It's A Hard Knock Life
Annie and the Orphans Lyrics
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Lucky kid, she's out there free
Molly
Runnin' free in N.Y.C.
Pepper
Bet she finds her folks
All
Like that
Kate
Mom and Dad
All
Right off the bat
July
Lucky duck, she got away
Molly
But we're gonna have to pay
Kate and Tessie
Gonna get our faces slapped
Duffy and Pepper
Gonna get our knuckles rapped
All except Molly
It's the hard-knock life
Molly
Yes, it is.
All except Molly
It's the hard-knock life
Molly
Yes, it is.
All except Molly
It's the hard-knock life
Molly
Yes, it is.
All except Molly
It's the hard-knock life
Molly
Yes, it is.
All except Molly
It's the hard-knock life
The lyrics to "It's a Hard Knock Life" from Annie and the Orphans depict the harsh realities of living in poverty as an orphan in New York City. The song starts with the girls wishing they could be like Molly, who has been able to escape the orphanage and run free in the city. While they hope she will find her family, they are acutely aware that their own chances of being reunited with their parents are slim.
Kate and Tessie anticipate punishment for their misbehavior and recognize that they will likely face physical abuse for it. The repetition of "it's the hard-knock life" emphasizes how difficult and unfair their lives are, as they struggle with poverty, abandonment, and mistreatment.
Line by Line Meaning
All
Every one of us
Lucky kid, she's out there free
Annie is fortunate to be out in the world and not stuck in the orphanage
Molly
One of the orphans
Runnin' free in N.Y.C.
Annie is enjoying her newfound freedom in New York City
Pepper
Another one of the orphans
Bet she finds her folks
Pepper thinks that Annie will be able to find her birth parents
All
Everyone in the group
Like that
Just like that, easily
Kate
Another orphan
Mom and Dad
What Annie's birth parents are referred to as
All
The entire group
Right off the bat
Immediately
July
One of the orphans
Lucky duck, she got away
Annie is lucky to have escaped the orphanage
Molly
One of the orphans
But we're gonna have to pay
The other orphans will suffer consequences for Annie running away
Kate and Tessie
Two of the orphans
Gonna get our faces slapped
They will be punished and likely hit for Annie's actions
Duffy and Pepper
Two other orphans
Gonna get our knuckles rapped
They, too, will be punished and likely physically hit for Annie's actions
All except Molly
Everyone but Molly
It's the hard-knock life
Life is difficult and unfair
Molly
One of the orphans
Yes, it is.
Agreeing with the previous statement
All except Molly
Everyone but Molly
It's the hard-knock life
Reiterating how hard life is for them
Molly
One of the orphans
Yes, it is.
Once again, agreeing with the statement
All except Molly
Every orphan but Molly
It's the hard-knock life
Reflecting on the difficulties of their lives
Molly
One of the orphans
Yes, it is.
Final agreement with the statement
All except Molly
All of the other orphans besides Molly
It's the hard-knock life
Final repetition of the difficulties they face
Molly
One of the orphans
Yes, it is.
Final agreement with the statement
Lyrics Ā© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jonathanromero1753
It's the hard-knock life for us!
It's the hard-knock life for us!
'Steada treated
We get tricked!
'Steada kisses
We get kicked!
It's the hard-knock life!
Got no folks to speak of, so
It's the hard-knock row we how!
Cotton blankets
'Steada wool!
Empty bellies
'Steada full!
It's the hard-knock life!
Don't it feel like the wind is always howl'n?
Don't it seem like there's never any light!
Once a day don't you wanna throw the towel in?
It's easier than puttin' up a fight
No one's there when your dreams at night get creepy!
No one cares if you grow or if you shrink!
No one dries when your eyes get red an' weepy!
From the cryin' you would think this place would sink!
Ohhhh!!!!!!!
Empty belly life!
Rotten smelly life!
Full of sorrow life!
No tomorrow life!
Santa Claus we never see
Santa Claus, what's that? Who's he?
No one cares for you a smidge
When you're in an orphanage!
It's the hard-knock life!
(Imitating Miss. Hannigan)
You'll stay up till this dump shines
Like the top of the Chrysler Building.
Yank the whiskers from her chin
Jab her with a safety pin
Make her drink a mickey finn
I love you, Miss Hannigan
It's the hard-knock life for us
It's the hard-knock life for us
No one cares for you a smidge
When you're in an orphanage
It's the hard-knock life
It's the hard-knock life
It's the hard-knock life!
@wepoppin6191
Jesus these poor orphans are great at gymnastics
@Dan-di9jd
That orphanage is piss poor and underfunded yet they got a million bucks right there if they can somehow use them as a circus act.
@angelrabishaw3107
PSSSSST š itās cause theyāre actors š donāt come at me I know you know that!
@KapatidTomas
I agree lmao š¤£š¤£š
@tundra-bun
Yet the only gymnastic move I can do is a cartwheel :[
@holacomo263
@@tundra-bun I cant even lift my foot off the ground
@enchantingkatie
You really gotta appreciate the fact that these kids actually sound like kids when they sing, as opposed to the later film adaptations where theyāre all autotuned to oblivion
@sashatiana-alize6186
Agreed
@sharpaycutie2
They think they're off beat movements are cute lol
@corriehingston6744
Agreed. Autotune (when not used properly) is ridiculous and sounds fake. This sounds like a group of children singing as children