Hard Ain't It Hard
Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston Lyrics
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To love one that never did love you?
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard, great God
To love one that never will be true?
There is a house in this old town
And that's where my true love lays around
And he takes other women right down on his knee
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard
To love one that never did love you?
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard, great God
To love one that never will be true?
Well, don't you go to drinkin' or to gamblin'
Don't go there, your sorrows to drown
That hard-liquor place is a low-down disgrace
It's the meanest old place in this town
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard
To love one that never did love you?
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard, great God
To love one that never will be true?
Well, the first time I seen my true love
He was walkin' by my door
The next time I saw his false hearted smile
He was dead on his blue board
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard
To love one that never did love you?
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard, great God
To love one that never will be true?
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard
To love one that never did love you?
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard, great God
To love one that never will be true?
Woody Guthrie's song "Hard Ain't It Hard" speaks to the difficulties and pain of loving someone who doesn't love you back or isn't faithful. This theme is expressed through the repeating chorus which emphasizes the challenge of loving someone who is unloving or not loyal. The verses tell the story of a woman who is in love with a man who is unfaithful, even taking other women on his knee while telling her stories he doesn't share. The advice given to the singer is not to turn to drinking or gambling to drown out her sorrows, as the hard-liquor place is a "low-down disgrace," but the ultimate resolution of the story is that the man dies - symbolic of the death of their relationship.
This song expresses a universal and timeless emotion - loving someone who isn't worthy of it. The simple melody and repeating chorus make the song easy to remember and accentuate the emotional impact of the lyrics. Additionally, the song's message of perseverance resonates with many people who have faced similar struggles in their own relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard
Loving someone who doesn't love you is incredibly difficult.
To love one that never did love you?
Why bother loving someone who has never loved you?
And it's hard and it's hard, ain't it hard, great God
The difficulty of loving someone who is not truthful cannot be understated.
To love one that never will be true?
It's almost impossible to love someone who won't be honest with you.
There is a house in this old town
There's a place where my true love goes.
And that's where my true love lays around
My true love spends time with others there.
And he takes other women right down on his knee
He treats other women better than he treats me.
And he tells them a little tale he won't tell me
He tells them sweet stories that he won't share with me.
Well, don't you go to drinkin' or to gamblin'
Don't try to drown your sorrows with alcohol or gambling.
Don't go there, your sorrows to drown
A seedy bar is not the answer to your problems.
That hard-liquor place is a low-down disgrace
A bar that sells hard liquor is a terrible establishment.
It's the meanest old place in this town
It's the worst place you can go in this town.
Well, the first time I seen my true love
The first time I laid eyes on my true love,
He was walkin' by my door
He was just passing by my home.
The next time I saw his false hearted smile
The next time I saw him, he was being dishonest.
He was dead on his blue board
He was lying dead on a plank of wood.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: WOODY GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RoryVanucchi
Nice old tune.. Didn't know it