“Cry Your Heart Out” is a crisp Motown-gone-reggae track with whimsical vocal effects and ad-libs. Disguised as an upbeat-pop track, “Cry Your Heart Out” is about depression.

In her interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Adele shared that the song describes the time after her divorce when she felt like the whole world had ended and she became extremely depressed and lethargic. However, she admits that crying and outpouring is healthy and can help one to come out of that state of mind.