"The Hard Way" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in March 1993 as the fourth single from her album Come On Come On. The song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in July 1993. The song became the de facto theme song of the 1993 CBS television special Women of Country, which closed with a performance of the song featuring Carpenter and the rest of the special's all-star cast of female country entertainers.