HARD TIMES EH? # 1 (The song, the sigh of the weary).

Covid, lock downs, loss of jobs, increasing poverty, duplicitous political leaders in the U.K.  and the U.S.A.  Hard times have come again.

We must not be allowed to forget that the hard times have never left most Black Americans; Hispanic Americans; the Rural Poor; Poor Whites in sub-standard housing; etc.

Hard times have come again, reminding me of *Stephen Foster's song "Hard Times Come Again No More"  - sung below by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.

It's a great song.

 

 Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

https://youtu.be/Dg0R5vhporU

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

'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many a days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Oh, hard times, come again no more

So many a days you have lingered around my cabin door
Oh, hard times, come again no more.

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Of course I know that *Foster has been and is criticised for his use of the word "Darkies" in his song "Old Folks at Home".  

Foster was a northerner who has a romantic idea of the southern States (which he never visited) .  Did  his use of "darkies" indicate that he was a racist; or was he simply using common parlance; ignorant about the power of this word?   

Of course we will never know. 

What we do know is that each and every one of us is capable of racist thoughts.