The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Tough girl in the fast lane
No time for love, no time for hate
No drama, no time for games
Tough girl whose soul aches
I come home, on my own
Check my phone, nothing, though
Act busy, order in
Pay TV, it's agony (oh)
I may cry ruinin' my makeup
Wash away all the things you've taken
And I don't care if I don't look pretty
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their heart is breaking
Tough girl, I'm in pain
It's lonely at the top, blackouts and airplanes
And I still pour you a glass of champagne
Tough girl whose soul aches
I come home, on my own
Check my phone, nothing, though
Act busy, order in
Pay TV, it's agony (oh)
I may cry ruinin' my makeup
Wash away all the things you've taken
And I don't care if I don't look pretty
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up
I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up
I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up
Alone
I may cry ruinin' my makeup
Wash away all the things you've taken
And I don't care if I don't look pretty
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their heart is breaking
No time for love, no time for hate
No drama, no time for games
Tough girl whose soul aches
I come home, on my own
Check my phone, nothing, though
Act busy, order in
Pay TV, it's agony (oh)
I may cry ruinin' my makeup
Wash away all the things you've taken
And I don't care if I don't look pretty
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their heart is breaking
Tough girl, I'm in pain
It's lonely at the top, blackouts and airplanes
And I still pour you a glass of champagne
Tough girl whose soul aches
I come home, on my own
Check my phone, nothing, though
Act busy, order in
Pay TV, it's agony (oh)
I may cry ruinin' my makeup
Wash away all the things you've taken
And I don't care if I don't look pretty
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up
I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up
I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up
Alone
I may cry ruinin' my makeup
Wash away all the things you've taken
And I don't care if I don't look pretty
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
Big girls cry when their heart is breaking
Lyrics submitted by whittneydoll, edited by mister care-too-much
Big Girls Cry Lyrics as written by Christopher Braide Sia Kate Furler
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
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This song is very literal. There aren't many veiled messages, just a lot of pulse-words that are meant to deliver the meaning with little else. Imagine being in a long-term relationship for quite some time, and then it ends, and you are left to your own devices, leading your own life apart from them (especially with the aspect of being a "tough girl" and not crying).. she says she comes home from work or whatever on her own, no one has attempted to contact her all day, she pretends to be busy anyway as if it doesn't matter that no one is trying to see her, order some take-out, watch TV all night (informercials = pay TV...), and then wake up alone only to repeat the process. She says it quite literally that it's agony to be so alone with so many standards to uphold, to look strong and tough, to look unbothered by a major event in her life, and then finally just admitting that despite all the make-up and smiles and pretending to be something, that she is in pain and her heart is breaking.
There is a saying, and a song by Fergie, "big girls don't cry"... this is saying exactly the opposite, that it doesn't matter how old you are, if it hurts, you will feel it, and it is okay to cry.
She's stuck in a perpetual loop of being expected to remain strong, look pretty, sit up straight, don't cry, and not being able to do it, seemingly resulting in a public breakdown because she has been hurt and by someone she loves/loved and she is lonely.
Sia also wrote the song Pretty Hurts by Beyonce, and if you compare the lyrics to this song with that one, it's almost like they could be counterparts to the same story, most likely direct experiences from her life.