Good Times Never Last

Good times never last, my friend;
Joy and laughter – all must fade.
Their memories never die, my friend;
They linger and mockingly parade
Before your eyes, around each bend,
They stream past you in rough cascades.
Every drop of thought does rend
Your heart and all as with a spade.

Good times never last, dear fellow,
Tears and sorrow – what are they?
The sound of a voice above or below,
Now a mere echo at the fall of day,
The air of a spring once so mellow,
The sight of the waves on the bay,
A talented artist playing the cello,
Now all reside within the grave.

Life and Death are but two faces
Of the world’s most fateful coin.
Life does come, but Death erases
Every source of life with time.
Glory and splendor are not pervasive,
Fame and shame are worth a dime.
Good times last so long as traces
Of bad times fade and still do shine.

People come and people leave,
Love once formed is soon unwrought.
There’s no point in sitting to grieve,
Or to waste one’s time in idle thought,
Worrying about Life’s erratic sleeve,
Up which goes all Life has brought,
Leaving behind mere memories:
The best bread, too, must turn to rot.

Good times never last, my friend,
So don’t count on their lasting so.
With every step you take you send
Away a part of you, and let it sow
For every lasting success an end,
A thunderstorm for each rainbow.
Good times never last, my friend;
They come only so they can go.