Lyrics
Verse 1
Down in the valley, there ain't no sun
That kind of darkness, it'll keep you on the run
Out in the city, that never sleeps
Those pretty lights, they're gonna drive you to your knees
Pre-Chorus
Pain is like a megaphone
Calling all the wayward home
Chorus
What have you figured out in this life without the hard times?
What have you figured out in this life without the hard times?
The hard, hard times
Verse 2
These doom days, dragging you along
What don't kill you, gonna make you strong
The door's open and the light is on
There's only one way out of Babylon
Pre-Chorus
Pain is like a megaphone
Calling all His people home
Chorus
What have you figured out in this life without the hard times?
What have you figured out in this life without the hard times?
The hard, hard times
Bridge
All they make us, they break us, they bend us
And they shape us, they save us
They're turning our hearts around
Chorus
What have you figured out in this life without the hard times?
What have you figured out in this life without the hard times?
The hard, hard times
Outro
It's the story of the ages
Falling from the pages
Through the highs and the lows
And the God that we grow
It's His love and His shape us
It's the story of the ages
Oh, it's falling from the pages
Through the highs and the lows
And the God that we grow
It's His love and His shape us
What have you figured out in this life without the hard times?
The hard, hard times
Oh, the hard, hard times
Yeah, the hard, hard times
Credits & Song Information
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"The Hard Times" asks one question again and again: "What have you figured out in this life without the hard times?" The verses describe valleys without sun, a city whose "pretty lights" drive a person to the knees, and "doom days" that drag a person along. The pre-chorus gives the central image, "Pain is like a megaphone / Calling all the wayward home."
Rather than treating difficulty as pointless, the lyric credits it with shaping character, saying hardship can "break us" and "bend us" yet also "save us" and turn hearts around. The outro calls this "the story of the ages," tied to "the God that we grow" through highs and lows. The line "There's only one way out of Babylon" places the whole message in a spiritual frame, with an open door and a light left on.
This view of suffering matches Paul's claim that suffering produces endurance and hope (Romans 5:3-4) and the psalmist's remark that affliction taught him God's statutes (Psalm 119:71).
Related Scripture
- Romans 5:3-4 Says suffering produces endurance, character and hope, matching the song's view of hard times.
- Psalm 119:71 The psalmist says affliction was good for him because it taught him God's statutes.