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Hard Times, Come No More
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Hard Times, Come No More was written by Stephen Foster in 1853 (obviously putting it in the Public Domain smile ) He wrote it as a plea to the more fortunate to be more understanding of those less fortunate. A plea that continues to resonate through the years.

It has been recorded by countless artists with the first wax cylinder version appearing in 1905. We did a version years ago with our bluegrass band and have often thought of it after becoming introduced to BiaB. Since the vast majority of interpretations have been folk versions we decided to try something a bit edgier while attempting to maintain the melancholy feel. Toward that end we also placed it in a minor key. We slightly tweaked the lyrics here and there to make it a bit less Victorian in style.

Tom agreed to dust off his reso-guitar and play the lead track…and we are glad he did!

We always appreciate both your time to listen and your comments.

Janice: Lead vocal via Rodes NT1
Tom: Reso-guitar
Drums: RD BluesRock 12-8
Bass: RT 733 Jazz Ballad (very simple option) several comped generations
R Guitar: RT 1923 Texas Blues 12-8
Piano: Super midi 1886 12-8

All pre-mastering effects via Ozone 6 and Nectar 2
Mixing: Logic Pro X
Mastering: Ozone 6

HARD TIMES, COME NO MORE

© 2015 Trad. Arr. Janice & Bud Merritt

LET US PAUSE IN LIFE’S PLEASURES AND COUNT IT’S MANY TEARS
FOR WE ALL SHARE SORROW WITH THE POOR
THERE’S A SONG THAT WILL LINGER FOREVER IN OUR EARS
OH, HARD TIMES, COME AGAIN NO MORE

(turnaround)

WHILE WE SEEK FUN AND BEAUTY AND THINGS MUSIC CAN SAY
THERE ARE FRAIL FORMS WAITING AT THE DOOR
THOUGH THEIR VOICES ARE SILENT, THEIR PLEADING EYES WILL PRAY
HARD TIMES, COME AGAIN NO MORE

IT’S THE SONG, THE SIGH OF THE WEARY
HARD TIMES, HARD TIMES, COME AGAIN NO MORE
MANY DAYS YOU’VE LINGERED AROUND MY DOOR
OH, HARD TIMES, COME AGAIN NO MORE

(turnaround)

IT’S A SIGH THAT HAS DRIFTED ACROSS THE WINTRY PLAINS
IT’S A WAIL THAT IS HEARD UPON THE SHORE
IT’S A DIRGE THAT IS MURMURED ACROSS THE LONELY GRAVE
HARD TIMES, COME AGAIN NO MORE

IT’S THE SONG, THE SIGH OF THE WEARY
HARD TIMES, HARD TIMES, COME AGAIN NO MORE
MANY DAYS YOU’VE LINGERED AROUND MY DOOR
OH, HARD TIMES, COME AGAIN NO MORE
HARD TIMES, COME AGAIN NO MORE

Alternative play link: Here
Nice interpretation of the song. Vocals, instrumentation, mix and arrangement are stellar.

Charlie
A beautiful job by all!! I know this from Eastmountain South. You guys took it a completely different direction and did so expertly. Vocal is wonderful, Resonator sings the painful emotion, and everything works as it should. Another real treat!! Take care. Greg
Originally Posted By: c_fogle
Nice interpretation of the song. Vocals, instrumentation, mix and arrangement are stellar.

Charlie


Thanks Charlie. These minimalist production we've been doing lately make it a lot easier to mix and master.

J&B
Very cool! Janice sounds great. As does Tom's resonator track.
The mix is very nice... everything sits nicely. I especially like how the piano sits & sounds. cool

Great Job,

Greg
Love it. Especially the way you sing "weary". Beautiful arrangement and resonator.

Josie
Very nice trad type blues. Excellent guitar work.
My goodness you people are prolific with the quality productions.
Cheers.
J & B
Really top delivery.
Agree with Josie's comment about the 'weary' sounding vocals. Perfect for this number.
Tom certainly got the dust off his reso-guitar, too.
Really well presented,
Thanks
Trevor
Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
A beautiful job by all!! Vocal is wonderful, Resonator sings the painful emotion, and everything works as it should. Another real treat!! Take care. Greg


Hi Janice and Bud,
Greg said it well! Blues performing is not easy! You three are catching the essence! Loved your interpretation, loved Toms guitar playing!

Grts
Fred
Originally Posted By: Achordocaster
Very cool! Janice sounds great. As does Tom's resonator track.
The mix is very nice... everything sits nicely. I especially like how the piano sits & sounds. cool

Great Job,

Greg


Thanks Greg. And thanks for mentioning the piano. FJ has schooled me on mixing them!

J&B

Originally Posted By: Sundance
Love it. Especially the way you sing "weary". Beautiful arrangement and resonator.
Josie


Thanks Josie!
Janice
Hi Janice, Bud and Tommy,

wonderful vocals and emotional resonator guitar. That piano is nice, too.
Very enjoyable listen.

Guenter
Yep... just want to say ditto...

Nice work.

I don't know this song, but I like your interpretation of it.
I don't know how it could get any better than that.

The production is perfect. The mix is perfect. Every instrument strong, yet all joining together as a perfect whole.

The vocal is perfect. Emotive. Sounding effortless...natural.

The dobro - perfect. A very talented man...

This should be held up with/against the best versions of the song...

Ya'll are GOOD.

fj
Another great work from your team. As always the vocal is just amazing; but there is no weak link in this one. thanks for sharing
Originally Posted By: RichMac
Very nice trad type blues. Excellent guitar work.
My goodness you people are prolific with the quality productions.
Cheers.


Thanks! We're having a lot of fun with this thanks to great collaborators, this community and BiaB!

J&B
I always love blues in a minor key with a mournful dobro and believably blue vocals!

Janice, part of what makes your blues so good is that you have a way of traversing that middle ground between sounding defeated and feeling hopeful. Maybe it's that elasticity in your voice that makes it a little bit sure and a little bit in transition... much like the thinking of somebody struggling to stand up under the pressures of life... which is the blues in a nutshell.

Tommy... I'm hoping you give lessons! Your talent manifests in yet another way! Not surprisingly, you nailed it! But more importantly than nailing a technique is nailing the perfect accompaniment for a specific vocal. Your sliding notes echo Janice's sliding voice better than any other accompaniment yet! I'm betting that's exactly what Bud had in mind when he asked you to play Dobro.. ?

Bud, once again your interpretation of a classic shows what a good sense you have for what makes a song enjoyable. All of these different songs you've arranged, all of them different yet you haven't missed a lick yet. Every one has hit the mark.. and IMO, that's quite an achievement.

As a collaboration, my hat is off to each of you and all of you! Thanks for sharing such good music with the rest of us!
Do you guys ever do anytning that is not good? I don't thinks so. I like everything I have heard you post. I like what Pat said, Janice - you do have that expression in your voice that points out defeat, but somehow brings hope.

And Tommy, you really shine on this one, too (as you do on everything I've heard you do).

Great job, guys!

Steve



Originally Posted By: VideoTrack
J & B
Really top delivery.
Agree with Josie's comment about the 'weary' sounding vocals. Perfect for this number.
Tom certainly got the dust off his reso-guitar, too.
Really well presented,
Thanks
Trevor



Thanks y'all. We are delighted that the "weary" feel worked for you. And, yes, Tom did a wonderful job of complementing the vocal. We had a lot of fun with this one and we most appreciate the comments.

J&B
Low down done right! Super job on the arrangement.

much enjoyed!
Originally Posted By: FredM
Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
A beautiful job by all!! Vocal is wonderful, Resonator sings the painful emotion, and everything works as it should. Another real treat!! Take care. Greg


Hi Janice and Bud,
Greg said it well! Blues performing is not easy! You three are catching the essence! Loved your interpretation, loved Toms guitar playing!

Grts
Fred


Thanks! Glad you liked this bluesy version.

Originally Posted By: boehm
Hi Janice, Bud and Tommy,

wonderful vocals and emotional resonator guitar. That piano is nice, too.
Very enjoyable listen.

Guenter


Thank you Guenter. I was lucky to stumble upon that piano track!

J&B
Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker
Yep... just want to say ditto...

Nice work.

I don't know this song, but I like your interpretation of it.


Thanks Herb. Yeah, this has been done a zillion times. Probably because it's both a great melody and mostly because it's royalty free smile
Hi Janice, Bud and Tom,

You all did a great job on this song.

Really loved your vocals Janice - sultry and smoky. Captured the mood perfectly.

Tom your slide reso playing is a perfect match. Superb work.

Thanks for sharing,
Rec
Hi Janice, Bud and Tommy,

Very well done!
Beautiful arrangement and again beautiful vocals.
Tommy's guitar is great, we could hear it was dusted off very well laugh !
Originally Posted By: floyd jane
I don't know how it could get any better than that.

The production is perfect. The mix is perfect. Every instrument strong, yet all joining together as a perfect whole.

The vocal is perfect. Emotive. Sounding effortless...natural.

The dobro - perfect. A very talented man...

This should be held up with/against the best versions of the song...

Ya'll are GOOD.

fj



Aw shucks Mr jane. Hearing that from "the man" has got a couple of swelled heads going here. Thank you!

J&B
Poignant and lovely. "Oh hard times, come again no more. Hard times, come again no more." This is so often said, by so many. Thank you.
-Carolyne
It's all been said... and I agree 100%!
Everything that I wanted to say has already been said.

I love the blues and this was absolutely perfect in all aspects.
Originally Posted By: PgFantastic
Another great work from your team. As always the vocal is just amazing; but there is no weak link in this one. thanks for sharing


Thanks!!!

J&B

Originally Posted By: Pat Marr
I always love blues in a minor key with a mournful dobro and believably blue vocals!

Janice, part of what makes your blues so good is that you have a way of traversing that middle ground between sounding defeated and feeling hopeful. Maybe it's that elasticity in your voice that makes it a little bit sure and a little bit in transition... much like the thinking of somebody struggling to stand up under the pressures of life... which is the blues in a nutshell.

Tommy... I'm hoping you give lessons! Your talent manifests in yet another way! Not surprisingly, you nailed it! But more importantly than nailing a technique is nailing the perfect accompaniment for a specific vocal. Your sliding notes echo Janice's sliding voice better than any other accompaniment yet! I'm betting that's exactly what Bud had in mind when he asked you to play Dobro.. ?

Bud, once again your interpretation of a classic shows what a good sense you have for what makes a song enjoyable. All of these different songs you've arranged, all of them different yet you haven't missed a lick yet. Every one has hit the mark.. and IMO, that's quite an achievement.

As a collaboration, my hat is off to each of you and all of you! Thanks for sharing such good music with the rest of us!



Pat, that means a lot! I tried to sing it that way. Thank you.

Janice

Pat, actually it had a RT dobro on it and Tom offered to replace it with a homegrown track. Worked out pretty well, I'd say. Thank you for the comments re the arrangements. I figure that if you're gonna do a PD song you'd best bring something new to the game. I do appreciate you noting that.

Bud

Originally Posted By: Steve Young
Do you guys ever do anytning that is not good? I don't thinks so. I like everything I have heard you post. I like what Pat said, Janice - you do have that expression in your voice that points out defeat, but somehow brings hope.

And Tommy, you really shine on this one, too (as you do on everything I've heard you do).

Great job, guys!

Steve


Steve, that is very generous of you to say that. We are genuinely humbled that folks like what we are doing. Thank you so much.

J&B
Originally Posted By: gruverider
Low down done right! Super job on the arrangement.

much enjoyed!


Thanks Mr gruve......glad you liked it. We had a large time seeing what we could do with it.

J&B
Originally Posted By: receder
Hi Janice, Bud and Tom,

You all did a great job on this song.

Really loved your vocals Janice - sultry and smoky. Captured the mood perfectly.

Tom your slide reso playing is a perfect match. Superb work.

Thanks for sharing,
Rec


Thanks! We appreciate the kind remarks.

J&B

Originally Posted By: R & AM
Hi Janice, Bud and Tommy,

Very well done!
Beautiful arrangement and again beautiful vocals.
Tommy's guitar is great, we could hear it was dusted off very well laugh !


Thank you. Yup, Tom did a fine job for sure.

J&B

Originally Posted By: Carolyne
Poignant and lovely. "Oh hard times, come again no more. Hard times, come again no more." This is so often said, by so many. Thank you.
-Carolyne


Thanks Carolyne. Certainly rings true 160+ years after it was written.

J&B

Originally Posted By: dcuny
It's all been said... and I agree 100%!


Thanks!!!

J&B
Originally Posted By: MarioD
Everything that I wanted to say has already been said.

I love the blues and this was absolutely perfect in all aspects.


Thanks and from a blues lover it is all the more appreciated!

J&B
Nice blues interpretation of this song.

I first heard this song in a Bruce Springsteen concert a few years ago.

Nicely done!

-rob
Originally Posted By: robsmusic
Nice blues interpretation of this song.

I first heard this song in a Bruce Springsteen concert a few years ago.

Nicely done!

-rob


Thanks Rob, we genuinely appreciate that!
Hi Janice, Bud and Tom,

I'm not sure how say just how magnificent this sounded as I sat here, eyes closed, listening. 'Excellent' is nowhere near good enough! 'Brilliant' doesn't do the job. 'Top Notch' fails to capture just how spellbound I felt as Janice's vocals, Tom's guitar and Bud's arrangement intertwined and wove their magic ...

This was such an emotive presentation from every angle, from every contribution.

I thought I knew most of Stephen Foster's songs but this was a new one for me. I would never have picked it as one of his. Because of this, curiosity got the better of me and I enlisted Google.

After a brief visit to here on Wikipedia, I discovered that Foster's original words varied slightly in places from this version. If these changes were made by you, I congratulate you on some fine lyric writing. Personally, I think your choice of lyrics was much much better for the blues format.

When I had a look at Foster's music (click on the image below to make it larger)...



...I noticed that Foster originally labelled the tempo as "Moderato". This would put it between 108 - 120 bpm and, as such, would fit with the description of 'parlor song' that Wikipedia gives. After listening to your version, though, I cannot, for the life of me, hear this song as more up-tempo than you present it. Personally, I think your collective interpretations show a greater understanding of the material than the understanding it seems Foster had.

This was an outstanding listen.

Regards to all,
Noel


Outstanding colab. You really breathed life into this classic old tune. You're really talented folks and that doesn't come "in-a-box"

SD
It's all been said.

Awesome!

Thanks for the music,
Dan
I've never heard this one before - nice interpretation of a Foster song. Has a more depression era vibe to it and you presented it superbly - Thanks --Pete
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