Yesterday

The speaker remembers the past as a time when life felt easier and problems seemed distant. In the present, a loved one has left, and the speaker feels changed, uncertain, and weighed down. The song moves from nostalgia to regret: the speaker wonders whether saying something wrong caused the separation and longs for the comfort of earlier days.

Several images express this sadness simply. Troubles that “seemed so far away” now feel close and lasting, showing how the speaker’s view of life has changed. A “shadow hanging over me” suggests a persistent mood of sorrow or worry. The wish for “a place to hide away” implies a desire to escape painful feelings, rather than necessarily a literal place.

The speaker’s belief in “yesterday” may mean more than wanting a particular day back: it can suggest idealizing a time when love seemed easy and life felt manageable. Yet the lyrics do not explain why the person left, or whether the speaker truly did anything wrong. The self-blame may be accurate, or it may be a response to not having an answer. The repeated longing leaves the loss unresolved.