Ray Charles – Hard Times

About the Song

Background

• History: Released in 1958 as part of his album Yes Indeed!, “Hard Times” became one of Ray Charles’ signature blues songs.
• Context: Charles drew from his own experiences of poverty and hardship, particularly as a child in a segregated South, to channel the pain and resilience the song embodies.

Themes

• Poverty and Struggle: The song focuses on the relentless difficulties of poverty, from pawning possessions to pay rent to the pain of hunger.
• Betrayal and Loss: Charles sings of a lover who abandons him when his fortunes decline, emphasizing the callousness people can experience during hardship.
• Endurance and Hope: Despite the bleakness, the lyrics have a thread of survival instinct and hope for better days. He references his mother’s advice to turn to prayer, hinting at a belief that things will eventually improve.

Lyrics

Here’s a snippet of the powerful lyrics:

My mother told me before she passed away, Said, “Son, when I’m gone, don’t forget to pray ‘Cause there’ll behard times, hard times, No one knows better than I”.

Hard times, hard times, Oh, nobody knows, nobody knows better than I

Key Points About the Song

• Genre: Rooted in blues and gospel, showing the blending of secular and religious music that Charles is famous for.
• Instrumentation: The song features his classic soulful piano, call-and-response vocals with female backing singers, mournful horns, and a driving rhythm section.
• Legacy: “Hard Times” cemented Ray Charles as a master of conveying intense emotion through music. It has been covered by numerous artists and is considered a landmark blues song.

Video

Lyrics