The coloring today is dedicated to “Hard Times Come Again No More.”  It’s being published early today because I will be away from my computer at the usual time.

This is another song from Voice of Ages, which is a 2012 album by The Chieftains. It is a collaboration between the Irish band and many top musicians. On Voice of Ages, The Chieftains team up with a number of musical stars from the worlds of indie-rock (Bon Iver, The Decemberists, The Low Anthem), country and Americana (The Civil Wars, Pistol Annies, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers), Irish folk (Imelda May, Lisa Hannigan) and Scottish folk (Paolo Nutini).

“Hard Times Come Again No More” is the Chieftains with Paolo Nutini. Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley. Nutini’s debut album, These Streets (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, Sunny Side Up (2009), debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. Both albums have been certified quintuple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.

The lyrics’ writer is in question as one place has it with the writers at the end of the lyrics, and another place has the following: “Hard Times Come Again No More” (sometimes, “Hard Times”) is an American parlor song written by Stephen Foster. It was published in New York by Firth, Pond & Co. in 1854 as Foster’s Melodies No. 28. Well-known and popular in its day, both in America and Europe, the song asks the fortunate to consider the plight of the less fortunate and ends with one of Foster’s favorite images: “a pale drooping maiden”.

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
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door
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 all around my cabin door
Oh, hard times, come again no more

There’s a 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 traveled way
‘Tis a wail that has had upon the shore
‘Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave.
Oh, hard  times, come again no more

‘Tis a 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.

Songwriters: Traditional / TIMOTHY P. O’BRIEN / JOHN HERRMANN / DIRK POWELL