While the rock version is a kind of anthem for friendship, the reprise takes a more poignant approach.  It is sad that life takes us away from childhood friends.  This version resulted from me sitting at the piano with some time to spare and I just started playing the song more slowly in a mood reminiscent of Billy Joel’s The Stranger.

Monday in the class room, rumours flying high,
Scandals from the weekend, still refuse to die,
We all knew the secrets, but we’d never tell,
Weekend education, bent on Raisin’ Hell

But oh we thought we’d be friends forever
True loves like ours could never die
I look around now
all I see is a room full of strangers
Wondering how the years passed by
Time was on the fly
We had it all

Friday night we’re rollin’, blasting out the doors
Running fast on empty, got the pedal to the floor
Screamin’ round in circles, gravel shootin’ high
Though the tide was rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ in,
We never would say die
Oh we thought we’d be friends forever
We had it all
Oh, we never thought we’d lose it
Boy we had it all
All for one, one for all, forever we had it all

Running down the boardwalk,
jungle cats on the prowl
We could talk the talk, get knocked off our socks
But we’d never throw in the towel
Seems like yesterday,
but I know it’s been some years
The whole place was goin’ crazy,
‘cuz everyone was here

Oh we thought we’d be friends forever…
True loves like ours,
true loves like this could never die
I look around now
all I see is a room full of strangers
Wonderin’ how the years passed by
Time was on the fly we had it all.
And boy could we abuse it
We had it all,
Oh we thought we’d never never,
never gonna lose it
We had it all. It was all for one, one for all,
Forever we had it all