Hard Times Come Again No More
A Stephen Foster parlor song expressing hardship during the Civil War.
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"Hard Times Come Again No More" is an American parlor song by Stephen Foster, published in 1854. It became widely popular during the American Civil War as an expression of suffering and hardship. The song asks the fortunate to consider the plight of the less fortunate and includes the image of "a pale drooping maiden."
Recordings
Jennifer Warnes put "Hard Times Come Again No More" on her 1979 album Shot Through The Heart. The following year, Dolly Parton used an a cappella verse from it to open her own song "Hush-A-Bye Hard Times." The Red Clay Ramblers, from North Carolina, included the track on their 1981 record Hard Times. Irish vocalist Mary Black recorded it twice: first for her 1984 album Collected, then again for the 1997 various-artists compilation Gael Force.
Akiko Yano sang it on her 1989 release Welcome Back. Syd Straw’s 1989 debut Surprise featured a version with X frontman John Doe. Kate & Anna McGarrigle cut it for the 1991 collection Songs of the Civil War. Emmylou Harris performed it live on her 1992 album At the Ryman.
Bob Dylan recorded it for his 1992 album Good as I Been to You. The Lost Dogs made it the second-to-last track on their 1992 debut Scenic Routes. Harvey Reid played it on acoustic guitar for his 1994 album Chestnuts. In the first series of Transatlantic Sessions (1995), an ensemble including Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, Karen Matheson, and Rod Paterson performed the song.
It appeared in two 1995 films: Georgia, sung by Mare Winningham, and The Neon Bible, performed by Thomas Hampson. The 2nd South Carolina String Band put it on their 1997 album Southern Soldier. Nanci Griffith recorded it for her 1998 release Other Voices Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful). The 2000 Appalachian Journey featured James Taylor on vocals alongside Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor, and Yo-Yo Ma.
Eastmountainsouth (Peter Bradley Adams and Kat Maslich) recorded it on their self-titled 2003 album. Johnny Cash included it on the Redemption Songs disc of his 2003 Unearthed box set. Mavis Staples recorded it for the Grammy-winning 2004 album Beautiful Dreamer. Randy VanWarmer sang it on his 2005 album Randy VanWarmer Sings Stephen Foster.
That same year, Eastmountainsouth's version appeared in Cameron Crowe's film Elizabethtown, and the song also featured in Whitney Hamilton's 2005 movie My Brother's War. Matthew Perryman Jones put it on his 2006 album Throwing Punches in the Dark. Andru Bemis recorded it for his 2006 album Rail to Reel. The 97th Regimental String Band included it on their album Raise a Ruckus.
More in Songs of the American Civil War
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Hard Times Come Again No More (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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