The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #101750 Message #3415909
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
07-Oct-12 - 01:27 PM
Thread Name: Chord Req: Hard, Ain't It Hard (Guthrie)
Subject: RE: Chord Req: Hard, Ain't It Hard (Guthrie)
The Almanac Singers varied the verses a bit from concert to concert. Here are two versions:
Hard, Ain't It Hard 1 Hard, aint it hard To love one who never did love you. Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard, great god To love one that never would be true. 2 It was late last night when my true love came home He was a-knocking on my door I got up in a fit of jealousy and I said True love, don't come here anymore. 3 Hard, ain't it hard To love one who never did love you Hard, ain't it hard, great god, To love one that never could be true. 4 The first time I seen my true love He was a-knocking at my door The last time I seen his hard-hearted smile He was lyin' dead on the floor.
Chorus
5 Don't go to drinkin' and gamblin' Don't go there your sorrows to drown This hard liquor place is a low-down digrace It's the mesnest bad place in this town.
Chorus Copyright BUG MUSIC lyricsmode.com
Hard, Ain't It Hard Almanac Singers (Guthrie, Lee Hays, Millard Lampell, Pete Seeger)
1 There is a house in this old town, And that's where my true love lays around, And he takes other women right down on his knee And he tells them a little tale he won't tell me. 2 Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard To love one that never did love you? It's a-hard, and it's hard, ain't it hard, great god, To love one that never will be true/ 3 First time I seen my true love He was walkin' by my door. Last time I seen his false-hearted smile He was dead on his coolin' board. 4 Don't go to drinkin' and gamblin', Don't go there your sorrows to drown, That hard-liquor place is a low-down disgrace, It's the meanest damn place in this town. 5 Well, who's goin' to kiss your ruby lips, And who's goin' to hold you to their breast? And who will talk your future over While I'm ramblin' in the west?
http://www.woodyguthrie.de/hard.html
Sod-Buster Ballads, Gen. 5019B. Lyrics above from Bear Family Records, BCD 15720 JL, 1996, p. 88.
Woody Guthrie can be heard singing solo on youtube, from Asch records V. 1, 1944.