Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American sin… Read Full Bio ↴Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.

In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.

Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.

The Sound of Your Cry
Elvis Presley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The clock by the bed is ticking too loud in the quiet night
I lie in the darkness thinking I must go before it's light
Before you open up your eyes and you beg me to stay
I'll leave ‘cause I can't stand to see you hurt this way

Sleep my love as I kiss you goodbye
Then I won't hear the sound of your cry

Though I knew the time is coming and our love would end somehow
I just couldn't bear to tell you exactly just when or how
I know we can't go on, that it was wrong to start
But if you woke up crying now, you know you'll break my heart
Sleep my love as I kiss you goodbye
Then I won't hear the sound of your cry

Sleep my love as I kiss you goodbye
Then I won't hear the sound of your cry

Ohhhh, sleep my love as I kiss you, kiss you, kiss you goodbye
Then I won't hear the sound of your cry

Ohhhh, sleep my love as I kiss you goodbye

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "The Sound of Your Cry" by Elvis Presley are an emotional and heart-wrenching depiction of a man's internal struggle as he prepares to leave his lover. The ticking of a clock is a reminder of the limited time he has, and he knows he must go before the morning comes and she wakes up. He cannot bear to see the pain and hurt in her eyes when she realizes he is gone, hence he opts to leave quietly. He tries to be gentle and tender, kissing her goodbye and urges her to sleep, hoping that she won't wake up crying. The man acknowledges that he knew their love would end, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her the exact moment. He understands that it was a mistake to start a relationship, but he can't bear to see her cry.

The lyrics depict a heartbreaking and relatable situation that many people face in their relationships. The man is well aware that he must leave, but he's torn between the pain he will cause and the need to follow his path. The song portrays an immense struggle with emotions, and of having to choose between hurting someone he cares about or living with the pain of an unfulfilled life. The last line of the chorus, "Sleep my love as I kiss you goodbye, then I won't hear the sound of your cry," stands out, as it shows the lengths to which the man will go to avoid the pain of seeing his lover cry.

Line by Line Meaning

The clock by the bed is ticking too loud in the quiet night
The ticking of the clock beside the bed is becoming increasingly loud in the stillness of the night.

I lie in the darkness thinking I must go before it's light
In the darkness of the night, I realize that I must leave before the break of dawn.

Before you open up your eyes and you beg me to stay
I need to leave before you awaken and plead with me to stay.

I'll leave 'cause I can't stand to see you hurt this way
I am departing because I cannot bear to witness the pain you are enduring.

Sleep my love as I kiss you goodbye
Rest peacefully, my love, as I bid you farewell.

Then I won't hear the sound of your cry
By leaving while you are sleeping, I can avoid hearing the sound of your weeping.

Though I knew the time was coming and our love would end somehow
I was aware that this moment would arrive, when our love would inevitably come to a close.

I just couldn't bear to tell you exactly just when or how
I could not bring myself to reveal the precise time or circumstances surrounding the end of our relationship.

I know we can't go on, that it was wrong to start
I acknowledge that our relationship cannot continue and that it may have been misguided from the beginning.

The Sound of Your CryElvis Presley Lyrics

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The Sound of Your Cry
Elvis Presley Lyrics