Other arrangements of It's The Hard-knock Life
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It’s the hard knock life (G)for (C)us!
It’s the hard knock (Em)life for (F)us!
’Stead a treat ed (Em)we get (F)tricked.
’Stead a kiss es (Em)we get (G)kicked.
It’s the hard knock (C)life!
Got no folks to speak (G)of, (C)so it’s the hard knock (Em)row we (F)hoe.
Cot ton blan kets
’stead a wool, emp ty bel lies
’stead a full.
It’s the hard knock (C)life.
Don’t it (Fm7)feel like the wind is al ways howl in’?
Don’t it (Ebm7)seem like there’s nev er an y light?
Once a (C#m7)day don’t you want to throw the towel in?
It’s (A)eas i er than put tin’ up a (D)fight.
No one’s (Dm7)there when your dreams at night get creep y.
No one (Cm7)cares if you grow or if you shrink.
No one (Bbm7)dries when your eyes get wet and weep y.
From the (Gb)cry in’, you would think this place would (B)sink.
San ta Claus we (C)nev (G)er (C)see.
San ta Claus, what’s (Em)that?
Who’s (F)he?
No one cares for (Em)you a (F)smidge when you’re in an (Em)or phan (G)age.
It’s the hard knock (C)life!
It's The Hard-knock Life — Karaoke: Lyrics & Chords to Sing & Play Along
9 people have learned this song
Free karaoke for "It's The Hard-knock Life" by Charles Strouse: lyrics on screen with the chords above each line and a bouncing ball that lands on every word in time. Sing along, or play along on guitar or piano from the chord chart. Change the key to fit your voice, slow the tempo down. Key of C, 140 BPM.
Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.
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About “It's The Hard-knock Life”
- What key is "It's The Hard-knock Life" by Charles Strouse played in?
- It's The Hard-knock Life 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 The Hard-knock Life"?
- The arrangement plays at 140 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "It's The Hard-knock Life" 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 The Hard-knock Life"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "It's The Hard-knock Life"?
- "It's The Hard-knock Life" was originally performed by Charles Strouse. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What other songs by Charles Strouse can I play here?
- Try "YOU'RE NEVER FULLY DRESSED WITHOUT A SMILE", "I THINK I'M GONNA LIKE IT HERE", "MAYBE". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is there a karaoke version of "It's The Hard-knock Life" with lyrics?
- Yes — this is a free karaoke slide for "It's The Hard-knock Life" by Charles Strouse. The lyrics appear on screen a line at a time and each word lights up exactly when it's sung, with a bouncing ball leading you word to word. A backing plays underneath so you can just sing.
- Does it show chords so I can play along on guitar or piano?
- It does — a chord symbol sits on a thin row just above the lyric it changes on, so the same screen doubles as a lyrics-and-chords chart. Guitarists can strum the changes and pianists can comp while singing; the chords are colour-coded and move with the live transpose if you change key.
- Can I change the key of "It's The Hard-knock Life" to match my voice or capo?
- Yes. The original is in C, but the live transpose control shifts the whole song up or down semitones until the melody sits in your range (or maps to an easier guitar shape / capo position) — the on-screen chords and the backing move with it.
- Can I slow "It's The Hard-knock Life" down to learn the words and chords?
- Yes — the tempo control lets you take it as slow as you need while the lyrics still light up in time and the ball keeps you on the beat. Speed it back up once you can sing and play it through.