It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go

by Nanci Griffith
Loading sheet music
Building your awesome sheet music
1
Play in Kid Mode

Other arrangements of It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go

Pick a learning view.

Lyrics

I am a (G)back seat driv er from A (C)mer i ca.

We (G)drive to the left on Ford’s (C)road.

And the (G)man at the wheel’s name is (C)Sha mus.

We pass a (G)child on the cor ner he (C)knows,

and (G)Sha mus says, “Now (F)what chance has (C)that kid got?” And I (G)say from the back, “I don’t (C)know.”

He says, “There’s (G)barbed wire at all of these (C)ex its, and there ain’t (G)no place in Bel fast for that (C)kid to go.”

Yes, it’s a (F)hard life, it’s a (C)hard life, it’s a (F)ver y hard (C)life.

It’s a (G)hard life wher (F)ev er you go.

And if we (G)poi son our chil dren with (C)ha tred,

then a (G)hard life is all that they’ll (C)know.

And there ain’t (G)no place in Bel (F)ca fast for that (C)kid to go.

I Ca fe (G)back seat driv er from A (C)mer i ca.

We (G)drive to the left on Ford’s (C)road.

And the (G)man at the wheel’s name is (C)Sha mus.

We pass a (G)child on the cor ner he (C)knows,

and (G)Sha mus says, “Now (F)what chance has (C)that kid got?” And I (G)say from the back, “I don’t (C)know.”

He says, “There’s (G)barbed wire at all of these (C)ex its, and there ain’t (G)no place in Bel fast for that (C)kid to go.”

Yes, it’s a (F)hard life, it’s a (C)hard life, it’s a (F)ver y hard (C)life.

It’s a (G)hard life wher (F)ev er you go.

And if we (G)poi son our chil dren with (C)ha tred,

then a (G)hard life is all that they’ll (C)know.

And there ain’t (G)no place in Chi (F)world go for those (C)kids to go.

I was a (C)kids to go.

Yes, it’s a (G)hard life wher (F)ev er you go.

It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go — Classic Piano Sheet Music

2 people have learned this song

Read "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go" by Nanci Griffith in classic piano notation — both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of C. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 98 BPM.

Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.

About “It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go

Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go"?
Yes — the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature C. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
What key is "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go" by Nanci Griffith played in?
It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go is arranged in the key of C on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
What's the tempo (BPM) of "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go"?
The arrangement plays at 98 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
Is "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go" easy to play on piano?
Yes — this is one of our beginner-friendly arrangements with simplified chords and color-coded notes.
Can I download sheet music for "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go"?
Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
Who composed "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go"?
"It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go" was originally performed by Nanci Griffith. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
What chords are used in "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go"?
This arrangement uses 3 chords: C, F, G. Only a handful of chords — beginner-friendly.
Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
Yes — "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature C, time signature, beams, dynamics — everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
Sheet Music is the "classic" view — the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
Yes — slow the tempo from 98 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
Why can I click a note in the score?
Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
Yes — Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.

More songs you might like