When the World Was Young

It isn't by chance I happen to be
 A boulevardier, the toast of Paris
 For over the noise, the talk and the smoke
 I'm good for a laugh, a drink or a joke
 I walk in a room, a party or ball
 "Come sit over here" somebody will call
 "A drink for M'sieur, a drink for us all!"
 But how many times I stop and recall
 Ah, the apple trees
 Blossoms in the breeze
 That we walked among
 Lying in the hay
 Games we used to play
 While the rounds were sung
 Only yesterday, when the world was young
 Wherever I go they mention my name
 And that in itself, is some sort of fame
 "Come by for a drink, we're having a game"
 Wherever I go I'm glad that I came
 The talk is quite gay, the company fine
 There's laughter and lights, and glamour and wine
 And beautiful girls and some of them mine
 But often my eyes see a different shine
 Ah, the apple trees
 Sunlit memories
 Where the hammock swung
 On our backs we'd lie
 Looking at the sky
 Till the stars were strung
 Only last July when the world was young
 Ah, the apple trees
 Blossoms in the breeze
 That we walked among
 Lying in the hay
 Games we used to play
 While the rounds were sung
 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 Jacques 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