Talk:Hard, Hard Times
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[edit] Other songs with similar lyrics
[edit] Hard Hard Times/ Rigs of the Times/ Hard Times of Old England
The relationship between the various members of this family, is discussed here: (http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63228).
In the Roud folk song index, (http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/home.cgi?access=off) this song is listed as song number "Roud 876". If you inspect "Roud id number" = S147319 it lists the first line as "So now I'm intending to sing youa a song" and the title as "Hard Hard Times", as given in the book "Penguin Book of Canadian Folk Songs" (1973) by Fowke, page 52-3. the words are given here: (http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=2511). Under the same Roud number you will find other titles, for example "Rigs of the Time" (S159416). The lyrics of the Steeleye Span version are given here (http://www.poemhunter.com/song/hard-times-of-old-england/). As you can see the words are totally different, but the scansion is the same and the sentiments very similar.
Now you could of course argue that each of these versions deserves its own article within Wikpedia, but that would lose the valuable sense of continuity that exists in the evolution of of an idea. The most recent version of this song is the one re-written by Maddy Prior. Again the words are totally different but the scansion and sentiments are very similar. Ogg (talk) 18:46, 18 March 2008 (UTC)