Mandisa grew up in Citrus Heights, California (Sacramento County) and graduated from El Camino Fundamental High School. She then attended American River College in Sacramento where she studied Vocal Jazz. Then she was off to Fisk University in Tennessee and graduated with a bachelor's of music degree with a concentration in vocal performance. Mandisa currently resides in the suburban Nashville community of Antioch, Tennessee. When she auditioned for American Idol in Chicago, she asked the judges to call her "just Mandisa", and she has been billed as Mandisa (with no last name) on the show since the shows Hollywood round. Mandisa was a backup singer for famed Christian author and speaker Beth Moore. She has stated her musical influences run the gamut from Whitney Houston to Def Leppard.
Idol judge Simon Cowell made several comments about Mandisa's weight during her audition. When he first saw her, he quipped are we "going to have a bigger stage this year." Later, when Paula Abdul commented that Mandisa had a "Frenchie" growl to her voice, Cowell responded that a more apt comparison would be to France itself. These were among comments that drew the ire of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, and would be one of the reasons Mandisa would entitle her 2007 album "True Beauty".
According to the Stronger Songfacts, the 11 tracks of Mandisa's 2011 album What If We Were Real encourage shining the light on whom we really are, including both the good and the bad; the theme of the record also coincided with Mandisa's public struggles with food addiction and weight loss. "A struggle is a struggle, and Jesus is there through it all," the singer explained. "He is there in compassion and grace. I have found that what He has spoken to me through these songs has been encouraging and I think that'll be true for other people who are going through their own hard times."
Cry
Mandisa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go ahead and take off your brave face
Why you tellin' me that nothing's wrong
It's obvious you're not in a good place
Who's tellin' you to keep it all inside
And never let those feelings
Get past the corner of your eye
You don't need to speak
Baby take some time
Let those prayers roll down your cheek
It may be tomorrow
You'll be past the sorrow
But tonight it's alright
Just cry
I know you know your Sunday songs
A dozen verses by memory
Yeah they're good but life is hard
And days get long
You gotta know God can handle your honesty
So feel the things you're feeling
Name your fears and doubts
Don't stuff your shame and sadness,
Loneliness and anger
Let it out, let it out
You don't need to run
You don't need to speak
Baby take some time
Let those prayers roll down your cheek
It may be tomorrow
You'll be past the sorrow
But tonight it's alright
Just cry
Just cry
It doesn't mean you don't trust Him
It doesn't mean you don't believe
It doesn't mean you don't know
He's redeeming everything
You don't need to run
You don't need to speak
Baby take some time
Let those prayers roll down your cheek
It may be tomorrow
You'll be past the sorrow
But tonight it's alright
But tonight it's alright
Just cry
Why you gotta act so strong
Go ahead and take off your brave face
In Mandisa's song "Cry," the lyrics are addressing someone who is pretending to be strong and not expressing their true emotions about a difficult situation they are going through. The singer is encouraging the listener to take off their brave face and be honest about what they are feeling; to let themselves cry and release those emotions. The lyrics emphasize that holding in your emotions does more harm than good, and that it's important to let yourself feel and express them in order to move past them.
The song acknowledges that life is hard and difficult, but that God can handle our honesty about it all. Instead of pretending everything is okay, it's important to name your fears and doubts, and not stuff your shame and sadness, loneliness and anger. The lyrics encourage the listener to let it out, cry, and release those emotions rather than running away from them.
Overall, the song is a reminder that it's okay to not be okay, and that it's important to express our emotions instead of suppressing them. It encourages the listener to lean into their faith and trust that God is with them through all of it, even in the hardest moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Why you gotta act so strong
Questioning why the person puts up a facade of being strong.
Go ahead and take off your brave face
Encouraging the person to stop pretending to be brave.
Why you tellin' me that nothing's wrong
Questioning the person's denial of their struggles.
It's obvious you're not in a good place
Acknowledging that the person is going through a difficult time.
Who's tellin' you to keep it all inside
Questioning where the person is getting the message to keep emotions hidden.
And never let those feelings
Encouraging the person to express their emotions.
Get past the corner of your eye
Encouraging the person to fully process and deal with their emotions instead of pushing them aside.
You don't need to run
Assuring the person that they don't need to run from their emotions.
You don't need to speak
Assuring the person that they don't need to speak out loud about their emotions.
Baby take some time
Encouraging the person to take the time they need to process their feelings.
Let those prayers roll down your cheek
Encouraging the person to express their emotions through prayer and tears.
It may be tomorrow
Assuring the person that they won't feel this way forever.
You'll be past the sorrow
Encouraging the person that they'll eventually overcome their struggles.
But tonight it's alright
Assuring the person that it's okay to feel and express their emotions in the moment.
Just cry
Encouraging the person to let their tears flow.
I know you know your Sunday songs
Acknowledging the person's background in religious teachings.
A dozen verses by memory
Highlighting the person's familiarity with religious verses.
Yeah they're good but life is hard
Acknowledging that religious teachings may not provide all the answers in tough times.
And days get long
Acknowledging that struggles can feel never-ending.
You gotta know God can handle your honesty
Assuring the person that they can express their true feelings to God without fear of judgement.
So feel the things you're feeling
Encouraging the person to fully feel and process their emotions.
Name your fears and doubts
Encouraging the person to specifically identify their struggles.
Don't stuff your shame and sadness,
Loneliness and anger
Encouraging the person to not suppress negative emotions.
Let it out, let it out
Encouraging the person to express their emotions fully.
It doesn't mean you don't trust Him
Assuring the person that expressing emotions doesn't indicate a lack of faith in God.
It doesn't mean you don't believe
Assuring the person that expressing emotions doesn't indicate a lack of belief in God.
It doesn't mean you don't know
Assuring the person that expressing emotions doesn't indicate a lack of understanding of God's plan.
He's redeeming everything
Assuring the person that God can bring good from their struggles.
But tonight it's alright
Reassuring the person that it's okay to express their emotions in the present moment.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: TONY WOOD, RONNIE FREEMAN, LYNN HUNDLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind