“Cry” is a 2019 dream pop track from Cigarettes After Sex about being the wrong person at the wrong time. It’s told from the perspective of a man who knows he’s hurting his partner because he can’t give them what they need.
Below is a line-by-line interpretation of the lyrics in “Cry.”
- Song: Cry
- Artist: Cigarettes After Sex
- Songwriter: Greg Gonzalez
- Released: 2019
- Album: Cry
- Genre: Dream pop
What is “Cry” About?
Verse 1: The Painful Truth
It’s making you cry every time
You give your love to me this way
His partner keeps crying because he can’t fully commit the way they want him to.
They’re pouring love into this relationship, and it hurts them every time because he’s not in the same place.
Saying you’d wait for me to stay
I know it hurts you
His partner is willing to wait for him to stay, which could mean physically staying when he leaves or remaining in the relationship long-term.
Either way, he knows this waiting is causing them pain. They’re holding on to hope that things will change.
Chorus: Admitting He Can’t Change
But I need to tell you something
My heart just can’t be faithful for long
He’s not ready to commit. He knows he can’t stay faithful, whether that means he’ll cheat or just lose interest and pull away again.
Whether it’s his lifestyle, his focus on other things, or just who he is doesn’t really matter. The result is the same.
I swear I’ll only make you cry
If he stays with this person, they’ll keep crying because he still won’t be ready. It’s a nasty cycle.
He’s the “bad” side of a toxic relationship, but he doesn’t want to be. The problem is he keeps coming back, causing more pain each time, even though he knows better.
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Verse 2: Maybe Someday
Maybe I’d change for you someday
But I can’t help the way I feel
He’s being honest about wishing he were in the same place as his partner. There’s a chance he could be different in the future, but right now his feelings are what they are.
Saying “maybe someday” leaves the door open, though, which could be seen as unfair to his partner. It keeps them hanging on when he should probably just let them go.
Wish I was good
Wish that I could give you my love now
He wishes he could be the person they need and love them back right now.
Wishing doesn’t change anything, though. He can’t force feelings that aren’t there yet, and waiting for someday isn’t fair to either of them.
“Cry” Song Meaning: A One-Sided Relationship
“Cry” is about being the problem in a relationship and knowing it. He’s not ready to commit, can’t stay faithful, and keeps coming back even though he knows it hurts his partner every time. Instead of stringing them along indefinitely, he’s trying to be honest about what he can and can’t give.
He’s the “toxic” part of this relationship, but not out of cruelty. He just isn’t in the same place his partner is. He sees how much they love him and how much that love is costing them. The (potential) problem is that saying “maybe someday” keeps the door open when he should probably close it.
It’s a song about someone caught between wanting a relationship and not being able to give what it requires.
Songs Like “Cry”
Here are some tracks with similar themes:
1. “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron
This 2015 track is about wishing you could go back to when things were better, before you ruined everything between you and someone who mattered.
Related: “The Night We Met” Song Meaning
2. “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt
Raitt’s 1991 ballad is from the other side, accepting that no matter how much you love someone, you can’t force them to feel the same way.
3. “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver
This indie-folk track is about a relationship that’s falling apart because neither person can give what the other needs.
Related: “Skinny Love” Song Meaning
Conclusion: When You’re Not All In
“Cry” shows what it looks like to recognize you’re the wrong person for someone and tell them before it gets worse. You could say that the narrator is in the wrong for prolonging the inevitable, but a lot of people can relate to that feeling where you’re happy but not fully “in” a relationship, which can make it tough to break up.
“Cry” does a great job of showing the not-so-toxic-but-still-toxic side of that type of relationship.
Check out more Breakup Song Interpretations!
