☝️ Key Points
- The song is about the difficulty of loving someone who doesn't love you back.
- It explores the pain and frustration that come with it.
- The lyrics also touch on betrayal and infidelity.
- The song includes a tragic line about the death of the beloved.
- The song ends with a warning about drinking and gambling.
Interpretation
"Hard, Ain't It Hard" is a song by
The Kingston Trio, based on a song by Woody Guthrie. The song is about the difficulty of loving someone who doesn't love you back. It speaks of the pain and frustration that come with it.
In the chorus of the song, it says: "It's hard. Ain't it hard? Ain't it hard to love someone who's never loved you?" These lines express the challenge of having feelings for someone who doesn't reciprocate them.
The lyrics also talk about deceit and infidelity. The singer mentions that his true love is on her knees to someone else, telling him things she would never tell him. This shows the pain of the singer being confronted with his lover's infidelity.
The song also includes a line about the death of his lover on the floor of a barroom. This tragic moment intensifies the feeling of disappointment and loss in the relationship.
There is also a playful note in the lyrics when the singer asks who will kiss and hold the lips and hand of his lover when he's in the promised land. This part of the lyrics conveys the feeling of loss and jealousy.
The song ends with a warning about drinking and gambling. The singer explains that the place where one can drown their sorrows is a shabby place and it's better not to go there.
Overall, the song expresses the difficulties and pain that come with unrequited love. It conveys the feelings of disappointment, betrayal, and loss that are often associated with such situations."