Easy to Cry
(words and music by Rick Springfield) 

Mother said that the tears of a woman
Were never meant to be shared by a man
I was taught that the man was a survivor
Shelter woman and to give her what he can
That's the way of the world, Mama said
And the woman loved the man til she died
Though life will share both the joy and the pain
My son, woman was the only one that cried

That's what mother said
That's what mother said
My Mama never lied

Cause it's easy to cry when your woman's gone
and it's easy to cry from the pain
But it's easy to learn from your first mistake
And I ain't gonna do it again

Mama said there are hardships a comin'
Man and woman carry them through the years
She said the strength of the man's in the sweat of his brows
The power of the woman's in her tears

That's the way of the world, Mama said
And the woman loved the man, though he lied
But I learned in the light of the cold world
The woman's not the only one that cries
I know Mama lied, I know
I know that Mama lied

Cause it's easy to cry when your woman's gone
It's easy to cry from the pain
But it's easy to learn from your first mistake
And I ain't gonna do it again

It's easy to cry, easy to cry
It's easy to cry, easy to cry
Well it's easy to cry, easy to cry
Well it's easy to cry, easy to cry

It's easy to cry when your woman's gone
and it's easy to cry from the pain
and it's easy to learn from your first mistake
and I ain't gonna do it again

And it's easy to cry, easy to cry
And it's easy to cry, easy to cry
And it's easy to cry, easy to cry
And it's easy to cry, easy to cry
And it's easy to cry, easy to cry
Yea it's easy to cry, easy to cry
Oh it's easy to cry, easy to cry

(total playing time: 3:33)

SONG FACTS:

This song appears on the following releases:
Working Class Dog Expanded Edition

I love when Rick gives us little presents. That's what I consider this song, a little gift of sorts for making me shell out money again for an album I originally bought 25 years ago. <gasp> I always give myself a little shock whenever I mention something happening over 20 years ago. Knowing that WCD was released 20 plus 5 years ago just gives me gray hair. Since I don't need any more of THAT...I'm moving away from the thought.

Ok, this little gem I really like. Sometimes when you receive gifts you don't really like, you're taught to politely smile and say thanks and then dispose of it out of the gift-giver's range. I don't have to do that with this one. This song is very reminiscent of the music on Beginnings, CBH and WFN. It just has that feel to me, with the lyrics also hitting on a more simple time in anyone's life: when you're young enough to listen to what your mother says.

Rick sings about crying being a "woman's thing" in this song. I find it surprising though that it was his mother who told him it was girly to cry, usually that's something a boy hears from his father. What's even more strange then when thinking of this fatherly-type of advice is that Rick didn't write it that way, considering how much a part of his music the legacy of his father is. 

The advice of this song reminds me so much of what a mother would tell her daughter, that if you substitute the chorus line of "It's easy to cry when your woman's gone" to "it's easy to cry when your man is gone" you could get a whole new meaning of this song. Written how it is, Rick is singing about how his mother was wrong about women being the only ones hurt at the end of a relationship. Looking at it through the eyes of a woman singing it, you'd think she was getting strength out of the breakup and that the tears were a relief. "But it's easy to learn from your first mistake, and I ain't gonna do it again." This line always had me confused from the man's point of view. He's not going to have another serious relationship, or he's not going to make whatever mistake it was to end this one again? However, if a woman said that, you'd interpret it as -yep the man screwed up, so she broke it off and she's NOT going there again. Either way, it's HIS fault. :-)

What also confuses me in this song is that everyone is lying. Mama lied...and Mama also tells him that "That's the way of the world Mama said, and the woman loved the man though he lied." Again, advice that a mother would tell her daughter right about the time she's about to start dating: Don't believe a word he says, boys always lie. :-)

I'm one of those people who love love love liner notes. I especially enjoy them when the artist takes the time to tell you a bit about the background of how the song came to be. I made the mistake though of reading through them before really listening to the new (to us) stuff. I figured I was safe to do that since I was pretty familiar with the material on WCD. (boy, is THAT an understatement) However, since Rick mentioned he was emulating "Carry on Wayward Son" in this song...that's all I can think about when this track comes on. I agree, it sounds very Kansas-like. - Michelle P

One of the greatest things that has always drawn me to the music of Rick Springfield is the raw emotion you can hear and feel when he sings. (those vocal inflections I love so much.) This song is no exception, even if it didn't make the cut for the original WCD. His voice is clear and in perfect tune. "Easy to Cry" is one of the best "new" songs I've heard from Rick. I play it on a regular basis. The chorus picks up a groovy little beat I can dance to, and usually do! It's just so catchy. Knowing how Rick loves "the hook" in his music…I would say this one definitely has a hook that gets stuck in your mind. Once I hear it, I can't shake the chorus for days! 

Rick mentioned in his liner notes how he didn't think this song "fit" within the whole WCD thing and he says it didn't feel as "genuine" as the other tracks. I think the lyrics feel very true. And actually, I think the music sounds a lot like some of the other songs on the album. (in some of the guitar playing, I am hearing a hint of something else from WCD. The Light of Love maybe? I can't put my finger on it.) Theme-wise, I suppose it doesn't really blend with the other songs too well. But I think it's a very passionate and beautiful song nonetheless, and I am thrilled he added this song to the new WCD CD. I can't help but wonder what other gems he's hiding from around that time period. If they're half as great as this song…then I hope he will bring them out for a future LE. I'm such a sucker for that album and the train of thought he was on at that time. 

I like how the song starts out with the mellow piano, and the sound of it is a bit sad. The first several times I played this song, it literally brought a tear to my eye. (yeah, it doesn't take much to bring me to tears some days. Stuff like this just gets to me. LOL) I'm not sure if the song has this impact on me because of the music, the words, the desperate and sad sound of his voice (almost like he's pleading for some truth), or if it's all of these things combined. It might even be the whole concept of the song itself. I like the fact that he wrote a song touching on this topic. Boys are so often raised to believe that it's "unmanly" to cry, and that crying is a sign of weakness. I've always felt that belief is unfair and untrue. I also feel that it's MORE manly to be unafraid to show your natural emotions and be in tune with them…even if it does mean you break down and cry sometimes. Yet another thing I love about Rick. He seems to be in touch with all his emotions…and that is an attractive quality in a man and shows strength, rather than weakness. 

I like that little "whoooo" after the second verse and the almost-growling sound he makes here and there. Again…he must have really been feeling this song when he recorded it, because the hurt and disbelief are evident in his voice. (or else he was putting on an act!) By far my favorite line in the song is when he says, "she said the strength of a man's in the sweat of his brow, the power of a woman's in her tears." Those words really strike me. It goes back to the "old way" of thinking, that a man is not supposed to cry. His power is "supposed" to come through in providing for his family and being the rock… the strong one. And then there's the old adage that a woman can make things happen when she cries; move mountains. I guess Rick learned there is more to it than that. He lost his woman and is deeply hurt by it, so he cries. He probably began to feel he was going against the grain of what is "supposed" to be the "way of the world." I think this whole theory can be confusing for males as they venture through life and experience heartache. I appreciate the fact that he is saying men don't always have to be tough guys. As life goes on and he learns some hard lessons, he is dismayed to realize that mama lied. In fact, there are many mothers who raise their sons to believe these things. I don't think they are lying at all, not intentionally anyway. They are simply teaching what they believe, or have been taught. 

I love how it kicks back in towards the end after the repeating of "easy to cry…easy to cry" into "yeah it's easy to cry when your woman's gone." For some reason I really like how he did that. It feels kind of unexpected, like I thought he'd say something else during this part. It's amazing how Rick composed the music. It takes me through a bit of sadness in parts, then it's almost uplifting and cheerful in places. I can feel a lot of pain and some anger underneath too. I think this song would have been pretty good on the original WCD, but I know Rick has his reasons for leaving off certain tracks. And he is the master of his own works. Thank God for this song though, as he says it's what got him the record deal. I'm forever grateful that he DID bring this one out for the fans. Thank you RICK! - Kelley Pearson

First off, I looove the piano in the beginning of this song. I think besides the guitar, the piano is my favorite. Once this one gets cranked up, I love this song. I don't see why this one was not released on any albums. I think it is awesome!! Personally though, I think it would have fit more nicely in Beginnings, than WCD. It just sounds like it would belong there. Also, I wonder if Rick's mom ever really gave him this advice! Just a thought!

This one is not a complicated song, and the meaning is just 'right there' and not hard to comprehend at all. I really like that about this one. Again, I think Rick did an awesome job and this one would have been a major hit if it had been released. - Amy L.

I'm so glad this song was shared with us! Every time I listen to it I end up listening to it over and over. It's a fun song, very catchy and I really like the chorus, it gets stuck in your head so very easily. Rick's voice is very high at the beginning almost like he's re-creating the high pitch of a boy's vocals during adolescence. It then gets deeper during the chorus and throughout the song. It is a bit odd how he draws the word survivor out to clearly 3 syllables as in sur-vi-vor (and yet again later on the awkward lyric "learn-ed it"). But that's the only mis-steps. I love the hand claps in the latter choruses, those fit the song really well. And the song is filled with really great guitar riffs so I could see how Rick would like this song... possibly to even play it today?! (OK a girl can dream!)

The song tells the story of how his mom tried to teach him be 'macho' and how tears are a girls thing and not for guys. Then he learns the lesson that everyone cries and feels that momma 'lied'. When he sings this you can almost feel the anger in him about learning this lesson. But even after learning that he claims to have learned from his mistakes and thus will try not to be in a position to cry again. So maybe his mom did teach him how to be 'macho' after all- see how it's easy to cry, even warranted and then proclaim you'll never do it again? Men!

But I adore this song, as I said -- it's so easy to listen to it repeatedly, it just makes you want to sing along and bop your head to the beat! ~Jen H.