After working with his early bands The Sundowners, The Epics, and Mudcrutch (which also included future Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench) he began his recording career with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers when the band broke onto the national music scene with their 1976 self-titled debut album. Still, it took America a full year to catch up to the album. "Breakdown" was re-released to radio and became a Top 40 hit in 1977 after word filtered back the band was creating a firestorm in England.
He was also a member of The Traveling Wilburys, along with George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. Petty and the Heartbreakers also toured as a backing band for Bob Dylan.
Petty is a vocal critic of the modern recording industry, including the disintegration of independent radio stations.
Petty has been supported by his band, The Heartbreakers, for the majority of his career. He has occasionally released solo work, as is the case with his 2006 effort, Highway Companion, on which he performed most of the backing instrumentation himself. Examples of other solo albums include Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers
Petty died on 2 October 2017 following a cardiac episode earlier that day at his home in Malibu, California. Although some media outlets incorrectly reported his death following an erroneous police report, his death was confirmed later that day by his publicist and manager.
Cry To Me
Tom Petty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stand inside the door
You can't find the easy rhymes
Of time you had before
It hurts my heart so bad
Seeing you sigh and shake
Broken down so low - so sad
Cry to me - cry to me
You better not hide it
Let it come - let it bleed
I ain't laughing - reach in and get it
And set it free
Cry to me - cry to me
The glass is empty and the wine
Is bitter on your tongue
People don't seen wild and fine
Like when you were young
You're lonesome over a stormy ocean
Lost in the rain and wind
We can clear these clouds away
And feel the sun again
The lyrics to Tom Petty's song Cry To Me reflects on a sense of nostalgia and emotional pain. It's an emotional ballad, where the artist is trying to comfort the song's protagonist, a "poor little dreamer" who is standing inside the door, perhaps too afraid to face the world. The singer has had it rough - they can't seem to find the easy rhymes of time they had before, which I assume refers to a time when things were simpler for them.
The artist's heart hurts so bad to see the singer in such a sad state, broken down so low. However, he assures the singer that he can't let him break: "Cry to me - cry to me, you better not hide it. Let it come - let it bleed. I ain't laughing - reach in and get it, and set it free." Essentially, he's asking the singer to let go of whatever has been holding them back, to let out their pain and sorrow and to confront it instead of hiding from it. The artist makes it clear that he's here for the singer, offering them his shoulder to cry on. He wants the singer to be real and honest, even if it means letting out some tears.
The song also emphasizes the contrast between youth and old age. "The glass is empty, and the wine is bitter on your tongue. People don't seem wild and fine like when you were young." The singer is feeling nostalgic, longing for the days when they were young and wild, free from life's burdens. However, the artist reassures them that they don't have to be lost in the rain and wind forever; they can clear these clouds away and feel the sun again. Ultimately, it's a song about being there for someone who is struggling, offering them a shoulder to cry on as they work through their pain and find hope again.
Line by Line Meaning
Poor little dreamer
Tom is addressing someone who is lost in their own dreams and not facing reality.
Stand inside the door
Tom is asking the person to face him and come out of their own cocoon.
You can't find the easy rhymes
Things are not as easy as they seemed to be and the person is having a hard time accepting this.
Of time you had before
The person is having a hard time letting go of the past and is stuck in it.
It hurts my heart so bad
Tom is genuinely feeling for the person and the pain they are going through.
Seeing you sigh and shake
Tom is observing the person's physical and emotional fragility.
Broken down so low - so sad
The person is really low in terms of their emotional strength, they have hit rock bottom.
I can't let you break
Tom is there to support the person and won't let them completely fall apart.
Cry to me - cry to me
Tom is urging the person to express their emotions and let it all out to him.
You better not hide it
Tom is telling the person to not be afraid of expressing themselves and to be true to themselves.
Let it come - let it bleed
Tom is encouraging the person to let go of their emotions and to let it all out.
I ain't laughing - reach in and get it
Tom is being serious and wants the person to really dig deep into their emotions.
And set it free
Tom wants the person to let their emotions out in order to find some release from their pain.
The glass is empty and the wine
The person is feeling empty and unfulfilled in their life.
Is bitter on your tongue
The person is feeling unhappy and unfulfilled despite having had some experiences.
People don't seen wild and fine
The person is feeling that they are past their prime and are no longer enjoyable to the people around them.
Like when you were young
The person is feeling old and is reminiscing about the past.
You're lonesome over a stormy ocean
The person is feeling lonely and lost in their own life.
Lost in the rain and wind
The person is feeling disoriented and unstable in their life.
We can clear these clouds away
Tom is assuring the person that he can help them see things differently.
And feel the sun again
Tom wants the person to come out of their negative mindset and to feel happy again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT BATEMAN, WILSON PICKETT, SONNY SANDERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sweetsuziblues1
Still hard to believe that’s he’s no longer here with us, a piece of my heart died, memories of my youth listening to his music and relating to so many of his lyrics, his voice soothing my soul during times that I needed comfort. 😢💔
Tamponne Bretagne
@Donna Keeling FROM FRANCE.And me too.He sings this song Wonderfully.
Donna Keeling
Every day I listen to Tom
Daniel Fallon
@Julie Baker p p
janet sutton
Same here....
I couldn't agree more, miss him everyday, still weep at times.
Ruth Gregory
Love, love, love this version. Must be one of the few Tom Petty songs I don't have from one of Tom's albums. I somehow missed this one. Got to find it!
Brenda Romero
The studio version is on the Playback Box Set. I fell in love with it the moment I heard it ❤
Cats
Cry to me wad recorded in the early 1960s...
John Bator
Angie, I have no input on how to find the album. But the Cold War went well into 1989. I was in the navy till 83. The soviet union began disbandING IN 1991 THOUGH SATELITE COUNTRIES LIKE ROMAMNIA GOT RID OF COMMUNISM IN 1989
Angie Bold
This was a song he did live on the No Miles Concert with Doobies and CSN and jesse collin young Jackson Browne and more. There is a live double album. My dad bought it when it first came on sell at the original Sound Warehouse. the n the 70s around 76 or 77. No Nukes. Last of the Cold War Days.