Hard, Hard Times
Encyclopedia
Hard, Hard Times is a traditional Newfoundland folk song/ballad
. There is an earlier version, from England, called "Rigs of the Times". The latest version written in 1936 at the time of the Great Depression
by William Emberley
of Bay de Verde
and performed by Dick Nolan
.
Emberley's verses, which passed quickly into tradition, are a local application of a pattern established by an 18th-century English broadside which ridiculed certain trades and later was adapted often to describe hard times. "Rigs of the Times" has been recorded by Shirley Collins, Martin Carthy, Maddy Prior and others. Steeleye Span
recorded it as "Hard Times of Old England".
About the poor people how they get along.
They start in the spring and they work till the fall,
And when they clew up they've nothing at all,
And it's hard, hard times.
Poor fishermen, we been out all the day.
Come home in the evening full sail up the bay.
There's Kate in the corner with a wink and a nod,
Saying, "Jimmy or Johnny, have you got any cod?"
And it's hard, hard times.
It's out with the jiggers the first of the spring,
And over the gunnel you can hear the line ring;
Perhaps lose a jigger, get froze with the cold,
And that's the first starting of going in the hole,
And it's hard, hard times.
When so much is caught it's put out for to dry,
'Twill take all your time for to brush off the flies;
They'll buzz all around and make trouble for you,
Then out comes the sun and it all splits in two,
And it's hard, hard times.
First comes the merchant to see your supply,
Saying, "The fine side of fishing you'll have by and by."
Seven dollars for large, six-fifty for small.
Pick out your West Indie, you've nothing at all,
And it's hard, hard times.
And then comes the carpenter to build you a house;
He'll build it so snug you can scarce find a mouse.
There's a hole in the roof, and the rain it do pour,
The chimney do smoke, and it's open the door,
And it's hard, hard times.
The baker has loaves, grow smaller each week.
The same for the butcher that weighs up your meat.
The weights they fly up and the scales they fly down,
And when it's all over you're short half a pound,
And it's hard, hard times.
Then come the doctor, the worst of them all,
Saying, "What's been the matter with you all the fall?"
He says he will cure you of all your disease.
When your money he's got, you can die if you please,
And it's hard, hard times.
The best thing to do is to work with a will,
For when it's all over you're hauled on the hill.
Hauled up on the hill, put down in the cold,
And when it's all over you're still in the hole,
And it's hard, hard times.
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
. There is an earlier version, from England, called "Rigs of the Times". The latest version written in 1936 at the time of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by William Emberley
William James Emberley
William James Emberley of Bay de Verde, Newfoundland . William son of Joseph Emberley and Jane Emberley was a fisherman that experienced the hunger and plight of the Newfoundland fisherman during the Great Depression of the 1930s...
of Bay de Verde
Bay de Verde, Newfoundland and Labrador
Bay de Verde is an incorporated town in Conception Bay on the northern tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The first recorded inhabitants at Bay de Verde arrived in 1662. Bay de Verde became an incorporated town in 1950.-Geography:Bay de Verde is the northern...
and performed by Dick Nolan
Dick Nolan (musician)
Richard Francis "Dick" Nolan was a Canadian musician, born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. Nolan was known for performing Newfoundland folk music in Toronto night clubs. During his 50 year career he released more than 40 albums and recorded over 300 tracks...
.
Emberley's verses, which passed quickly into tradition, are a local application of a pattern established by an 18th-century English broadside which ridiculed certain trades and later was adapted often to describe hard times. "Rigs of the Times" has been recorded by Shirley Collins, Martin Carthy, Maddy Prior and others. Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
recorded it as "Hard Times of Old England".
Lyrics
So now I'm intending to sing you a song,About the poor people how they get along.
They start in the spring and they work till the fall,
And when they clew up they've nothing at all,
And it's hard, hard times.
Poor fishermen, we been out all the day.
Come home in the evening full sail up the bay.
There's Kate in the corner with a wink and a nod,
Saying, "Jimmy or Johnny, have you got any cod?"
And it's hard, hard times.
It's out with the jiggers the first of the spring,
And over the gunnel you can hear the line ring;
Perhaps lose a jigger, get froze with the cold,
And that's the first starting of going in the hole,
And it's hard, hard times.
When so much is caught it's put out for to dry,
'Twill take all your time for to brush off the flies;
They'll buzz all around and make trouble for you,
Then out comes the sun and it all splits in two,
And it's hard, hard times.
First comes the merchant to see your supply,
Saying, "The fine side of fishing you'll have by and by."
Seven dollars for large, six-fifty for small.
Pick out your West Indie, you've nothing at all,
And it's hard, hard times.
And then comes the carpenter to build you a house;
He'll build it so snug you can scarce find a mouse.
There's a hole in the roof, and the rain it do pour,
The chimney do smoke, and it's open the door,
And it's hard, hard times.
The baker has loaves, grow smaller each week.
The same for the butcher that weighs up your meat.
The weights they fly up and the scales they fly down,
And when it's all over you're short half a pound,
And it's hard, hard times.
Then come the doctor, the worst of them all,
Saying, "What's been the matter with you all the fall?"
He says he will cure you of all your disease.
When your money he's got, you can die if you please,
And it's hard, hard times.
The best thing to do is to work with a will,
For when it's all over you're hauled on the hill.
Hauled up on the hill, put down in the cold,
And when it's all over you're still in the hole,
And it's hard, hard times.