My old man he put me in jail
It' hard
My old man he put me in jail
It's hard
With the doors all 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
It's hard
I was dealt the losing card
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