The single, released in 1995 along with a music video (directed by Adolfo Doring), went on to reach the #2 position on the American Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at #4 on the Australian ARIA Charts. The song also received the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1996.
The lyrics tell the story of a patient man in love with a woman who is an irresponsible alcoholic. He keeps trying to save her and salvage the relationship, even as he sees the toll it is taking on him and the probable futility of his attempts to keep it together. Darius Rucker said he wrote the song about one of his own past relationships, but swapped the gender roles - that in real life, he was the irresponsible one and his girlfriend was the long-suffering partner who tried to keep things together.
Darius Rucker acknowledged that he originally wrote the song as a country song.
Let Her Cry
Hootie & The Blowfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tryin' to find the thought that's escaped her mind
She says, "Dad's the one I love the most
But Stipe's not far behind"
She never lets me in, only tells me where she's been
When she's had too much to drink
I say that I don't care, I just run my hands through her dark hair
And just let her cry if the tears fall down like rain
Let her sing if it eases all her pain
Let her go, let her walk right out on me
And if the sun comes up tomorrow, let her be, let her be
This morning I woke up alone, found a note standing by the phone
Sayin', "Maybe, maybe I'll be back someday"
I wanted to look for you
You walked in, I didn't know just what I should do
So I sat back down and had a beer and felt sorry for myself
Sayin' let her cry if the tears fall down like rain
Let her sing if it eases all her pain
Let her go, let her walk right out on me
And if the sun comes up tomorrow, let her be, let her be
No, no, no, no
Let her cry let her cry if the tears fall down like rain
Let her sing if it eases all her pain
Let her go, let her walk right out on me
And if the sun comes up tomorrow, let her be, ah
Last night I tried to leave, cried so much I could not believe
She was the same girl I fell in love with long ago
She went in the back to get high
I sat down on my couch and cried, yellin'
"Oh, mama, please help me"
Won't you hold my hand and
Let her cry if the tears fall down like rain
Let her sing if it eases all her pain
Let her go, let her walk right out on me
And if the sun comes up tomorrow, let her be
Let her cry, if the tears fall down like rain
Let her sing, if it eases all her pain
Let her go, let her walk right out on me
And if the sun comes up tomorrow, let her be
Ah, let her be
The lyrics of Hootie & The Blowfish’s song “Let Her Cry” tell the story of a man in a relationship with a troubled woman. The first verse paints a picture of the woman sitting by a lamp post, trying to find a lost thought. She confesses that her father is the one she loves the most, but Stipe (presumably Michael Stipe of R.E.M.) follows closely behind. The line reveals that the man in the relationship feels he is competing with her father and another man for her love and attention.
The chorus is a plea to let her cry and sing if it eases her pain. It expresses a willingness to let her walk away from the relationship, even though it would be difficult. The second verse reveals that the man wakes up alone and finds a note from his partner, saying she might be back someday. When she returns, he doesn’t know what to do, so he sits and drinks beer, feeling sorry for himself. The bridge shows the man attempting to leave, but he can’t, because he still loves her. He watches her get high and cries, calling out to his mother for help.
Overall, the song seems to be about the difficulties of loving someone who is struggling with addiction or mental health issues. The singer loves his partner deeply but recognizes that he cannot control her or fix her problems. Instead, he lets her cry and encourages her to find ways to ease her pain, even if that means leaving him.
Line by Line Meaning
She sits alone by a lamp post
She's alone and lost in thought sitting by a lamp post
Tryin' to find the thought that's escaped her mind
She's struggling to find and make sense of a thought that's escaped her
She says, "Dad's the one I love the most But Stipe's not far behind"
She confides in him that although she loves her dad more than anyone, she also loves Stipe, but maybe not as much
She never lets me in, only tells me where she's been
She doesn't let him see what's inside, but only shares with him where she went
When she's had too much to drink
She shares with him when she's had too much to drink
I say that I don't care, I just run my hands through her dark hair
He tells her that he doesn't care, he just massages her and runs his hands through her hair
Then I pray to God you gotta help me fly away
He hopes for a way out to get some relief from her problems
And just let her cry if the tears fall down like rain
He accepts and encourages her to cry if that's what she needs to do to release the pain
Let her sing if it eases all her pain
He allows her to sing if that's what she needs to do to heal her pain
Let her go, let her walk right out on me
He's willing to let her go and leave him behind if that's what she needs to do to find happiness
And if the sun comes up tomorrow, let her be, let her be
He accepts that no matter what happens, he'll let her be and live her life as she pleases
This morning I woke up alone, found a note standing by the phone
He woke up alone and found a note left by her by the phone
Sayin', "Maybe, maybe I'll be back someday"
The note suggests that she may return one day
I wanted to look for you
He wanted to look for her
You walked in, I didn't know just what I should do
She walked in and he was unsure about what to do or say next
So I sat back down and had a beer and felt sorry for myself
He sat down and drank a beer while feeling sorry for himself
No, no, no, no
He repeats the phrase in frustration
Last night I tried to leave, cried so much I could not believe
He tried to leave the previous night but cried so much because he couldn't believe what was happening
She was the same girl I fell in love with long ago
He still sees her as the same girl he fell in love with a long time ago
She went in the back to get high
She went to the back to use drugs
I sat down on my couch and cried, yellin' "Oh, mama, please help me"
He sat down on the couch and cried while calling out for his mom to help him
Won't you hold my hand and
He seeks comfort and support from his mother
Ah, let her be
He concludes by accepting and allowing her to be herself
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, Mark Bryan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@truered-star6761
The man at 1:21 was my grandfather. He let them film the video at his shop. He died when I was a baby, but it's nice to see him in motion this video. Even if it's just a little bit, it's more than enough for me.
@piratethedog111
That's cool, RIP
@newsmoke2596
Rip to your granpa
@esequielgarcia91
Thats awesome, really nice
@alexeus5735
He looks like he was a Kind man. RIP
@truered-star6761
@@alexeus5735 from what I hear he was for the most part. Mellowed out in his later years.
@adamparker7769
“So I sat back down and had a beer, and felt sorry for myself” is a hell of a line. Such a good band.
@rubenriskowsky3003
Agree a 100%
@CorundumDevil
Nobody these days wants to admit their faults or their mistakes; they fail to realize that a man's imperfections are the most human part of his soul.
@dave929
@@CorundumDevil Very true, but the woman we are caring about needs to accept this. Some think we are weak because we have faults and own up to them.