Betty Buckley is an American theater, film and concert artist. Born in Tex… Read Full Bio ↴Betty Buckley is an American theater, film and concert artist. Born in Texas in 1947, she made her debut on Broadway at age 22 in "1776". More roles followed in New York and London, and in 1983 she won the Tony award for "Cats" and established herself as a true Broadway legend. She has appeared in "Pippin", "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", "Promises, Promises" and "Sunset Boulevard".

On TV, she is best known for her role as Abby Bradford, the stepmother on "Eight is Enough", and for her recurring role on "Oz".

On film, she has appeared in "Carrie", "Tender Mercies", "Frantic" and "Simply Irresistible".

Betty Lynn Buckley has made ten solo recordings, including "With One Look", "The London Concert", "Live at the Donmar", "The Doorway", "Children Will Listen", "Much More" and "Heart to Heart".

She now concertizes extensively across the United States, performing an eclectic mix of Broadway, blues, country, popular and cabaret songs. She receives uniformly rave reviews wherever she sings for her interpretative and dramatic skills.

In 2003, Betty Buckley moved to a 35-acre ranch outside of Weatherford, Texas, where she owns and shows cutting horses.

Cry Me A River
Betty Buckley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now you say you love me
But you cry the whole night through
You can cry me a river
oh yes you're goin' to cry me a river
'cause I cried a river over you

Now you say you're sorry for being so untrue
You may cry a river

You may cry me a river
I cried a river over you
Yes I did child, yes I did my child

You drove me nearly out of my head
You stood by and never shed a tear
But I remember every word that was said
Oh yes, I remember, never fear

You may cry me a river, c'mon now
Cry me a river
You may cry me a river
I cried a river for you (Oh how I cried)

You nearly drove me out of my own sweet head
You stood by, you never shed a tear for me.
I remember every cruel word, everything that was said
Yes I remember, never you fear

You may cry me a river
I cried a river for you
Yes I cried a river for you

Turn back the tide of life, I cried, salty water runnin' down
I cried I love you
I cried I love you
I cried, I cried

You may cry, oh, she may cry now, a river of tears
A river of tears for you
You may cry now, she may cry, oh, she may cry now
You may cry, oh, she may cry now a river of tears
A river of tears for you

I cry you can cry me a river
Lord loves a cheerful giver
C'mon and cry me a river of tears
C'mon now and cry me a river of tears

C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
C'mon now, c'mon down and cry me a river

Overall Meaning

The song "Cry Me A River" is a classic torch song that was originally written by Arthur Hamilton in the early 1950s. The Betty Buckley cover of the song is a slow, mournful ballad that centers on the theme of heartbreak and betrayal. In the first verse, the singer addresses their former lover, who claims to love them but spends their nights crying. The singer then turns the tables, saying that they themselves cried a river over the former lover, and now it's their turn to cry.

The second verse is filled with the singer's memories of the times when their lover ignored them and would not show any emotions when they were going through a hard time. The singer recalls every cruel word that was said and paints a very vivid picture of a time in their life that was not pleasant. The bridge "Turn back the tide of life, I cried, salty water runnin' down I cried I love you I cried I love you" reiterates that the singer is in love but also heartbroken.

The final verse sees the singer plea for their former lover to cry them a river of tears now that they realize what they have done. The song has a slow, bluesy feel that compliments the melancholic lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Now you say you love me
You're saying you love me now

But you cry the whole night through
But you keep crying all night long

You can cry me a river
You can cry as much as you want

oh yes you're goin' to cry me a river
Oh yes, you're definitely going to cry a lot

'cause I cried a river over you
Because I cried so much over you

Now you say you're sorry for being so untrue
Now you're apologizing for not being faithful

You may cry a river
You can cry as much as you want

Yes I did child, yes I did my child
Yes, I cried so much for you

You drove me nearly out of my head
You made me almost lose my mind

You stood by and never shed a tear
You never showed any emotion

But I remember every word that was said
But I remember everything that was said