The Hardway
DC Talk * Track #10 On Free at Last
Download "The Hardway"
Album Free at Last
- #1Luv Is a Verb
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- #2That Kinda Girl
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- #3Greer
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- #4Jesus Is Just Alright
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- #5Say the Words
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- #6WDCT
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- #7Socially Acceptable
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- #8Free At Last
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- #9Time Is...
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- #10The Hardway
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- #112 Honks & a Negro
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- #12Lean on Me
DC Talk & The True MC
- #13Testimony
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- #14I Don’t Want It
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- #15Will Power
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- #16Word 2 the Father
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- #17Jesus Is Just Alright (Reprise)
DC Talk
The Hardway by DC Talk
Release Date
Performed by
DC TalkProduced by
TobyMac & Mark HeimermannWrited by
TobyMacAbout
It’s not often that a music video shoot changes the meaning of a song given its already-complete status, but “The Hardway” had that effect on DC Talk. The song originally came out of Michael Tait’s personal experience with his own brother, who was in prison most of his life, and was adopted by TobyM...
The Hardway Lyrics
[Chorus: Kevin Max & Michael Tait]
Some people gotta learn the hard way
I guess I'm the kind of guy that has to find out for myself
I had to learn the hard way, Father
I'm on my knees and I'm cryin' for help (For help, for help)
Ooh ooh-ooh
[Verse 1: TobyMac]
Now I've been high and I've been low
I've been some places that you will not go
I never thought there would come the day
When I wished I never woulda lived this way
[Pre-Chorus: Michael Tait]
But I've been searchin' for a long, long time
I thought the Devil was a friend of mine
I turned my back on everything that was true
And wasted years that belong to You
[Chorus: Kevin Max & Michael Tait]
Some people gotta learn the hard way (Ooh ooh-ooh)
I guess I'm the kinda guy that has to find out for myself
I had to learn the hard way, Father (Ooh ooh-ooh)
I'm on my knees and I'm cryin' for help (For help, for help)
[Verse 2: TobyMac]
It took so long for me to see
That I'm a victim of a nature and me
Left to myself I realize
I am a maker of my own demise
[Pre-Chorus: Michael Tait]
But You accept me every time and again
And never mention just how selfish I've been
Why must it always take me so long to see
That I have fallen but You will forgive me?
[Chorus: Kevin Max & Michael Tait]
Some people gotta learn the hard way (Ooh ooh-ooh)
I guess I'm the kind of guy who's got to find out for myself
I had to learn the hard way, Father (Ooh ooh-ooh)
I'm on my knees and I'm cryin'… (I'm cryin', I'm cryin')
[Post-Chorus: Kevin Max]
…For Your help
Oh, I need Your help
[Chorus: Kevin Max & Michael Tait]
Some people gotta learn the hard way (Ooh ooh-ooh)
I guess I'm the kind of guy who's got to find out for myself
I had to learn the hard way, Father (Ooh ooh-ooh)
I'm on my knees and I'm cryin'… (And I'm cryin', and I'm cryin')
[Bridge: TobyMac]
The warning signs are like flares in the night
Still I proceed my greed is in spite of the fire
I know that's bound to burn
Why is it that I always gotta learn…
[Outro: TobyMac & Michael Tait]
The hard way? The hard way (Ooh ooh-ooh)
I had to learn the hard way
The hard way, the hard way (Ooh ooh-ooh)
I had to learn the hard way
Ooh ooh-ooh
Ooh ooh-ooh
Ooh ooh-ooh
Ooh ooh-ooh
The Hardway Q&A
Who wrote The Hardway's ?
The Hardway was written by TobyMac.
Who produced The Hardway's ?
The Hardway was produced by TobyMac & Mark Heimermann.
When did DC Talk release The Hardway?
DC Talk released The Hardway on Wed Nov 18 1992.
Notable Performances
The trio performed “The Hardway” while on the Welcome to the Freakshow tour in 1996. A shortened audio version was released on Welcome to the Freak Show (Live) the following year.
Before this, it was performed on the Free at Last tour in 1994 as a campfire song.
Like the other live version, a...
What did DC Talk say about "The Hardway"?
A large portion of “The Hard Way”’s history and main takeaways come from the trio’s shoot day for the matching music video, which is recounted in an extensive portion of the Free at Last documentary.
Our lives were dramatically affected just before the [Free at Last] tour. We went into a prison on...