Cry
johnny & ray Lyrics


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Everybody knows where you go when the sun goes down
I think you only live to see the lights of town
I wasted my time when I would try, try, try
When the lights have lost their glow you're gonna cry, cry, cry

I lie awake at night to wait till you come in
You stay a little while and then you're gone again
Every question that I ask I get a lie, lie, lie
For every lie you tell you're gonna cry, cry, cry

You're gonna cry, cry, cry and you'll cry alone
When everyone's forgotten and you're left on your own
You're gonna cry, cry, cry

Soon your sugar-daddies will all be gone
You wake up some cold day and find you're alone
You'll call for me but I'm gonna tell you bye, bye, bye
When I turn around and walk away you'll cry, cry, cry

When your fickle love gets old, no one will care for you
And you'll come back for me for a little love that's true
I'll tell you no and you're gonna ask me why, why, why
When I remind you of all of this and you'll cry, cry, cry

You're gonna cry, cry, cry and you'll want me then




It'll hurt when you think of all the fool you've been
You're gonna cry, cry, cry

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Cry Cry Cry" by Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison's song are a warning to a woman who is only interested in the superficial things of life. She only lives for the excitement of town lights and has no genuine interest in the people around her. The singer feels deceived by her behavior and expresses his frustration with the situation. The woman constantly lies to him and avoids answering his questions. The singer promises that she will cry alone and regret her choices when everything she has taken for granted is gone.


The woman in the song soon realizes that all her rich friends are gone, and she is alone. She then remembers the man who once loved her despite her flaws, and she comes back to him. However, the singer rejects her offer of love because he knows that she is not sincere. She realizes that she was a fool for not listening to him and is left to cry.


The song is a classic country song that deals with the theme of heartbreak and lost love. It is a warning to women who are only interested in the material things of life and do not value genuine relationships with people. The sparse instrumentation of the song and the haunting vocals of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison create a melancholic mood that perfectly suits the song's theme.


Line by Line Meaning

Everybody knows where you go when the sun goes down
It's common knowledge that you only come out at night to party in the city.


I think you only live to see the lights of town
You're only interested in the city nightlife and don't care about anything else.


I wasted my time when I would try, try, try
I put in a lot of effort to try and make this relationship work, but it was all for nothing.


When the lights have lost their glow you're gonna cry, cry, cry
When the excitement of city life wears off, you'll be lonely and sad.


I lie awake at night to wait till you come in
I stay up late waiting for you to come home.


You stay a little while and then you're gone again
You only spend a brief time with me before you go back to partying with other people.


Every question that I ask I get a lie, lie, lie
You consistently lie to me whenever I ask you a question.


For every lie you tell you're gonna cry, cry, cry
Every time you lie, you'll eventually regret it and feel upset.


You're gonna cry, cry, cry and you'll cry alone
You'll feel the consequences of your actions and be lonely because of it.


When everyone's forgotten and you're left on your own
Once your so-called friends abandon you, you'll have nobody left to rely on.


You're gonna cry, cry, cry
You'll regret your decisions and be sorry for what you've done


Soon your sugar-daddies will all be gone
You won't be able to find someone to take care of you forever.


You wake up some cold day and find you're alone
One day you'll wake up and realize that you don't have anyone to turn to.


You'll call for me but I'm gonna tell you bye, bye, bye
You'll try to come back to me, but I won't let you back in my life.


When I turn around and walk away you'll cry, cry, cry
You'll be upset when you realize that you can't come back to me.


When your fickle love gets old, no one will care for you
No one will love you for who you are once your youthful looks and charm fade away.


And you'll come back for me for a little love that's true
You'll try to come back to me for true love.


I'll tell you no and you're gonna ask me why, why, why
I won't take you back, and you'll be left wondering why.


When I remind you of all of this and you'll cry, cry, cry
When I remind you of how you treated me, you'll be sad and regretful.


You're gonna cry, cry, cry and you'll want me then
You'll finally realize how much I meant to you and want me back, but it'll be too late.


It'll hurt when you think of all the fool you've been
It'll hurt when you realize how you took advantage of my love for you.


You're gonna cry, cry, cry
You'll feel regret and sadness for your actions.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Johnny Cash

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

sauquoit13456

In the February 2nd, 1952 issue of Billboard Magazine, Johnny Ray's "Little White Cloud That Cried"* peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on it's 'Records Most-Played By Disk Jockeys' chart, and for the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was Johnnie Ray's own "Cry"...
And also for that week, "Little White Cloud That Cried" was at #3 on Billboard's Best Selling Pop Records chart...
Between 1951 and 1959 the Dallas, Oregon native had twenty-nine records on the Billboard charts, eight made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Cry", for eleven weeks on the 'Best Sellers In Stores' chart in December of 1951...
Eight of his twenty-nine charted records were with the Four Lads...
John Alvin Ray passed away at the age of 63 on February 24th, 1990...
May he R.I.P.
* "Little White Cloud That Cried" was Johnnie Ray's first of two of his records to peak at #2, his other #2 record was "Just Walking In The Rain", for one week in October of 1956...
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of Billboard's Most-Played By Disk Jockeys' Top 10 on February 2nd, 1952:
At #3. "Tell Me Why" by the Four Aces featuring Al Alberts
#4. "Tiger Rag" by Les Paul and Mary Ford
#5. "Shrimp Boats" by Jo Stafford
#6. "Tell Me Why" by Eddie Fisher
#7. "Sin" by Eddy Howard
#8. "Any Time" by Eddie Fisher
#9. "Slow Poke" by Pee Wee King
#10. "Slow Poke" by Ralph Flanagan



All comments from YouTube:

Johnnie R. Johnson

Saw him at the Black Stallion in Colorado Springs on my 21st birthday in 1977. My girl friend had written a letter to him to let him know that we would be there to see his show. Oh by the way, my Mom named me after him because he was one of her favorite singers. When he came out on stage to start the show, he came down into the audience and came straight to our table and introduced himself to us then introduced me to the audience saying "This is Johnnie Ray and it's his 21st birthday'" and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Such a wonderful person. He paid for our dinner, invited us backstage between shows and asked if we could stay for the 2nd show. I will never forget that night and when I told my Mom what happened, she started crying. She was so happy for me. We sent him an invitation to our wedding and he called me within a few days saying he wished he could come, but that he would be in Europe at the time of the wedding. Like i said, he was such a wonderful person and I am so glad that I got to meet him in person. Just wish my Mom could have been there.

Janet Street

That's SO COOL! Thank you so much for sharing this. 😊❤

Jennifer Kay

What a story, Johnnie! Not surprised your Mom cried. Johnnie Ray was a Star with a Heart, lucky you!

TristanandIsolt

Great story. I just looked this up after listening to the Song Come on Eileen.

no comment

Man, he sounds like such a humble guy.

Re Come on Eileen, i’d never considered what those lyrics were until ^ mentioned it

Miss Jamie

How’s the wife?

1 More Replies...

Jerry Klooster

One of the authentic, brave artists that began the transition into rock and roll

Joe Nania

Yes indeed - JOHNNIE RAY with his sometimes rough squelching voice - body movements - arm and hand gestures - hair that would often flop out of place - I say was a big influence on ELVIS PRESLEY - BUT most people do not know of JOHNNIE RAY - And I am glad to see so many videos on youtube showing of HIS talents - HE also played piano very well - I sat at a table with HIM at The Whiskey A Go Go GO night club in Hollywood , California in 1979 and we talked about HIS great career - WOW - what a night , Joe Nania a.k.a. "Hollywood" Joe

Swagothor 3000

I love this. Johnnie Ray is my great great uncle. Wish I had a chance to meet him.

JoJo Leone

True? Is so....very cool! love him

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