Big Girls Don't Cry
Jersey Boys Lyrics

Big girls don't cry
Women who have matured emotionally are expected to handle their emotional pain without crying.

Big girls don't cry (they don't cry)
The societal expectation is that women who have grown up will not cry.

Big girls don't cry (who said they don't cry?)
The singer is questioning the societal expectation and wonders who came up with the idea that mature women don't cry.

My girl said goodbye (my oh my)
The artist's girlfriend broke up with him.

My girl didn't cry (I wonder why)
The artist finds it curious that his girlfriend did not cry when breaking up with him, perhaps questioning whether she truly cared about the relationship.

(Silly boy) Told my girl we had to break up
The singer made the decision to break up with his girlfriend.

(Silly boy) Hoped that she would call my bluff
The singer was testing his girlfriend's reaction to see if she would try to convince him not to break up with her.

(Silly boy) Then she said to my surprise "Big girls don't cry"
To the artist's surprise, his girlfriend did not try to convince him to stay and instead told him that mature women are expected to handle breakups without crying.

Big girls don't cry (that's just an alibi)
The artist suggests that the societal expectation that women don't cry is just a defense mechanism, perhaps reflecting his own personal feelings of vulnerability and discomfort with emotional expression.

Maybe I was cruel (I was cruel)
The artist reflects on the possibility that he may have been unkind to his girlfriend.

Baby I’m a fool (I’m such a fool)
The singer acknowledges that he may have been foolish in his treatment of his girlfriend and the resulting breakup.

(Silly girl) "Shame on you" your mama said
The artist's girlfriend's mother scolded her for crying after the breakup, perhaps enforcing the societal expectation that mature women should not cry.

(Silly girl) "Shame on you" you're cryin in bed
The singer's girlfriend is crying in bed after the breakup, which she seems to feel ashamed of given the societal expectation that she shouldn't be crying.

(Silly girl) "Shame on you" you told me lies
The singer's girlfriend is accused of lying to him, which may have contributed to the breakup.

Big girls do cry
The singer is acknowledging that women who have grown up still experience emotional pain, including the urge to cry, and the societal expectation that women should not cry is unrealistic.

Big girls don't cry
The refrain is repeated to reinforce the notion that women are expected not to cry, but the preceding lyrics suggest that this expectation is not necessarily realistic or healthy.