My old man He put me in jail It's hard My old man He put me in jail It's hard Where the doors are locked and barred With a big long chain tied to the floor Damn his soul, I'm weak and I'm poor These are hard times for sure My darlin forgot my name It's hard My darlin forgot my name And it's hard I was dealt the blues in cards Once she came to visit me Turned away fast as can be These are hard times for sure I stole myself some rope today It's hard I stole myself some rope today It's hard My body I'll discard And then my soul will fly away Where it'll go, I don't dare to say These are hard times for sure These are hard times for sure These are hard times for sure