In my mind it has always been like this:
"These days, the stars seem out of reach
These days, there ain't a ladder on these streets"
and
"These days, the stars ain't out of reach
But these days, there ain't a ladder on these streets"
Implying that they are not out of reach, only harder to reach.
However, the official lyrics are always "the stars seem out of reach" which Jon always sings live. Yet, on the album it sounds like he always sings "ain't".
So, what the deal with that? Give it me your thoughts!
Update 1 :
I was too quick... "The stars ain't out of reach" is sometimes sung live....
Like in this one:
And also this one, but Jon also sings "seems" at the end:
This conundrum drives me crazy!
Update 2:
The only times he sings "ain't" are in 1995... This would mean that he has the lyrics "fresh" in mind. However, when sung later on it is always "seems". We all know Jon forgets lyrics. So he has probably done his homework/rehearsed These Days before putting it in the setlist. And when doing so.... HE WOULD HAVE TO RELY ON THE OFFICIAL LYRICS!