of all
I still say those were the greatest days of all