Cry Me A River
Jeff Beck Feat. Imelda May & Jason Rebello Lyrics


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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 sweethead
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 lyrics to Jeff Beck featuring Imelda May and Jason Rebello's "Cry Me A River" are about heartbreak and the aftermath of a failed relationship. The first two lines refer to the singer's former lover crying despite professing love, and the chorus establishes that the singer has already cried their own river over the lost relationship. The lyrics continue with the singer stating that they remember every hurtful thing their ex said and later call for them to cry a river in return. This repeats until the end, where the singer encourages their ex to cry a river of tears for them and references the saying "Lord loves a cheerful giver."


The song's lyrics capture the raw emotion of heartbreak and the sense of wanting the person who caused it to feel the pain they've caused. The river serves as a metaphor for the singer's tears, but also for the ex's tears if they're so moved. The emphasis on crying a river gives the song an almost operatic sense of drama and finality, as if the singer is demanding a non-verbal response to their pain.


Line by Line Meaning

Now you say you love me
You are telling me that you love me


But you cry the whole night through
However, you spend the entire night crying


You can cry me a river
You have the ability to cry a lot


Oh yes you're goin' to cry me a river
You will definitely cry a lot


'Cause I cried a river over you
I cried a lot because of you


Now you say you're sorry for being so untrue
You apologize for being unfaithful


You may cry a river
You may cry a lot


You may cry me a river
You may cry a lot for me


I cried a river over you
I cried a lot because of you


Yes I did child, yes I did my child
I did cry a lot, my child


You drove me nearly out of my head
You almost drove me crazy


You stood by and never shed a tear
You were there, but you never cried


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


Oh yes, I remember, never fear
I certainly remember, don't worry


You may cry me a river, c'mon now
You can cry a lot for me, let's go


Cry me a river
Cry a lot for me


I cried a river for you (Oh how I cried)
I cried a lot because of you (oh, how much I cried)


You nearly drove me out of my own sweethead
You almost made me lose my mind


You stood by, you never shed a tear for me.
You were there, but you never cried for me


I remember every cruel word, everything that was said
I recall every hurtful thing that was said


Yes I remember, never you fear
Yes, I remember, don't be afraid


Turn back the tide of life, I cried, salty water runnin' down
I plead for things to change, as tears streamed down my face


I cried I love you
I cried because I love you


You may cry, oh, she may cry now, a river of tears
You might cry, or she might cry a lot of tears


A river of tears for you
A lot of tears because of you


You may cry now, she may cry, oh, she may cry now
You can cry now, or she might cry a lot now


You may cry, oh, she may cry now a river of tears
You can cry, or she might cry a lot of tears


A river of tears for you
A lot of tears because of you


I cry you can cry me a river
I cried and you can cry a lot for me


Lord loves a cheerful giver
God loves someone who gives willingly and cheerfully


C'mon and cry me a river of tears
Come on and cry a lot of tears for me


C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
Come on and cry a lot of tears for me now


C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
Come on and cry a lot of tears for me now


C'mon now, c'mon down and cry me a river
Come on now, come down and cry a lot for me




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arthur Hamilton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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