Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, (bor… Read Full Bio ↴Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, (born March 28, 1986 in New York, NY) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays. She studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21, through the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. After Def Jam Recordings canceled her contract, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and KonLive Distribution, in 2007. Gaga had her breakthrough the following year with her debut studio album, The Fame, and its chart-topping singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album was later reissued to include the EP The Fame Monster (2009), which yielded the successful singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro".

Gaga's five succeeding studio albums all debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Her second full-length album, Born This Way (2011), explored electronic rock and techno-pop and sold more than one million copies in its first week. The title track became the fastest-selling song on the iTunes Store, with over one million downloads in less than a week. Following her EDM-influenced third album, Artpop (2013), and its lead single "Applause", Gaga released the jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014) with Tony Bennett, and the soft rock album Joanne (2016). She ventured into acting, winning awards for her leading roles in the miniseries American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016) and the musical film A Star Is Born (2018). Her contributions to the latter's soundtrack, which spawned the chart-topping single "Shallow", made her the first woman to win an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and Grammy Award in one year. Gaga returned to dance-pop with her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020), which yielded the number-one single "Rain on Me". She followed this with her second collaborative album with Bennett, Love for Sale, and a starring role in the biopic House of Gucci, both in 2021.

Having sold an estimated 170 million records, Gaga is one of the world's best-selling music artists and the only female artist to achieve four singles that each sold at least 10 million copies globally. Her accolades include 13 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, 18 MTV Video Music Awards, awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and recognition as Billboard's Artist of the Year (2010) and Woman of the Year (2015). She has also been included in several Forbes' power rankings and ranked fourth on VH1's Greatest Women in Music (2012). Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 and 2019 and placed her on their All-Time 100 Fashion Icons list. Her philanthropy and activism focus on mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights; she has her own non-profit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which supports the wellness of young people. Gaga's business ventures include Haus Labs, a vegan cosmetics brand launched in 2019.

Before I Cry
Lady Gaga Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can't believe the things you said
Right now I wish that you would try
Try to stay near me
Try to be near me
Before I cry (before I cry)
'Cause I am gonna need a well
To catch the pain and lift the spell
Like you won't hear me

Can you try to heal me?
Before I cry

Hurry up, hurry up
Before I lose you
Hurry up, hurry up
Before you lose me too
Hurry up, hurry up
Before I change my mind

'Cause I'm gonna cry
If you say you don't need me
I'm gonna cry if you act like you don't care
Promise me, baby, you know I can't fake it
Why don't you hold me?
Tell me you love me
Before I cry
Before I cry

Could you please find another way?
I start to think that I'm insane
Trying to stay here
Let me just lay here
Before I cry

Hurry up, hurry up
Before I lose you
Hurry up, hurry up
Before you lose me too
Hurry up, hurry up
Before I change my mind

'Cause I'm gonna cry
If you say you don't need me
I'm gonna cry if you act like you don't care
Promise me, baby, you know I can't fake it
Why don't you hold me?
Tell me you love me
Before I cry
Before I cry

I'm 'bout to lose it
Is that so confusing?
Am I just repeating myself?
Say something loving to me before I crumble
Tell me, tell me, tell me

'Cause I'm gonna cry
If you say you don't need me
I'm gonna cry if you act like you don't care
Promise me, baby, you know I can't fake it
Why don't you hold me?
Tell me you love me
Before I cry
Before I cry
Before I cry, oh

Have I said what I needed to say?
Have you said what you wanted to say?

Did you say what you wanted to say?
Would you try and stop me before I cry?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lady Gaga's song "Before I Cry" convey the feelings of someone who is on the verge of crying due to the possibility of their partner leaving them. The lyrics shed light on someone's vulnerability and fear of abandonment. The singer is begging their partner to try to stay with them, to try to love them before they are reduced to tears. The chorus is repetitive and intense, with the singer pleading for their partner not to abandon them. The word 'hurry up' is repeated, indicating the urgency of the situation, and the phrase 'before I lose you' is repeated to emphasize the fear of abandonment.

The second verse shifts the tone of the song slightly, with the singer asking for their partner to find "another way" and for themselves to "lay here" and calm down. The singer is portrayed as anxious and uncertain, begging their partner to be vocal about their love for them. Gaga's emotive delivery, including her voice strains and intonations, amplifies the intensity of the song. The bridge opens up space for the singer to say what is on their mind when they inquire if they have said what is needed or if their partner has expressed what they wish to.

Overall, "Before I Cry" speaks to the anxiety and uncertainty of relationships, highlighting the fear of abandonment and the need for reassurance.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't believe the things you said
Expressing disbelief at the things said by the person which made her sad and anxious

Right now I wish that you would try
Wanting the person to make an effort to understand her pain and stay with her

Try to stay near me
Asking the person to not leave her and stay with her to give her comfort

Try to be near me
Asking the person to show care and concern for her by being near her

Before I cry (before I cry)
Asking the person to act before she starts crying

'Cause I am gonna need a well
She knows that the pain is so much that a well is needed to bear it

To catch the pain and lift the spell
Describing how the well will help her in healing and taking the pain away

Like you won't hear me
Feeling alone and unacknowledged in spite of expressing her pain to the person

Can you try to heal me?
Asking the person to help in her healing process and reduce pain

Before I cry
Asking the person to be there for her and comfort her to stop her from crying

Hurry up, hurry up
Urging the person to move fast and do something before it is too late

Before I lose you
Asking the person to act before she loses them forever

Before you lose me too
Stating the importance of the person's timely action, to maintain their relationship

Before I change my mind
Stating the possibility of her changing her mind and giving up on their relationship

'Cause I'm gonna cry
Expressing how overwhelmed and sad she feels

If you say you don't need me
Expressing how hurtful it will be if the person says they don't need her anymore

I'm gonna cry if you act like you don't care
Stating that even if the person doesn't say the words, their actions may end up breaking her heart

Promise me, baby, you know I can't fake it
Asking the person to not give false promises, as she cannot pretend to be okay anymore

Why don't you hold me?
Asking the person to comfort her and show affection

Tell me you love me
Reassuring herself of the person's love for her

Could you please find another way?
Asking the person to find an alternate solution to their problems instead of leaving her alone

I start to think that I'm insane
Feeling anxious and interpreting the person's behavior as her own fault

Trying to stay here
Making an effort to make things work and stay with the person

Let me just lay here
Asking the person to not judge her for feeling vulnerable and allowing her to be herself

I'm 'bout to lose it
Feeling like she is on the edge and is about to break down

Is that so confusing?
Feeling like she has made herself clear and wondering if the person is confused about her feelings

Am I just repeating myself?
Feeling like she is being repetitive and wondering if she is not making sense

Say something loving to me before I crumble
Asking the person to say something affectionate and reassuring to prevent her from breaking down

Have I said what I needed to say?
Wondering if she has been clear and expressive enough

Have you said what you wanted to say?
Asking the person if they have expressed everything they needed to tell her

Did you say what you wanted to say?
Asking the person if they spoke the truth and had been honest with her

Would you try and stop me before I cry?
Asking the person to make an effort to stop her from crying and be there for her when she needs them the most

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mark Jr. Nilan, Nick Monson, Paul Blair, Stefani J. Germanotta

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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