Hard Ain't It Hard
Love's Bitter Challenge: Hard Truths in The Almanac Singers' Ballad
Lyrics
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
Expressing the difficulty of a situation
To love one who never did love you
Describing the challenge of loving someone who doesn't reciprocate that love
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
Reiterating the difficulty in loving someone who won't be loyal or true
To love one that never would be true
Highlighting the struggle of loving someone who won't remain faithful
It was late last night when my true love came home
Describing a moment when the speaker's true love returned home late at night
He was a-knockin' on my door
Depicting the act of knocking on the door as a form of seeking attention or reconciliation
I got up in a fit of jealousy and I said
Expressing jealousy and frustration toward the returning true love
True love, don't come here anymore
Rejecting the presence of true love due to hurt feelings
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
Reiterating the difficulty of loving someone who doesn't love in return
To love one who never did love you
Emphasizing the challenge of unrequited love
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
Underlining the hardship of loving someone unfaithful
To love one that never would be true
Describing the difficulty of loving someone who won't be truthful
The first time I seen my true love
Recalling the first encounter with the true love
He was a-knockin' at my door
Recounting a later encounter with true love knocking on the door
The last time I seen his hard-hearted smile
Depicting a final memory of the true love smiling before a tragic event
He was lyin' dead on the floor
Revealing the unfortunate death of the true love
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
Restating the difficulty of unrequited love
To love one who never did love you
Emphasizing the challenge of loving someone who doesn't reciprocate feelings
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
Highlighting the struggle of loving someone unfaithful or disloyal
To love one that never would be true
Underlining the difficulty of loving someone who won't be truthful or honest
Don't go to drinkin' and gamblin'
Advising against resorting to alcohol and gambling to cope with sorrow
Don't go there your sorrows to drown
Warning against using these vices to alleviate pain
This hard liquor place is a low-down disgrace
Describing a drinking establishment negatively as a disgraceful and dangerous place
It's the meanest bad place in this town
Labeling the liquor place as the worst in the town
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
Reiterating the difficulty of unrequited love
To love one who never did love you
Emphasizing the challenge of loving someone who doesn't reciprocate feelings
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
Underlining the struggle of loving someone unfaithful or disloyal
To love one that never would be true
Reiterating the difficulty of loving someone who won't be truthful or honest
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