The band has recorded many albums of instrumental Irish folk music, as well as multiple collaborations with popular musicians of many genres, including Country music, Galician traditional music, Cape Breton and Newfoundland music, and rock and roll. They have performed with Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Roger Daltrey, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones, Sinéad O'Connor, James Galway, Jackson Browne, Nancy Griffith and numerous Country-western artists. In 1975, the group won praise for their playing of "Women of Ireland" for Stanley Kubrick's movie Barry Lyndon.
They have won six Grammy Awards and have been nominated eighteen times. In 2002 they were given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the UK's BBC Radio 2. The front covers of the first four albums were designed by Edward Delaney.
Paddy Moloney is the band's leader, and composes or arranges most of the band's music. While the band's members changed numerous times in the band's early history, the membership solidified in 1979 when Matt Molloy replaced Michael Tubridy.
From then until 2002, members included:
Paddy Moloney (uilleann pipes, tin whistle, button accordion, bodhrán)
Matt Molloy (flute, tin whistle)
Kevin Conneff (bodhrán, vocals)
Seán Keane (fiddle, tin whistle)
Martin Fay (fiddle, bones) (born 1938; died 14 November 2012)
Derek Bell (Irish harp, keyboard instruments, oboe) (born 21 October 1935; died 17 October 2002)
In 2002, Fay retired from active membership. In the same year, Bell died due to complications following a minor operation. Fay died on 14 November 2012.
Hard Times Come Again No More
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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.
'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary.
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
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.
'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.
There's 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.
'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
'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.
Oh, hard times, come again no more.
The Chieftains' rendition of Hard Times Come Again No More is a hauntingly beautiful song about the struggles of life and the desire to never experience them again. The lyrics are a plea to pause in life's pleasures and recognize the many tears and sorrows that we all suffer. It speaks of the frail forms fainting at the door and the pale drooping maiden who toils her life away. It is a deeply emotional song that speaks to the heart of the human experience.
The song is built around the refrain, "Hard times, come again no more." It is a song that lingers in the ear long after the music has ended. The lyrics are rich with meaning, as they speak to the weariness and fatigue that we all feel at times. The song is a tribute to those who have suffered and a hope for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears
Stop for a moment and take account of the sorrows that exist alongside life's pleasures
While we all sup sorrow with the poor.
As we share a meal with those less fortunate, we also encounter their struggles and hardships
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears,
This song will remain with us for a long time
Oh, hard times, come again no more.
May difficult times not return in the future
'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary.
This is a song that's all about the sadness and weariness of hard times
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
May difficult times not return in the future
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door.
I have lived through many hard times at my home
While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay.
As we look for joy, beauty, and fun music,
There are frail forms fainting at the door.
There are people outside who are weak and barely holding onto life
Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say.
Even though they may not speak, their faces show that they are in need
'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary.
This is a song that's all about the sadness and weariness of hard times
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
May difficult times not return in the future
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door.
I have lived through many hard times at my home
There's pale drooping maiden who toils her life away
There is a young woman who is working hard every day despite her difficult situation
With a worn heart, whose better days are o'er.
Her heart is exhausted, and the days she once enjoyed are long gone
Though her voice would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day,
Even though she could sing happily, she is sighing all day long
Oh, hard times, come again no more.
May difficult times not return in the future
'Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave
Her sigh carries across the rough waves of life and is heard by others
'Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore
Her sadness is clearly visible to those around her
'Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave
Her sorrow is like a funeral song whispered at the gravesite of the poor
Oh, hard times come again no more
May difficult times not return in the future
'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary.
This is a song that's all about the sadness and weariness of hard times
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
May difficult times not return in the future
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door.
I have lived through many hard times at my home
Oh, hard times, come again no more.
May difficult times not return in the future
Writer(s): Paddy Moloney, Edie Arlisa Brickell Copyright: He Said Look Out Music, MCA Music Publishing A.D.O. Universal S, Chrysalis Music Ltd.
Contributed by Mason J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist