These Years

They say that pressure makes diamonds —
you can have my mine
You can push a cart load of rubble —
all the way to the end of the line
But there’s no way you can trade
all your precious stones
You can’t swap them for a life time of love —
or the wonders you could have known
It’s easy to be confused with all that’s going on
These years are all we have
You can’t live in the future, you know,
you can’t live in the past
No matter what you say, no matter what you do
You can’t change the ways of the world,
The only thing to change is you
Why worry about all the things you think you need
Profits of the rich, the problems of the poor —
All spring from the seeds of greed
And come your winter time,
your cold and shorter days
You’ll be warmed by the fires of love —
it’s the users who’ll have to pay
Sure the world is changing fast
but don’t be swept along
These years are all we have
You can’t live in the future, you know,
you can’t live in the past
No matter what you say, no matter what you do
You can’t change the ways of the world
in a single day
Hang on to all the things that last,
Although they may be hard to see and hold
They’re worth more than you’ll ever find
in your endless quest for gold
These years are all we have
You can’t live in the future, you know,
you can’t live in the past
No matter what you say,
no matter what you do
You can’t change
the ways of the world,
The only thing to change is you