Once upon a nickel, you could really buy
A cake of soap, a good cigar, a piece of apple pie
A subway ride, an ice cream cone
And for a nickel you could phone
Those were the good old days
Once upon a nickel you could buy a lot
A loaf of bread a bowl of soup
A hot dog really hot
A glass of beer, a can of beans
A nickel bought most magazines
Those were the good old days
What happened to that nickel cup of coffee
A five cent bag of peanuts at the game
Because I have no doubt that
The nickel is dying out
I'm gonnaput one in a special frame
Once upon a nickel we could have a time
But now to buy a nickel's worth
You need more than a dime
The day may come but who knows when
They'll sensibly revive again
The nickel and those good old days
Once upon a nickel we were in the chips
We'd do the town you'd throw around
Those great big nickel tips
Those silver coins when they were tossed
Could get a gal's kid brother lost
Those were the good old days
Once upon a nickel life was very nice
A nickel brought the ice man up
With quite a chunk of ice
Those suppers at the automat
How I laughed when they stole your hat
Those were the good old days
The five cent airmail stamp is just a memory
Those nickel shoeshine days are gone for good
I hate to see it die but for all that it lets you buy
The nickel might as well be made of wood
Once upon a nickel we could have a time
But now to buy a nickel's worth
You need more than a dime
The day may come but who knows when
They'll sensibly revive again
The nickel and those good old days