“Hard Times Come Again No More”

by Stephen Foster 

Washburn banjo (aDADE)

 

'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard Times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door;
Oh! Hard times come again no more.

 

“Hard Times Come Again No More” often called “Hard Times” is a parlor song composed by Stephen Foster in 1854.  The lyrics are sentimental, but the chorus has become an anthem for those left out of the American Dream:  men and women whose lives were shattered by the Civil War and all subsequent American wars, those who suffered during the Depression and the Dustbowl, as well as today’s homeless who are depicted in photographs that accompany the recording.  Like so many songs by Stephen Foster the melody is haunting.  It is a sad irony that Stephen Foster, America’s greatest songsmith, died penniless and in obscurity in New York City at the age of 37.

 

"Hard Times" Photo Credits

 

All photos via Flickr.com creative commons license.  Attributions in order of appearance.

 

Classified by Joel Bedford

Hard Times in Detroit 2 by Mike Fritcher

Unemployed by James Lee

Where next? By Neil Moralee

Hard Times in Detroit 3 by Mike Fritcher

Time on your hands by Neil Moralee

Hard Times in Detroit by Mike Fritcher

Poverty by slynkycat

End Poverty to Stop Crime by Bart Everson

 

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