Behind the Meaning of Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry on Their Own”

Amy Winehouse never shied away from saying exactly what she wanted to in her songs. She was incomparably candid in her music, letting hard truths fly freely. In “Tears Dry on Their Own,” she sings about a doomed relationship and all the emotional turmoil therein. Uncover the meaning behind this track, below.

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Behind the Meaning of Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry on Their Own”

All I can ever be to you is a darkness that we know
And this regret I got accustomed to
Once it was so right, when we were at our high
Waiting for you in the hotel at night

In the opening verse, Winehouse tells the listener how her relationship soured. Once it was so right, when we were at our high, she sings, setting up the painful reality of her love story.

“I was with someone that I couldn’t really be with and I knew it wouldn’t last,” Winehouse once said of the inspiration behind this song. “But I think because I knew it couldn’t last, it’s kinda like saying, “I’m upset, but I know I’ll get over it, I guess.”

You can find those themes easily in these powerful lyrics. I knew I hadn’t met my match…I don’t know why I got so attached, she sings in the second verse.

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I don’t understand, why do I stress the man?
When there’s so many bigger things at hand
We coulda never had it all, we had to hit a wall
So this is inevitable withdrawal

Winehouse had many songs that were about the pitfalls of love. She often sang about unfaithful men and the pain they caused her. While many artists have delivered similar messages, few are as visceral as Winehouse’s tale of love gone awry.

This song is no exception. She says things that many of us would find hard to say out loud. Even if I stop wanting you, a perspective pushes through / I’ll be some next man’s other woman soon, she says. This song sees Winehouse partially defeated and partially emboldened by her ability to speak plainly about her pain.

Revisit this track, below.

Even if I stop wanting you, a perspective pushes through
I’ll be some next man’s other woman soon
I cannot play myself again, I should just be my own best friend
Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men

(Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)