[Verse 1]
I smile when I remember
All the things we did
The worlds we discovered when I was a kid
Sitting on your shoulders
I was riding high
All of life before me
I could see for miles
You gave me a life to love
And showed me the dreams I was dreaming of
Told me love was enough
[Chorus]
When hard times come
Hard times come
Hard times come for everyone
Hard times come
Hard times come
And they'll come till we're done
[Verse 2]
Lately I've been standing
On my own two feet
There's a pair of watchful eyes
Staring up at me
I will turn them toward the sunrise
Turn them toward the stars
Where the beauty of a new day will always fill the heart
And give you a life to love
And show you the dreams you're dreaming of
Just let love be enough
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
How can you measure what you're made of?
How can you galvanize the love?
Cuz hard times come
They come
Hard times come to everyone
Hard times come
Hard times come
And they'll come till we're done
Hard Times
Song Meaning
Amy Grant remembers a specific childhood posture rather than a general nostalgia in "Hard Times" — "I smile when I remember all the things we did, the worlds we discovered when I was a kid, sitting on your shoulders, I was riding high" — and "you gave me a life to love" credits that vantage point to someone else's care.
The chorus states its title as an unavoidable fact rather than a warning — "when hard times come, hard times come for everyone... and they'll come till we're done" — refusing to soften the certainty into a maybe. "Lately I've been standing on my own two feet" marks a clear shift from being carried to carrying, and "there's a pair of watchful eyes staring up at me" reveals the singer is now the one whose shoulders a child rides on.
"I will turn them toward the sunrise, turn them toward the stars" passes the exact posture received in verse one on to someone new, and "give you a life to love" repeats the earlier gift almost word for word. The bridge's two questions — "how can you measure what you're made of? How can you galvanize the love?" — leave the answer open, letting the repeated chorus stand in as the only response the song actually offers.