A member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra during her youth, Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management in 2002 and soon recorded a number of songs before signing a publishing deal with EMI. She also formed a working relationship with producer Salaam Remi through these record publishers. Winehouse's debut album, Frank, was released in 2003. Many of the album's songs were influenced by jazz and, apart from two covers, were co-written by Winehouse. Frank was a critical success in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The song "Stronger Than Me" won her the Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
Winehouse released her follow-up album, Back to Black, in 2006, which went on to become an international success and one of the best-selling albums in UK history. At the 2007 Brit Awards it was nominated for British Album of the Year, and she received the award for British Female Solo Artist. The song "Rehab" won her a second Ivor Novello Award. At the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, she won five awards, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night and becoming the first British woman to win five Grammys, including three of the General Field "Big Four" Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year (for "Rehab"), as well as Best Pop Vocal Album.
Winehouse was plagued by drug and alcohol addiction. She died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011, at the age of 27. After her death, Back to Black temporarily became the UK's best-selling album of the 21st century. VH1 ranked Winehouse 26th on their list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.
03Tears Dry On Their Own
Amy Winehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And this regret I got accustomed to
Once it was so right
When we were at our height
Waiting for you in the hotel at night
I knew I hadn't met my match
But every moment we could snatch
I don't know why I got so attached
You don't owe nothing to me
But to walk away, I have no capacity
He walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I'm grown
And in your way
In this blue shade
My tears dry on their own
I don't understand
Why do I stress the man
When there's so many bigger things at hand?
We could've never had it all
We had to hit a wall
So this is inevitable withdrawal
Even if I stop wanting you
And perspective pushes through
I'll be some next man's other woman soon
I cannot play my self again
I should just be my own best friend
Not fuck my self in the head with stupid men
He walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I'm grown
And in your way
In this blue shade
My tears dry on their own
So we are history
Your shadow covers me
The sky above ablaze
He walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I'm grown
And in your way
In this blue shade
My tears dry on their own
I wish I could sing no regrets
And no emotional debt
'Cause as we kissed goodbye, the sun sets
So we are history
Your shadow covers me
The sky above ablaze
That only lovers see
He walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I'm grown
And in your way
My blue shade
My tears dry on their own
Whoa, he walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I'm grown
And in your way
My deep shade
My tears dry on their own
He walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I'm grown
And in your way
My deep shade
My tears dry
on their own
In "Tears Dry on their Own," Amy Winehouse sings about a past relationship that has ended. She recognizes that she cannot force the man to stay with her, and she has come to terms with the fact that he has moved on. Throughout the song, she reflects on the good times they had in their relationship and expresses regret for getting so attached. She suggests that her obsession with the man only caused her more pain and presents the idea that she needs to be her own best friend and avoid getting involved with unworthy partners who cause her emotional harm. By the end of the song, Amy recognizes that the relationship is in the past and that it's time for her to move on, too. She acknowledges that the shadows of his memory will always cover her but that she must face the dawn of a new day on her own.
Line by Line Meaning
All I can ever be to you is a darkness that we knew
I can only represent darkness in your life, a past that you recognize
And this regret I got accustomed to
I have become familiar with feeling of remorse and wishing things were different
Once it was so right
At one time, our relationship was perfect and made sense
When we were at our height
During our happiest and most successful times together
Waiting for you in the hotel at night
I am reliving a specific memory, waiting anxiously for your arrival in a particular place
I knew I hadn't met my match
I recognized that we were not equally invested or compatible with each other
But every moment we could snatch
We took every precious opportunity to spend time together, however brief
I don't know why I got so attached
I cannot understand why I developed such strong feelings for you
It's my responsibility
I understand that it's my duty to take ownership of my emotions and actions
You don't owe nothing to me
You do not have any obligation towards me, and I cannot expect you to stay
But to walk away, I have no capacity
Even knowing all of this, it is difficult for me to let go of you and move on
He walks away
You've chosen to leave me behind, and I have to face it
The sun goes down
The day is coming to an end, and our relationship has reached its conclusion
He takes the day, but I'm grown
You may have taken away the happiness we shared, but I am mature enough to handle it
And in your way
Even though you're gone, I cannot help but think of you and feel your presence
In this blue shade
I am surrounded by melancholy and sadness, a manifestation of how I feel
My tears dry on their own
Over time, I will heal and move on from the pain of our separation
I don't understand
I cannot grasp why I insist on holding on to the memory of you when there are bigger issues at hand
Why do I stress the man
Why do I obsess over you and the fact that you left
We could've never had it all
Our relationship was doomed to fail from the start, and we could never have had the perfect ending we hoped for
We had to hit a wall
Our relationship ultimately ended because we reached an insurmountable obstacle
So this is inevitable withdrawal
It was only a matter of time before we had to go our separate ways, and the grieving process is natural
Even if I stop wanting you
Even if I move on and try to forget you, it will be hard
And perspective pushes through
A different way of seeing things will eventually come to me, and I will learn to accept the reality of our situation
I'll be some next man's other woman soon
I am destined to fall into the same relationship patterns and may just be another man's rebound
I cannot play my self again
I must break the cycle of falling for people who cannot be with me to avoid the pain that comes with it
I should just be my own best friend
I need to learn to be happy with myself and not look to others for my worth and happiness
Not fuck my self in the head with stupid men
I shouldn't pursue people who are wrong for me and only hurt me in the end
So we are history
Our relationship is now just a memory
Your shadow covers me
You still linger in my mind and leave a mark on my life
The sky above ablaze
The world around me is colorful and vivid, but I am still engulfed in sadness
I wish I could sing no regrets
I wish I could move on from our relationship without any remorse or ill feelings
And no emotional debt
I wish there were no lingering emotions or feelings attached to our time together
Cause as we kissed goodbye, the sun sets
As we parted ways, it was the end of our relationship and the end of the day
That only lovers see
What we shared was unique to us and cannot be replicated with anyone else
My deep shade
I am surrounded by an overwhelming feeling of sadness and loss
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AMY WINEHOUSE, NICKOLAS ASHFORD, VALERIE SIMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind