Although I'm a fan of Justin Timberlake, who's multi-talented, I admit I'm not into the kind
of pop music he performs.
I do think his songs are catchy though and one of his songs is the subject of this video:
Cry Me A River.
Off his debut solo album, Justified it has over 4.5 billion YouTube hits on the official
video alone so I think it's safe to say a lot of people know this song.
The expression in the title and the main chorus is an idiom.
In fact, cry me a river, repeated, is the entire chorus.
The song is about a girlfriend cheating and then wanting her boyfriend back and him showing
no sympathy to her suffering because of her betrayal.
So, he says "cry me a river" meaning that she can cry all she wants and it will make
no difference.
Unlike many popular songs that use idioms, this is a perfect use of the expression.
Amazingly, this fairly recent idiom may have come from a popular song.
No, not the Justin Timberlake song, the expression is older than that.
Let's get to the meaning and some examples first, and then I'll talk about the origin,
or possible origin, of this idiom.
Meaning of the English Idiom: Cry Me a River Cry me a river is a sarcastic response to
someone who is expressing sadness or t one who is complaining and for whom you have no
sympathy.
Usage of Idiom: Although cry me a river can be used in response to actual crying, tears
are not necessary for the idiom to be used.
It is usually used as a simple exclamatory phrase, "Cry me a river!"
Examples Of Use: "I'm only going to be able to take one week for my vacation this year.
I'm so bummed!" said Ted.
"Oh, cry me a river.
I don't get any paid vacation at all!"
"Please forgive me," said Ray.
"I didn't mean to cheat on you.
It just happened.
I really miss you."
"Cry me a river," replied Gwynn.
"Oh I miss Lindsey, I can't believe they fired her," said Stephanie.
"Oh cry me a river.
You didn't waste any time insisting that you should have her old position."
Those TV commercials with the sad shelter puppies make me so upset!"
"Cry me a river.
I recall you paid a thousand dollars for a designer dog."
Origin of Idiom: Used since at least the latter half of the 1900s, as I said, this idiom may
have come from a popular song of the 1950s.
It was called Cry Me a River and it was written by Arthur Hamilton and recorded in 1955 by
Julie London.
It reached number nine on the charts.
The song was originally intended to be sung by Ella Fitzgerald in the 1955 film Pete Kelly's
Blues but was dropped from the film.
Since Hamilton, the songwriter, and Julie London were longtime friends, he gave her
a chance to record the song, to great success.
Although it is not certain, Hamilton may well have coined the idiom when he wrote the song.
He claimed that he had never heard the phrase before penning the lyrics.
It is possible he was repeating an existing idiom and simply did not recall hearing it
before, but as far as is known, the song is the source of today's expression.
There is actually a very similar idiom in English that is much older.
The only difference is that it wasn't always used in a sarcastic way: My Heart Bleeds for
You.
Originally, as far back as the 1300s, my heart bleeds for you and variations such as my heart
bleeds tears were used to express severe anguish and sympathy.
But since the late 1940s the idiom has been used in a much different way.
This can be confusing since this idiom can still be used sincerely, today.
However, it is usually used to indicate mock sympathy and as a way to suggest that the
person doesn’t really deserve any sympathy.
In other words, the exact opposite is meant.
This is especially true when the expression is spoken directly from one person to another.
However, when it is used the past tense in regards to a third party it may be genuine.
Don't confuse this with the alternative, my heart goes out to you, which is always sincere.
A contemporary humorous riff on this idiom is to rub your thumb and forefinger together
in front of you.
When the person to whom you are speaking asks what you are doing, you say 'It's the world's
smallest violin and it's playing my heart bleeds for you.'
I'm not sure, but I think this probably came from a popular television show.
Although not the originator, I did see Mr. Krabs on Spongebob use this gesture.
He didn't name a song but he was apparently playing another song called Woe Is Me, although
greatly sped up.
As far as I know, and believe me, I've searched, there is no popular song with the title My
Heart Bleeds For You, although there have been songs using the phrase my heart bleeds.
You're breaking my heart, if spoken with the proper sarcastic tone, is a synonym.
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