It Only Hurts When I Cry
Healing Through Tears: Dwight Yoakam's Emotional Journey
Lyrics
The only time I feel the pain
The speaker experiences pain only during specific times.
Is in the sunshine or the rain
The pain occurs in both good (sunshine) and bad (rain) times.
And I don't feel no hurt at all
There's a claim of not feeling any hurt unless tears are shed.
Unless you count when teardrops fall
The only time the speaker acknowledges hurt is when crying.
I tell the truth 'cept when I lie
The speaker usually tells the truth but admits to lying sometimes.
And it only hurts me when I cry
The act of crying is what brings emotional pain.
You couldn't tell it by this smile
Despite the smile, the speaker went through a challenging recovery.
But my recovery took a while
Recovery was a lengthy process, not evident from the smile.
I worked for days and nights on end
Intensive effort was invested over days and nights for physical recovery.
Just to walk and talk again
The goal was to regain the ability to walk and talk.
You can't believe the time it takes
Expresses the extended time required to heal a broken heart.
To heal a heart once it breaks
Highlighting the challenge of healing a broken heart.
The only time I feel the pain
Repetition of the idea that pain is felt only during certain times.
Is in the sunshine or the rain
Reiteration of pain in both good and bad times.
And I don't feel no hurt at all
Reiterates the claim of not feeling hurt unless tears fall.
Unless you count when teardrops fall
Reaffirms that crying is the only time hurt is acknowledged.
I tell the truth 'cept when I lie
Repeats the theme of honesty, admitting occasional lies.
And it only hurts me when I cry
Reiterates that emotional pain is linked to crying.
Oh maybe every now and then
Admits to occasional heartache experiences.
I have a small heartache again
Acknowledges occasional moments of emotional pain.
You wouldn't know to look at me
External appearances don't reveal the hidden emotional scars.
There's tiny scars that you can't see
There are internal emotional scars not visible to others.
It was a struggle to survive
Survival was challenging, implying a difficult past.
I'm probably lucky I'm alive
The speaker considers themselves fortunate to be alive.
The only time I feel the pain
Reiteration of pain occurring only in specific circumstances.
Is in the sunshine or the rain
Reaffirms pain in both good and bad times.
And I don't feel no hurt at all
Restates not feeling hurt unless tears are shed.
Unless you count when teardrops fall
Reiterates that crying is the trigger for acknowledging hurt.
I tell the truth 'cept when I lie
Repeats the theme of honesty, admitting occasional lies.
And it only hurts me when I cry
Reiterates the connection between emotional pain and crying.
I tell the truth 'cept when I lie
Repetition of the idea that the speaker tells the truth but sometimes lies.
And it only hurts me when I cry
Reiterates that emotional pain is linked to crying.
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