Old Friends (Part 1) / Like It Was - Stephen Sondheim

MARY

Hey, old friend

What do you say, old friend?

Make it okay, old friend

Give the old friendship a break

Why so grim?

We’re going on forever

You, me, him

Too many lives are at stake

Friends this long

Has to mean something’s strong

So if our old friend’s wrong

Shouldn’t an old friend come through?

It’s us, old friend —

What’s to discuss, old friend?

Here’s to us

Who’s like us?

CHARLEY

Damn few

MARY

Charley

Why can’t it be like it was?

I liked it the way that it was

Charley —

You and me, we were nicer then

We were nice

Kids and cities and trees were nice

Everything…

I don’t know who we are any more

And I’m starting not to care

Look at us, Charley

Nothing’s the way that it was

I want it the way that it was —

Help me stop remembering then

Don’t you remember?

It was good, it was really good

Help me out, Charley

Make it like it was

(spoken)

Come on.

We both know it, it was better, Charley.

The three of us

CHARLEY (spoken)

And you come on — we’re not the three of us any more, Mary

Now we’re one and one and one

MARY

Charley

Nothing’s the way that it was

I want it the way that it was

God knows, things were easier then

Trouble is, Charley

That’s what everyone does:

Blames the way it is

On the way it was —

On the way it never, ever was