Born in Sutherlin, Virginia, Martin was raised by a stage mother and a musician father. Before she was six, Martin could already play guitar and sing, modeling her vocal style after Eddy Arnold and Hank Williams. In time, she came to participate in statewide talent contests, beating out 200 participants. As a result, Martin was asked to play on the same bill as Cowboy Copas and Sunshine Sue, the latter being the host of the Old Dominion Barn Dance radio show, which was regularly broadcast on one of Virginia's most influential radio stations, on which Martin was now granted a spot.
As time went on, Martin tired of country music, and aspired instead to assign herself to a new, raucous style of music, which would come to be known as rockabilly. By chance, WRVA station announcer Carl Stutz had composed a song, "Will You Willyum", and asked Martin to record the song live as a demo for RCA Records. Suitably impressed with Martin's performance, RCA signed Martin, a mere two months after Elvis Presley had transferred to RCA from Sun Records. Backed with Martin's own composition, "Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll", "Will You Willyum" became a smash hit, the first in a series of country and rock hits such as "Barefoot Baby", a cover of Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby", and "My Boy Elvis".
Her initial success had garnered her appearances on nationwide television, as well the attention of Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, and she was billed the official "Female Elvis". There were plans of a Martin/Presley double-bill, but wary of such a taxing tour -- Presley had recently collapsed on stage as a result of exhaustion -- Martin's parents rejected Parker's offer, and she instead toured as the top name of a series of Old Dominion Barn Dance shows.
Her last single of 1956 was "Let's Elope Baby"; in 1957, Martin did indeed elope with her boyfriend, a paratrooper, and got married. They kept their marriage secret from Martin's parents until the paratrooper was shipped off to Germany; as she was only fifteen at the time, her father attempted to have the marriage annulled. Although this did not come to pass, they aimed to keep the marriage a secret for the sake of their daughter's career. Upon her husband's return on leave, Martin became pregnant, causing RCA to drop her from the label. Though other major labels expressed interest, Martin signed with the Belgian Palette label, recording a series of downbeat love songs.
In 1960, Martin's second husband demanded that she leave the music business, an easy decision for a weary and somewhat disillusioned Martin. However, over the years, her love of music began to flourish once again, and come her husband's second such ultimatum, she chose music over him, performing with her new band, The Variations. In 1975, Martin told her untold story of teenage love in Goldmine magazine; at the time, there was a resurgence of rockabilly interest in Europe, and Martin departed on a tour of the region. With a revived career, several previously unreleased cuts were released as singles, and Bear Family released a nigh-comprehensive compilation of her '50s singles.
Martin died from cancer in 2007, only half a year after the death of her only son. Before her death, she had recorded an album with Rosie Flores, whom she had earlier worked together with alongside Wanda Jackson. These recordings were released as The Blanco Sessions in 2012. In 2010, the Library of Virginia recognized Martin as an influential Virginian, naming her one of the "Virginia Women in History". Martin's legacy endures to this day, remaining one of the most influential and beloved women of rockabilly.
Hard Times Ahead
Janis Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little man you left me flat
Now I don't know where I'm at
Took me for a good time swing
Left me only blues to sing
Hard times of grieve and woe
Good times goodbye for good
You can't treat a heart like a block of wood
Wish you come on back to me
To relieve my misery
Shoo, shoo, shoo-shoo
Shoo, shoo, shoo-shoo
Hard times of grieve and woe
Hard times of moanin' low
Good times goodbye for good
You can't treat a heart like a block of wood
Little man without your love
All I've got's a future of
I got hard times ahead
Don't you know I got hard times ahead
Don't you know I got hard times ahead...
Janis Martin's song Hard Times Ahead is a tale of heartbreak and disappointment. The lyrics convey the emotions of a woman who has been left alone after being taken for a good time swing by a man who has now left her with only blues to sing. She is left to deal with hard times of grief and woe, moaning low and saying goodbye to good times for good. She is hurt not just physically but mentally too and she cannot bear the fact that someone she thought she could trust could have been so callous with her heart. She wishes he would come back to relieve her misery but knows she has hard times ahead.
The main theme of the song is heartbreak and disappointment. The lyrics convey the emotions of a woman who has been hurt and left with nothing but sadness and blues to sing. The use of repetition in the lyrics emphasizes the agony of the situation and portrays the helplessness of the woman in the story. Additionally, the metaphor of a block of wood is used to liken a heart to something as cold and unfeeling, showing the emotional detachment the woman's partner has shown her.
Line by Line Meaning
Shoo, shoo, shoo-shoo
Go away, go away, go away quickly
Little man you left me flat
You, the small and insignificant person, have abandoned me without warning, leaving me stranded with no direction
Now I don't know where I'm at
I am feeling lost and hopeless, unsure of my current situation
Took me for a good time swing
You led me to believe that we were going to have a great and enjoyable time together
Left me only blues to sing
You have caused me to feel only sadness and despair, which is all I have to express through my music
Hard times of grieve and woe
There are times of immense pain, mourning, and sadness
Hard times of moanin' low
There are times of deep depression where all I can do is moan softly
Good times goodbye for good
The good times are gone forever and will never return
You can't treat a heart like a block of wood
One cannot treat someone's emotions as if they are insignificant and have no feelings
Wish you come on back to me
I hope that you return to me and alleviate the pain that you caused
To relieve my misery
I desire for you to take away my suffering and sadness
Little man without your love
Without your affection, attention, and care, I am left with nothing
All I've got's a future of
All I have left is uncertainty about what is to come
I got hard times ahead
I am anticipating more difficult and painful times in the future
Don't you know I got hard times ahead
Do you not understand that I am suffering and will continue to suffer
Don't you know I got hard times ahead...
My hardships and struggles will not be going away anytime soon
Writer(s): Barry Mann, Noel Sherman, Mann, Sherman
Contributed by Leo E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.