Hard Times Come Again No More

bags for the homeless

Stephen Foster captured the times in which he lived, as he observed people struggling during the 19th century.  His music takes the events of those days and makes them real in the modern world, as the wish is that hard times be lifted from the shoulders of the poor.

Foster knew poverty himself.  He struggled with alcoholic demons.  He performed wherever he could, sometimes just for pennies.  Like the musicians of today, his talents were sometimes not recognized for the value they gave others, although some of his other songs like "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" were popular favorites.  This hard times song is seldom heard by comparison to other Stephen Foster songs, but it demonstrates the perception and compassion of the writer, with the lyrics that talk about how difficult it was, and still is, to survive in a world where poverty virtually becomes a forever state for many people.

Hard Times Come Again No More is a statement from the past but a plea for the future, that the poor not be forgotten and that the pain and trouble that come with having little or nothing be understood by others and that compassionate response be made.

The song is done only with a harmonica here: