Hard Times Come Again No More

I've been playing Sid Meier's Civilization VI and am enthralled by the music. My son, Evan, told me the music for the United States was particularly good, so I gave it a listen.  The song chosen is a composition from 1954 by the iconic American composer, Stephen Foster. Wikipedia says:

It was published in New York City by Firth, Pond & Co. in 1854 as Foster's Melodies No. 28. Well-known and popular in its day, both in the United States and Europe, the song asks the fortunate to consider the plight of the less fortunate and includes one of Foster's favorite images: "a pale drooping maiden".

The song became very popular during the Civil War and inspired one rather witty parody entitled, "Hard Tack Come Again No More," I'm putting a link to a recording of this at the end of the post.

Foster was 28 when he penned the song and it may have been inspired by a mild recession in the US in 1953-54. It may also have been inspired by the much more severe Panic of 1937, which ran from 1936-38 and which Foster would have lived through as a child of 10-12 years old. Recessions were much more common in the 19th Century. By one count Foster would've lived through eight of them between his birth and writing the song.

The lyrics can be interpreted as hopeful or melancholy, and are probably intended as a combination of both.

Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears,
While we all sup sorrow with the poor;
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh! Hard times come again no more.

Chorus:
'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.

While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay,
There are frail forms fainting at the door;
Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say
Oh! Hard times come again no more.

Chorus

There's a pale weeping maiden who toils her life away,
With a worn heart whose better days are o'er:
Though her voice would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day,
Oh! Hard times come again no more.

Chorus

'Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave,
'Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore
'Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave
Oh! Hard times come again no more.

Chorus

There have been numerous recordings of this song over the years. Having listened to dozens in the past few days, my favorite is the one by the British group, The Longest Johns, from their 2022 album, Smoke & Oakum. They most known for their acapella renditions of old sea chanties, but they really nailed this song with the inspired banjo and guitar playing to back the harmonies.

Listen to this version and then you'll appreciate the parody below.

Finally, Emmylou Harris did a wonderful rendition on her 1996 album, Portraits. Though she had been doing live versions for several years prior to this recording.