There Was a Time [Dennis DeYoung]

There Was a Time
Written by Dennis DeYoung
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung

There was a time

When we believed in happily ever afters
And fairy tales would always end
With the sound of children's laughter
Oh, there was a time
My Lord, there was a time

There was a place we called our own
Where we felt we were protected
So when the storm swept us away
How it felt so unexpected
Oh, where could we go
My Lord, it scared us so

And now it seems
It seems we're starting over
We're so unsure
With each and every day
There'll always be
New storms to weather
We can't let
We can't let faith slip away
We'll rise up together and we will survive
I know, I know we will survive
Through good times and bad times
Good times and bad times
We'll keep hope alive
If we just keep hope alive

There was a time
When all our dreams
Were filled with grand illusions
And this old world was right in time
Secure in our delusions
Oh, it was sublime
My lord, there was a time

And now it's clear
Clearer than ever
We must go on
No matter come what may
There'll always be
New storms to weather
We can't let
Nothing can stand in our way
We'll rise up together and we will survive
I know, I know we will survive
Through good times and bad times
Good times and bad times
We'll keep hope alive
If we just keep hope alive
Let's keep hope alive

We can't let
We can't let faith slip away
We'll rise up together and we will survive
I know, I know we will survive
Through good times and bad times
Good times and bad times
We'll keep hope alive
If we just keep hope alive
We'll rise up together
We'll rise up together
And we will survive
And I know we will survive
Through good times and bad times
Good times and bad times
We'll keep hope alive
I swear we'll keep hope alive

We'll rise up together... 

Interpretation

When we were kids reading fairy tales, the seemed to always end with "and they all lived happily ever after."  That gave us hope.  If we were fortunate enough to live in a stable home, we knew there was a place we could be safe, even if we were afraid of the storms outside. We had dreams, however unrealistic some may have been. Now that we're older, we need to hold on to that same hope, through good and bad.