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Play Only Yesterday on your own piano
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Only Yesterday — Classic Piano Sheet Music
About “Only Yesterday”
Read "Only Yesterday" by Carpenters in classic piano notation — both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of Eb. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 120 BPM.
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Lyrics
(Eb)Af ter long e nough of be ing a lone,
(Bb7)ev ’ry one must face their share of lone li (Eb)ness.
In my own time, no bod y knew
the (Gm7)pain I was go in’ through,
and (Fm7)wait in’ was all my heart could (Bb)do.
(Eb)Hope was all I had un til you came.
(Ddim7)May be you can’t see how much you (Bb)mean to (Eb)me.
You were the dawn break ing the night,
the (Gm7)prom ise of morn ing light,
(F)fill ing the world sur round ing me.
And when I hold you, (Db)ba by, ba by, feels like may be (Fm)things will be al right.
(Db)Ba by, ba by, your love’s made (Db)me (Fm7)free as a song,
(Bb7)sing in’ for ev er.
(Eb)On ly yes ter day when I was sad and I was lone ly,
(Eb)you showed me the way to leave the past and all its tears be hind me.
To mor row may be e ven bright er than to day
since (Fm)I threw my (Bb)sad ness a (Fm7)way,
on ly yes ter (Eb)day.
(Eb)I have found my home here in your arms;
(Bb7)no where else on earth I’d real ly rath er (Eb)be.
Life waits for us; share it with me.
The (Ebmaj7)best is a bout to be,
and (F)so much is left for us to see.
And when I hold you, (Eb)day.
(E)On ly yes ter day when I was sad and I was lone ly,
(E)you showed me the way to leave the past and all its tears be hind me.
To mor row may be e ven bright er than to day
since (F#m)I threw my (B)sad ness a (F#m)way,
on ly yes ter (E)day.
(E)On ly yes ter day when I was sad and I was lone ly,
(E)you showed me the way to leave the past and all its tears be hind me.
To mor row may be e ven bright er than to day
since (F#m)I threw my (B)sad ness a (F#m)way,
on ly yes ter (E)day.
(E)day.
Practice tip
Tip: Use the speed control to practice at 70% tempo first. Focus on tricky chord transitions before attempting the full arrangement.
Questions about this song (13)
- Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "Only Yesterday"?
- Yes — the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature Eb. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
- What key is "Only Yesterday" by Carpenters played in?
- Only Yesterday is arranged in the key of Eb on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "Only Yesterday"?
- The arrangement plays at 120 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "Only Yesterday" easy to play on piano?
- This is a medium-difficulty arrangement. Most players can learn it within a few practice sessions using the speed control.
- Can I download sheet music for "Only Yesterday"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "Only Yesterday"?
- "Only Yesterday" was originally performed by Carpenters. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What chords are used in "Only Yesterday"?
- This arrangement uses 23 chords: Ab, B, Bb, Bb7, C, C#, C#m, Cm, +15 more.
- What other songs by Carpenters can I play here?
- Try "O HOLY NIGHT", "BECAUSE WE ARE IN LOVE", "CALLING OCCUPANTS". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
- Yes — "Only Yesterday" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature Eb, time signature, beams, dynamics — everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
- What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
- Sheet Music is the "classic" view — the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
- Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
- Yes — slow the tempo from 120 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
- Why can I click a note in the score?
- Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
- Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
- Yes — Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.
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