Hard Times, Come Again No More

                  Hard Times, Come Again No More

                                     Stephen C. Foster, 1854-1855
                                            Mandolin tablature by 
                                         Elizabeth T. Knuth, 1999

Key: D

Moderately

Intro:

E--||--------------|----------------------------------|
A--||--4:----------|----------------------0-----------|
D--||--4:--0---2---|--4-------4-------4-----------4---|
G--||--------------|----------------------------------|
           |___|      |       |       |_  |       |_                           


|----------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|
|--2---0---0---2---4-------4---5---|
|----------------------------------|
   |___|___|___|   |       |___|                                        


|------------------------------0---|--2-------2---0-----------||
|--0-------0-------5---4---5-------|------------------5-------||
|----------------------------------|------------------4-------||
|----------------------------------|--------------------------||
   |       |       |___|___|___|      |       |___|   |


Verse:

|----------|----------------------------------|
|----------|----------------------0-----------|
|--0---2---|--4-------4---4---4-----------4---|
|----------|----------------------------------|
   |_  |_     |       |_  |_  |_  |       |_

  Let  us   pause   in life's pleasures  and


                           E
|----------------------------------|
|--------------------------2-----0-|
|--2---0---0---2---4---------------|
|----------------------------------|
   |_  |_  |_  |_  |       |_    |=

 count its man-y  tears, While   we


                           E
|----------------------------------|
|--0-------------------------------|
|----------4-------4---0---2-----2-|
|----------------------------------|
   |       |       |_  |_  |_    |=

  all     sup     sor-row with  the


|------------------r---------------|
|------------------e---------------|
|--0---------------s-------0---2---|
|------------------t---------------|
   |       |       |       |_  |_

 poor:                  There's a


|----------------------------------|
|----------------------0-----------|
|--4-------4---4---4-----------4---|
|----------------------------------|
   |       |_  |_  |_  |       |_

 song   that will lin-ger     for-

                           _
                          /.\
|----------------------------------|
|--------------------------2-------|
|--2---0---0---2---4---------------|
|----------------------------------|
   |_  |_  |_  |_  |       |

  ev - er  in our ears;   Oh!


                           E
|----------------------------------|------------------r-------|
|--0-------------------------------|------------------e-------|
|----------4-------4---0---2-----2-|--0---------------s-------|
|----------------------------------|------------------t-------|
   |       |       |_  |_  |_    |=   |       |       |

 Hard    Times,   come  a-gain   no  more.


Chorus:

|----------|----------r-----------------------|
|----------|--0-------e---0---0-----------0---|
|--4---5---|--4-------s-------4-------6---0---|
|----------|----------t-----------------------|
   |_  |_     |       |_  |_  |       |_  |_

  'Tis the   song,       the sigh     of the


|--------------------------r-------|
|--2---------------0-------e-------|
|--0---------------4-------s-------|
|--------------------------t-------|
   |       |       |       |

  wea      -      ry;


|----------------------------------|
|--5-------0-------2-------0-------|
|--4-------4-------0-------4-------|
|----------------------------------|
   |       |       |       |

 Hard    Times,  Hard    Times,

                   _
                  /.\
|----------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|
|--4---4---2---0---2-------0---2---|
|------------------2---------------|
   |_  |_  |_  |_  |       |_  |_

  come a- gain no more:   Man- y


|----------------------------------|
|----------------------0-----------|
|--4-------4---4---4---4-------4---|
|----------------------------------|
   |       |_  |_  |_  |       |_

 days     you have lingered    a- 

                           _
                          /.\
|----------------------------------|
|--------------------------2-------|
|--2---0---0---2---4-------0-------|
|----------4---------------0-------|
   |_  |_  |_  |_  |       |

 round my cab- in door;   Oh!


                           E
|----------------------------------|--------------------------||
|--0-------------------------------|--------------------------||
|--0-------4-------4---0---2-----2-|--0-----------------------||
|--------------------------0-------|--------------------------||
   |       |       |_  |_  |_    |=   |       |       |

 Hard    Times,  come  a- gain   no  more.

2. 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

3. There's a pale drooping 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

4. '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.

=================================================================
==                    TABLATURE EXPLANATION                    ==
=================================================================

----------
-4:------- Time
-4:------- Signature
----------

    _
   /.\
----------
----3----- Fermata:
---------- Hold note a little longer
----------
    |


Rhythm:
  E = dotted eighth

"Hard Times" has had something of a revival in recent years. There is a splendid version on Emmylou Harris's album At the Ryman.

Oh. I'm not crazy about Foster's intro. Skip it if you don't care for it either.

Scanned images of the 1854 sheet music for "Hard Times," arranged for piano and guitar, are available on the Web, courtesy of the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music.

If you like, you can hear a MIDI file of "Hard Times".

Simple Gifts Mandolin Tablature Archive | Elizabeth T. Knuth's Home Page

Comments to: eknuth@unix.csbsju.edu