Song Cry

Song Cry

JAY-Z

“Song Cry” is an emotional ballad in which Jay describes the pain of a long-term relationship ending, caused by his professional schedule and personal philandering. Since his pride and masculinity don’t allow him to visibly show his emotions, he employs the tear-jerking lyrics to do it instead.

Asked whether this track was about a specific girl, Jay told Bill Maher the content was formed from three different relationships.

This song is the third episode in the progression of Jay’s portrayal of women in his raps. As he told NPR in 2010:

I mean, a song on my first album was “Ain’t No Nigga.” […] It was like, this careless relationship. And then that went to “Big Pimpin” in ‘99. And on that same album was a song called “Song Cry,” and then “Song Cry” became “Bonnie & Clyde” on 2004, which became “Venus vs. Mars” on my last album. So there’s a steady growth in the conversations—that’s being had as it pertains to women, you know, as I grew.