History
Their first album was released in 1988 and was titled Who?. The album went gold and had several hit singles. The first of these, "Little Walter", went to #1 on the R&B charts. While none of the singles went gold, the next three singles, "Born Not To Know", "For The Love Of You" and "Baby Doll" were all Top 10 R&B singles.
Firmly establishing themselves, the group's second album The Revival was released in 1990 and reached platinum status. The album spawned several #1 R&B hits with "It Never Rains", "Feels Good", and "Whatever You Want", all topping the R&B charts. "Feels Good" was the group's first single to breach the Top 10 of the Hot 100 and managed to go gold.
Furthering the group's success, they released their best selling album to date, Sons Of Soul, in 1993. The album went double platinum and had hit singles: "If I Had No Loot" which hit #7 on the Hot 100, "Anniversary" which reached #10 on the Hot 100, and "(Lay Your Head On My) Pillow" which reached #4 on the R&B charts.
In 1996, the group released their last album to date, House of Music. The album lacked the strong singles of earlier entries, only getting "Thinking Of You" into the top 10 on the R&B charts but the album still managed to go platinum.
Raphael Saadiq released his first solo effort, the Top 20 Billboard hit "Ask of You" from the Higher Learning soundtrack, in 1995. Around the same time, Saadiq became a much-sought-after R&B producer, scoring hits for D'Angelo, Total, The Roots and others. Later in the 2000s, he started a solo career, releasing two albums, Instant Vintage (2002) and Ray Ray (2004).
In 2003, most members of Tony! Toni! Toné! except for Saadiq were invited by Alicia Keys to guest on her album The Diary of Alicia Keys. The song that resulted from that session was called "Diary", and when it was released as a single in the fall of 2004, it gave them their first Top 10 US hit in eleven years. In 2005, Dwayne Wiggins became the band leader for the Weekends at the D.L. television show hosted by comedian D. L. Hughley, which airs on the Comedy Central cable network.
In 2006, the group reunited for the New Jack Reunion Tour, running throughout the U.S.
Not Gonna Cry for You
Tony Toni Toné Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know sometimes
I run outta tears from my eyes crying over you
I know you may not believe that
There's been other times you had some other guys
And all the guys before had the same things in mind
It wasn't they had dear love, was a temporary love
Girl, what I had for you was a thing from above
But, I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, oh no
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, oh no
I'm not gonna cry for you
(I've been crying for much too long)
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
All alone on Sunday night, I try to hold it in
I called over female friend 'coz I knew she'd take me in
I find myself lying in bed with tears full of tears
So now I must go and straighten up my prim
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, not no more
I'm not gonna cry for you
(I won't cry, I won't cry for you, baby, no)
I'm not gonna cry for you, oh no
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
(Anymore, my baby)
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry
As I lie here by myself, I put my feelings on the shelf
And I don't know why I always cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, no more
I'm not gonna cry for you
(I won't cry, I won't cry for you, baby, no)
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, not no more
I'm not gonna cry for you
(I won't cry, I won't cry for you, baby, no)
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, not no more
I'm not gonna cry for you
(I won't cry, my baby)
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, not no more
I'm not gonna cry for you
(I been, I been crying oh so long)
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you anymore
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you
The lyrics of Tony Toni Toné's "For the Love of You" express the frustration and exhaustion that comes from crying over someone who doesn't appreciate the depth of the love they were given. The singer explains that their love was not temporary, like the love of the other men in this person's past, but rather a divine connection. Despite the pain of unrequited love, the singer decides to stop crying and move forward. It is a declaration of self-love and resilience.
The line "But, I'm not gonna cry for you" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's determination to not let this person continue to have control over their emotions. The verses reveal the struggle to overcome the pain and move on, from seeking comfort in friends to forcing oneself to put emotions aside. The line "And I don't know why I always cry for you" in the last verse shows the confusion that often accompanies heartache, even when the person is resolved to move forward.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the internal struggle that comes with unrequited love, and the determination to move on and love oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl, I'm sick and tired of crying over you
I am tired of constantly crying over you, it's emotionally draining.
You know sometimes
I run outta tears from my eyes crying over you
I know you may not believe that
See but I swear that I do
I have cried so much for you that there are times when I don't have any tears left. I understand if you don't believe me, but I am telling the truth.
There's been other times you had some other guys
And all the guys before had the same things in mind
It wasn't they had dear love, was a temporary love
Girl, what I had for you was a thing from above
You have been with other men who only wanted a temporary relationship with you. What I felt for you was a love so pure and genuine, it was a blessing from God.
But, I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, oh no
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, oh no
I have decided that I will no longer cry for you. I am done shedding tears over someone who doesn't appreciate my love.
All alone on Sunday night, I try to hold it in
I called over female friend 'coz I knew she'd take me in
I find myself lying in bed with tears full of tears
So now I must go and straighten up my prim
On a lonely Sunday night, I try to keep my emotions in check. I called a female friend to comfort me because I know she will be there for me. But even then, I still cry myself to sleep. I need to regain my composure and move on.
As I lie here by myself, I put my feelings on the shelf
And I don't know why I always cry for you
As I lay here alone, I try to bottle up my feelings and set them aside. I don't understand why I still cry for you even though I know it's not worth it.
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you, not no more
I'm not gonna cry for you
(I won't cry, I won't cry for you, baby, no)
I'm not gonna cry for you, oh no
Anymore, my baby
(I won't cry, my baby)
I'm not gonna cry for you
(I been, I been crying oh so long)
I'm not gonna cry for you
I'm not gonna cry for you anymore
I have made my decision, I will not cry for you anymore. I won't shed any more tears over you, it's time to move on from this pain.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CLEMON TIMOTHY JR. RILEY, RAPHAEL SAADIQ, DWAYNE P. WIGGINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind