When the World Was Young

They call me coquette and mademoiselle

And I must admit I like it quite well

It's something to be the darling of all

La grande femme fatale, the belle of the ball

There's nothing as gay as life in Paris

There's no other person I'd rather be

I love what I do, I love what I see

But where is the schoolgirl that used to be me?

Ah, the apple trees

Where at garden teas

Jack-o'-lanterns swung

Fashions of the day

Vests of appliqué

Dresses of shantung

Only yesterday

When the world was young

While sitting around we often recall

The laugh of the year, the night of them all

The blonde who was so attractive that year

Some opening night that made us all cheer

Remember that time we all got so tight

And Jack and Antoine got into a fight

The gendarmes who came passed out like a light

I laugh with the rest, it's all very bright

Ah, the apple trees

Sunlit memories

Where the hammock swung

On our backs we'd lie

Looking at the sky

'Til the stars were strung

Only last July

When the world was young

You'll see me at Cap d'Antibes or in Spain

I follow the sun by boat or by plane

It's any old millionaire in a storm

But I've got my mink to keep my heart warm

And sometimes I drink too much with the crowd

And sometimes I talk a little too loud

My head may be aching, but it's unbowed

And sometimes I see it all through a cloud

Ah, the apple trees

And the hive of bees

Where we once got stung

Summers at Bordeaux

Rowing at the bateaux

Where the willow hung

Just a dream ago

When the world was young