Cry, Cry, Cry – English Lyrics

• By: Jack Johnson

Lyrics & Translation

Discover "Cry, Cry, Cry," a heartwarming collaboration by Ziggy Marley featuring Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga. This song, with its gentle reggae and folk influences, offers simple yet profound lyrics about childhood and freedom. Learning the language through this track allows you to explore expressions of desire and self-determination in a smooth, accessible musical style, making it a special piece for language learners and music lovers alike.

[English]

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

Mommy loves to work and daddy loves to play

Sometimes daddy got to go far away

I'm too young to go quiet in the night

Try to put me to sleep I'm gonna give it a fight

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

Wake you up at 5 am

Before the sunrise I'll be your friend

And you know I don't like for you to take too long

Just come running when you hear this song

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

I'm gonna miss you now Mr. Far Away

Paint a picture of you and send it off today

And when you come home you can bring it back to me

Color in the lines, define this whole world for me

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

Practice makes perfect and that I agree

So don't be surprised that I want to be free

I know what I know and that's all that I know

But I been told you reap what you sow

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

Mama's telling me what to eat today

But I don't feel like I'm gonna go that way

What I need is something sweet and nice

What I need is a treat alright

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

I'm gonna cry, cry, cry. Set the children free

Set the children free. Set the children free

Set the children free

Free up their hearts, free up their minds

Set the children free

Free up their dreams and their imagination

Set the children free

Set the children free

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears, often as a result of emotion
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not imprisoned or enslaved; liberated verb - to release from confinement or control
children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ A1	noun - a young human being below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority
set /sɛt/ A1	verb - to put something in a specific place or position
work /wɜːrk/ A1	verb - to be employed or engage in a specific activity noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation noun - activity done for enjoyment
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to rest in a state of suspended consciousness noun - a natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body
fight /faɪt/ A1	verb - to take part in a physical conflict noun - a violent confrontation
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move swiftly on foot
miss /mɪs/ A2	verb - to feel sadness over someone's absence
picture /ˈpɪktʃər/ A1	noun - a visual representation or image verb - to imagine or visualize
define /dɪˈfaɪn/ B1	verb - to state the meaning of a word or concept
perfect /ˈpɜːrfɪkt/ A2	adjective - having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics
reap /riːp/ B1	verb - to harvest a crop verb - to get the benefit or result of something
sow /soʊ/ B1	verb - to plant seeds in the ground
sweet /swɪt/ A1	adjective - having the taste of sugar or honey; not bitter or salty
treat /trit/ A2	noun - an event or item that is unusual or enjoyable verb - to behave toward or deal with someone or something in a specified way
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ in the chest that pumps blood around the body
dream /driːm/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to experience dreams during sleep
imagination /ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən/ B1	noun - the faculty or action of forming new ideas, images, or concepts

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm gonna cry, cry, cry.

  ➔ future intention with 'going to'

  ➔ The word "gonna" (short for "going to") indicates a future intention.

• Sometimes daddy got to go far away.

  ➔ modal verb 'got to' (obligation)

  ➔ The word "got" functions as a modal verb meaning "have to".

• I'm too young to go quiet in the night.

  ➔ too...to construction (degree + infinitive)

  ➔ The word "too" shows a high degree, followed by "to" + infinitive to express impossibility.

• Try to put me to sleep I'm gonna give it a fight.

  ➔ imperative sentence + future intention with 'going to'

  ➔ The verb "Try" is an imperative giving a command, and "gonna" shows a future intention.

• Wake you up at 5 am.

  ➔ imperative verb

  ➔ The verb "Wake" is used in the imperative to give a direct command.

• And when you come home you can bring it back to me.

  ➔ first conditional (when + present simple + modal can)

  ➔ The clause "when you come home" uses the present simple to refer to a future situation, followed by the modal "can" to express possibility.

• I know what I know and that's all that I know.

  ➔ noun clause as object and relative clause

  ➔ The word "what" introduces a noun clause "what I know" that functions as the object of "know"; "that" introduces a relative clause "that I know".

• But I been told you reap what you sow.

  ➔ present perfect passive

  ➔ The phrase "been told" is the present perfect passive form of "tell", showing that the action happened before now and was received by the speaker.

• What I need is something sweet and nice.

  ➔ "what...is" construction (subject complement)

  ➔ The word "What" introduces a clause that functions as the subject complement of the verb "is".