Cry in the Sun
Better Than Ezra Lyrics

You clean out your room, and under your bed
You decide to tidy up your room, and in the process discover an old picture that you had forgotten about, hidden under your bed.

Lay a picture long forgotten
The picture you found was one that you haven't thought about or seen in a very long time.

With a hand to your head, you sigh out loud
As you look at the picture, you place your hand on your head and let out a deep, audible sigh.

As the memory rushes over - and buries you
The sight of the picture brings back a powerful memory that overwhelms you, making you feel as though you are being consumed by it.

Summer rain-storm, but the shed was dry
You remember a time when it was raining heavily outside, but you and someone else were sheltered in a dry shed together.

With a girl from Carolina
The person you were with in the shed was a girl from North Carolina.

And you held her so tight
During the time in the shed, you embraced the girl and held her very tightly.

For the warmth that the rain denied
You held her tightly because the rain outside prevented you from experiencing the warmth that you wanted.

As the time has slowed to a flash
When you look back on the memory of the shed, it seems to have passed by in a mere instant.

So alive, listen to them when they say
The memory from the shed makes you feel incredibly alive and in the moment, causing you to take heed of something that someone previously told you.

Cry in the sun
That advice was to cry outside in the sunlight, letting your emotions out instead of keeping them bottled up inside.

When the devil beats his wife
This advice is especially relevant during a specific type of rainstorm -when it's raining while the sun is shining- which is known as 'when the devil beats his wife.'

If you cry, cry, cry in the sun
The advice is to let yourself cry freely and openly when you feel the need to, specifically in bright sunlight.

Hope I never see the price of my freedom...yeah
The singer hopes that they will never have to pay the full cost of being free and living life to the fullest.

We danced and sang out
The memory then shifts to a time when you and a group of people danced and sang together.

And traced the moon
During this time, you followed the movements of the moon and admired it together.

As it crawled across the night sky
The moon slowly made its way across the night sky while you all continued to dance and sing.

And covered in dew, a lovers' pact
As the night went on, you and your companion expressed your love for each other and made a promise.

'Well here's to now and don't look back'
The promise made was to live in the present and not dwell on the past or worry about the future.

And oh, how I've tried
As you remember this moment, you express how you have attempted to follow the promise made, to varying degrees of success.

To heed the words written here
You have put in effort to act upon the fateful words spoken in the moments of joy that you had experienced.

For everyone, yeah
This advice is something applicable to everyone who is going through a difficult time and needs to let their emotions out.

If there's a person, place, or time
This advice applies to anyone who has a specific experience or location that brings them solace and comfort in tough times.

That brings you back and makes you feel alive
This could be a specific person, place, or moment in time, which has the power to make you feel more alive than anything else.

Before your reason clouds your eyes
It is important to acknowledge these sources of joy and comfort before the weight of the world, and rational thinking, dims that glow.

Well you could rule the world if you wanted to...yeah
By focusing on what makes you feel alive, you have the potential to achieve great things and accomplish anything that you set your mind to.

Well I hear you're livin' far away
The song shifts to a conversation with someone who has since moved far away.

And that life's treated you well
The artist has heard that this distant friend is doing well in life.

You know that we were young and this picture's old
The artist acknowledges that the photo that has brought up all these memories is from a time when both themselves and the friend were very young.

But I still can hear you say
Despite the passage of time, the singer can still hear the voice of their friend in their head.

Through the pounding of the rain
Even though it was a loud and distracting moment, this voice has been so meaningful to the singer that they can still hear it even now.

And oh, if you try
The artist tells their distant friend that they should try to remember the same advice they were both given all those years ago.

Tell me, can you hear them say
They ask if this friend can still hear those same words of wisdom echoing in their head.

Cry in the sun
The words in question are the advice to let oneself weep openly in the sunlight.

When the devil beats his wife
This still applies to those particular rainstorms when the sun is shining and it's pouring outside.

If you cry, cry, cry in the sun
If this friend, or anyone else, feels the need to cry and let their emotions out, they should do so in the bright sun.

Hope I never see the price of my freedom
The singer once again expresses their wish to never have to pay the full price for living their lives to the fullest and embracing their emotions.

Hope I never see the price of my freedom
The song ends with one final repetition of this sentiment, highlighting just how important that freedom, and the expression of one's emotions, can be.