Coolidge's early career was as a backing vocalist, for artists such as Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, and Leon Russell. Her performance of "Superstar" on the Cocker/Russell Mad Dogs and Englishmen album helped gain her attention. She became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her. It was during this time that she met Kris Kristofferson; the two married in 1973. With him, she recorded several duet albums which sold well, and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1974 for From the Bottle to the Bottom, and in 1976 for Lover Please.
In 1997, Coolidge was one of the founding members of Walela, a Native American music trio, that also includes Coolidge's sister Priscilla and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. The trio released albums in 1997 and 2000. Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee.
Cry Me A River
Rita Coolidge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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 sweet head
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
The lyrics of Rita Coolidge's Cry Me A River are a plea from the singer to her lover who has hurt her deeply by being unfaithful. The opening lines reveal the irony in the situation; the lover is apologizing profusely and professing their love for the singer, but they spend the whole night crying. The singer then proceeds to tell the lover that they can cry her a river, just as she cried a river over them. This is a powerful metaphor, signifying the depth of her pain, and how much her lover’s actions affected her.
Line by Line Meaning
Now you say you love me
You claim to love me now
But you cry the whole night through
But you cry yourself to sleep every night
You can cry me a river
You can express your emotions to me
Oh yes you're goin' to cry me a river
You're going to cry a lot to me
'Cause I cried a river over you
Since I cried a lot because of you
Now you say you're sorry for being so untrue
You now apologize for not being faithful
You may cry a river
You might express your emotions to me
You may cry me a river
You might cry a lot to me
I cried a river over you
I cried a lot because of you
Yes I did child, yes I did my child
Indeed I did, my dear
You drove me nearly out of my head
You made me almost crazy
You stood by and never shed a tear
You were indifferent and never showed any emotion
But I remember every word that was said
But I remember everything you said
Oh yes, I remember, never fear
I remember every single thing, don't worry
You may cry me a river, c'mon now
You can express your emotions to me, come on now
Cry me a river
Cry a lot to me
You may cry me a river
You might cry a lot to me
I cried a river for you (Oh how I cried)
I cried a lot because of you
You nearly drove me out of my own sweet head
You almost made me lose my mind
You stood by, you never shed a tear for me.
You were unsupportive and never showed any emotion for me.
I remember every cruel word, everything that was said
I remember every harsh remark, everything you said
Yes I remember, never you fear
I remember everything clearly, don't worry
You may cry me a river
You can cry a lot to me
I cried a river for you
I cried a lot because of you
Yes I cried a river for you
I cried a lot because of you
Turn back the tide of life, I cried, salty water runnin' down
I wanted to stop the flow of time and cried uncontrollably
I cried I love you
I cried because I love you
I cried I love you
I cried because I love you
I cried, I cried
I cried, I cried
You may cry, oh, she may cry now, a river of tears
You or anyone else can 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 or anyone else can cry now
You may cry, oh, she may cry now a river of tears
You or anyone else can cry a lot to me
A river of tears for you
A lot of tears because of you
I cry you can cry me a river
I will listen if you want to express yourself a lot
Lord loves a cheerful giver
God loves those who are generous
C'mon and cry me a river of tears
Come on and cry a lot to me
C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
Come on now and cry a lot to me
C'mon now and cry me a river of tears
Come on now and cry a lot to me
C'mon now, c'mon down and cry me a river
Come on now, come on down, and cry a lot to me
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arthur Hamilton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind