Mayfield, Curtis - Hard Times Lyrics






Cold, cold eyes on me they stare
People all around me and they're all in fear
They don't seem to want me but they won't admit
Thinkin' black on black
Strange creature out here havin' fits

From my body house I'm afraid to come outside
Although I'm filled with love
I'm afraid they'll hurt my pride
So I play the part I feel they want of me
And I'll pull the shades so I won't see them seein' me

Havin' hard times in this crazy town
Havin' hard times, there's no love to be found

From my body house I see like me another
Familiar face of creed and race a brother
But to my surprise I found another man corrupt
Although he be my brother he wants to hold me up





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Mayfield, Curtis Hard Times Comments
  1. J.... C....

    Ain't nothing hid that won't be revealed.jus keep pushing.

  2. O.... M....

    Just plain good music

  3. J.... N....

    curtis the man.

  4. �.... ....

    Cold cold eyes on me stare

  5. L.... B....

    FEI LONG! P.F. CUTTIN ON THAT BEAT! SEAN PRICE WIT THE RAPP! REST IN POWER TO CURTIS MAYFIELD AND SEAN P!

  6. I.... B....

    The Kitchen

  7. T.... S....

    Ron c sampled this too. Another trick

  8. T.... M....

    Geto boys sampled this...

  9. W.... d....

    Fei long - Sean price ⏭️ #rip

  10. B.... T....

    Rza / Kool G Rap: Cakes

  11. D.... H....

    Hard Times

  12. K.... D....

    2019 bitch

  13. S.... D....

    WOW - What a great version. Very subdued and retrained, putting a new spin on it. Love it cheers!

    S.... D....

    Curtis wrote it . Little Huey song it first.

    S.... D....

    Opps that's Baby Huey.

  14. k.... ....

    2019 ... Here Again !

  15. H.... K....

    3-6 mafia slick sampled this on "Nothin but pimp shit" by Prophet Posse.

  16. S.... P....

    So relevant🙏🏾💯

  17. E.... S....

    Fei Long/Murder after midnight sample! Still, I love the OG JAM!

  18. S.... S....

    Mr Untouchable documentary is I was first introduced to this jam

  19. r.... j....

    Pacino and Walken flick best intro ever

  20. M.... U....

    American Pimp brought me here 🔥

  21. N.... S....

    Very much so ..bow could u thumbs down this song learn something

  22. C.... S....

    Yes Lord 🦁

  23. N.... M....

    I've been in complete love and obsession with the Baby Huey version, even though I was aware that Curtis wrote and produced it but MAN what sort of version is this? This is a masterpiece on its greater level

    N.... M....

    I agree the baby H version is blinding also !

    N.... M....

    Yea this is amazing. The first time I heard this song was on "Wake Up", the live album with John Legend and the Roots. But this Curtis Mayfield version beats everything :D

    N.... M....

    @MASTRJO Curtis wrote thus song and you need to here The Back To The World album which was released while I was in Vietnam. We People Who Are Darker Than Blue....Miss Black America the cut that inspired me to bring Miss Black America and her court to Cam Rahn Bay.

  24. J.... N....

    this is song is basically the description of inner city from philly to chicago down new orleans.

  25. c.... ....

    Fei Lang...... Fuck yes!

  26. y.... s....

    Want some coke?
    Have some weed.

  27. M.... J....

    Players shit right here!!

  28. N.... H....

    I love the album cover i took an art class about six years ago. I found out that the cover is from a 1940's painting

  29. D.... t....

    MURDER AFTER MIDNIGHT

    D.... t....

    They had that sample to it

  30. J.... m....

    RZA taught me

  31. K.... P....

    Real music

  32. P.... J....

    thankyou ♥♡

  33. K.... T....

    Black man theme song!

    K.... T....

    Kermit Tate you can say that again ✊🏾

    K.... T....

    Righteous ✊🏾

  34. J.... ....

    Good one! :-)

  35. s.... r....

    damn I thought this was baby huey's cut...I love music she is ever teaching me something new

  36. S.... B....

    As a drummer practising at home and trying to get my weaker left hand working better, these grooves are ideal. I can now play 16 to the bar on the hi-hat with my left hand. 6 months ago I couldn't do that, these have helped greatly; thank you.

  37. R.... A....

    This cut is sumthang serious

  38. B.... G....

    Curtis wrote it, Baby Huey owned it.

    B.... G....

    Bruno Guerra. ! , what U Kno , bout. Dat ? Baby Huey ! come on talk to Me .! hah !

    B.... G....

    The writer of this song was James Ramey, AKA Baby Huey of Baby Huey and the Babysitters. He was a 400-lb, man who wrote this introspective piece and died shortly thereafter, at age 27. He was found in a motel room on Chicago's South Side, dead of natural causes. I'm hypothesizing that Curtis performed this as a tribute.

    B.... G....

    @Timothy Stelly this song was first recorded by Baby Huey, but the album clearly credits Curtis as the writer.

    B.... G....

    @Timothy Stelly This was written by Curtis Mayfield, it was originally recorded by Gene Chandler in 1969 (the first version) as 'In My Body's House'. The title was later changed to 'Hard Times' and then released by Baby Huey in 1971 on Curtis' label Curtom. Curtis released this in 1975.

    B.... G....

    @M Celestine Thank you for the facts. Peace.

  39. j.... l....

    Ole school pimpin #MEMPHISTN OCT...2016

  40. K.... ....

    This dude had so many hidden cuts

  41. t.... p....

    My favourite version of this song

  42. R.... W....

    American Pimp

  43. T.... I....

    come and hang with a bad guy.....
    rest in peace Sean P!

  44. R.... H....

    The Cakes .. Kool G Rap

  45. Z.... T....

    Huey has no hard time with this tune.

  46. A.... K....

    Written by Curtis, but Huey and Gene Chandler versions are amazing

    A.... K....

    This is the best version

  47. W.... W....

    Geto Boys..."Murder After Midnight"  always wondered where they got that sample from

    W.... W....

    +waynewilliams80 this is a standard bro.

    W.... W....

    Shoal is ain't it!

  48. P.... N....

    This shyt right here is waaay toooo GGGGG

  49. T.... M....

    I am thankful , Curtis , for what I got as a white kid growing up within shot of the Detroit skyline in the sixties-your music certainly left an Impression on me and my friends

    T.... M....

    @Tim Mullens Pun intended.

    T.... M....

    @John Brown perceptive brother-peace

  50. M.... m....

    Right in this very well moment !

  51. S.... ....

    Here for my daily dose of Curtis Mayfield - y'know, that PURE SOUL goodness.

  52. L.... J....

    Real music never dies

    L.... J....

    Music is timeless....Can u dig it??

    L.... J....

    @William Elliott I can dig it

    L.... J....

    William Elliott it's been dug

    L.... J....

    Prosperous 15 .

  53. T.... ....

    Love the instrumental, not so fond of the vocals. :(

    T.... ....

    @TheCookie098 Why?

  54. T.... J....

    Geto Boys / Murder after Midnight.

    T.... J....

    Taj Jarrett Sr. All bedo said it happen after midnight

  55. l.... ....

    I Think Baby Huey came out with this song first. Curtis came along and changed the tempo and made it funky

    l.... ....

    Curtis was Baby Huey's producer

    l.... ....

    Actually they were both covering In My Body's House by Gene Chandler from 1969

    l.... ....

    @Henry Hill
    seems like Mayfield was the songwriter though....he's credited on Chandler's record.....

    l.... ....

    @Cola Verde This is true, but still, Baby Huey wasn't the first to do it. Three very interesting takes on the same song though, ey?

    l.... ....

    @Henry Hill yes very different moods.....Gene Chandler's version is a storm...one of my favourite tracks ever....I discovered this version with your post and thank you gladly

  56. i.... ....

    Legendary

  57. G.... ....

    14 people are having hard times

    G.... ....

    GoldieNutz live and let die

  58. e.... ....

    Sad mountain without women...

  59. m.... ....

    Bad tune the movement pursuers set the time records ltd sttr.co npt

  60. E.... M....

    yeah otis...important one...mucho importante..

  61. E.... M....

    otis instead of smoky...

  62. C.... N....

    About this Mt. Rushmore arguement, here's my two cents:
    There are not enough mountains to fit everyone who deserves it...

    Let's just enjoy the music...

  63. t.... ....

    Shut the fuck up & enjoy the music

  64. C.... O....

    What? And no Sam Cooke? Come on now

  65. s.... ....

    There are more than four for the Soul Mt. Rushmore. No problem there - but I can't help feel Curtis Mayfield's phenomenal talent is often under-rated and under appreciated. Get hold of his records and listen to them from start to finish, listen to how much room in the mix there is for all the instruments. Enjoy his sense of timing and drama, and enjoy the narrative of his records - listened to in the original order, It will be worth it - I promise!

  66. s.... ....

    so where do Al Green and Otis Reading fit in?

  67. C.... ....

    Agree. No sure how you have soul rushmore without Al Green.

  68. J.... B....

    cant forget barry white and teddy pendergrass

  69. c.... ....

    Rza feat. Kool G Rap....Cakes

  70. M.... p....


    M.E.D. feat. Oh No
    War & Love

  71. A.... ....

    Song was written by Curtis Mayfield, I personally like Baby Huey's better! John Legend and The Roots recently covered this jam and did an amazing job! I love when Hip-Hop/R&B pays tribute with a cover and actually does it right!

  72. D.... D....

    Replace Smokey Robinson with Al Green, or Bobby Womack now that's soul.

  73. B.... D....

    Keep on Pushing was one of the first songs that spoke to me as a little girl in Harlem in the early '80s. We're A Winner. Then I heard James Brown tell me to SAY IT LOUD, I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD and I never looked back, but always looked forward to my favorite artist's new 45. Saved my pennies and was the first at the record store when I saved enough money to buy the music of the aforementioned artists.

  74. B.... D....

    absolutely!!!

  75. J.... S....

    check out hard times '11 by green leef of d.o.c.

  76. M.... 1....

    Music surely for today

  77. m.... g....

    were having hard times people no need to make it worse

  78. S.... N....

    The heaviest beat Ever!

  79. 8.... ....

    geto boyz - murder after midnight

  80. j.... b....

    That album cover is Surruz!!!

  81. B.... B....

    mt rushmore would b mayfield..sam cooke...sly stone..james brown

  82. M.... B....

    Nah Curtis capture the feel of the music back then. Huey has an updated feel to it . I'll stick with Curtis's version

  83. 6.... ....

    Hueys version is much better

  84. M.... ....

    Actually Curtis Mayfield wrote the song and allowed Baby Huey to record it first. Curtis Mayfield signed Baby Huey to Curtom records (Curtis' label) and produced the only album Huey did. This is too amazing of a song to be credited to the wrong writer...just noticed that Soulparkmusic already commented on this...

    M.... ....

    Nice piece of trivia, thanks for sharing.

    M.... ....

    Pretty sure Gene Chandler recorded this first as In My Body's House. Nice version too. I think this version is the best. Curtis puts that extra stank on it.

  85. D.... S....

    Real deal, Miss you Curtis.

  86. L.... C....

    Humhhhh!!!!

  87. S.... ....

    This song was written by Curtis Mayfield, not Baby Huey. When Baby died, Curtis recorded "Hard Times" for "There's no place like America today" LP.

  88. H.... H....

    The ladies...Just to start off...Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples....

  89. i.... ....

    Baby Huey wrote this song..one of the greatest..died very young after producing his first album ....because it is so special..mayfield recorded it in his own style.

    i.... ....

    irinescovici wrong wrong wrong

  90. L.... G....

    Candi Staton, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, Chairmen of the Board...

  91. G.... ....

    Sly Stone ? I agree with your list though.

  92. D.... D....

    I'M 34 BUT MY GOD MUSIC WAS SO GOOD THEN I LIVE IT ...

  93. H.... G....

    baby huey coverd this perfectly :p

  94. S.... ....

    The Isleys, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, and Prince.

  95. I.... S....

    Willie Hutch
    Curtis Mayfield
    Marvin Gaye
    James Brown
    Who else am I missing??

    I.... S....

    dswang007 Bobby Womack

    I.... S....

    Donny Hathaway

  96. 9.... ....

    don't forget willie hutch