There Will Be Tears by Frank Ocean Lyrics Meaning – Untangling the Webs of Loss and Longing

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Frank Ocean's There Will Be Tears at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

There will be tears
I’ve no doubt
There may be smiles
But a few
And when those tears
Have run out
You will be numb and blue

I can’t be there with you
But I can dream
I can’t be there with you
But I can dream
I can’t be there with you
But I can dream
I can’t be there with you
But I can dream
I can’t be there with you
But I can dream
I can’t be there with you
But I can dream
I still dream dream dream
I still dream

My grandaddy was a player
Pretty boy in a pair of gators
See I met him later on
Think it was 1991
The only dad I’d ever know
But pretty soon he’d be gone too
Hide my face hide my face
Can’t let em see me crying
‘Cause these boys didn’t have no fathers neither
And they weren’t crying
My friend said it wasn’t so bad
You can’t miss what you ain’t had
Well I can
I’m sad and there will be tears
I’ve no doubt
There may be smiles
But a few
And when those tears
Have run out
You will be numb
And blue

I can’t be there
That’s all you had to say to me was
You couldn’t be there
Why couldn’t you say to me
You won’t be there
You could’ve warned me
You wouldn’t be here
Right here
You wouldn’t be here for me

Frank Ocean, an artist who has constantly embraced vulnerability as a form of strength, presents a poignant narrative of loss and the complex emotional topography that follows it in his song ‘There Will Be Tears’. In this track, Ocean navigates through his personal experiences with a candor that transforms his pain into a universal echo, resonating with anyone who has ever faced the absence of a loved one.

The emotionally raw lyrics serve as both a window into Ocean’s soul and a mirror reflecting the listener’s own buried stories. Here, we dive deep into the layers of ‘There Will Be Tears’, unraveling the finely threaded emotions stitched into each lyric and melody, embarking on a journey that exquisitely balances the border between sentimentality and stark reality.

Emotional Odyssey: Traversing the Highs and Lows of Grief

On the surface, ‘There Will be Tears’ may come across as a simple narrative about the inevitability of sorrow. However, Ocean employs this simplicity as a tool to guide listeners through the nonlinear stages of grief. Each verse represents a snapshot—a moment frozen in time where smiles are scarce, and tears feel infinite.

Ocean’s powerful refrain acknowledges that these tears will eventually exhaust themselves, leading to a state of emotional numbness. It’s a haunting forecast of how we often cope with loss: first, we feel too deeply, and then, for self-preservation, we sometimes feel nothing at all.

The Ghost of Masculinity: Breaking Down Stereotypes with Every Verse

Frank Ocean buckles the stoic facade often associated with masculinity. ‘Hide my face hide my face / Can’t let ’em see me crying’ Ocean exposes the societal pressure men face to cloak their vulnerabilities. But as these expectations fall away, the artist points out to the shared silent suffering—boys without fathers, afraid to shed a tear, reinforcing how damaging these forced norms can be.

By contrasting his own open mourning with the concealed pain of his peers, Ocean sends a powerful message about the importance of emotional honesty and the courage it takes to show one’s true feelings in a world that often demands the opposite.

The Hidden Meaning: Delving Beneath the Surface of Reminiscence

While some might listen to ‘There Will Be Tears’ and hear only the straightforward mourning for a lost grandfather, a deeper dive reveals a more complex narrative. Ocean connects his personal loss to the collective experience of having an absentee father figure, hinting at a generational cycle of neglect and its emotional toll.

These carefully chosen words serve as a metaphor for larger societal issues, including the struggles of children raising themselves or perpetuating familial patterns. The song is not only a personal confession but also a comment on the effects of broken homes and fractured upbringings.

Nostalgia Wrapped in Melancholy: The Lyrical Dance of Memory

‘My grandaddy was a player / Pretty boy in a pair of gators.’ With these lines, Ocean paints a vivid picture of his late grandfather, bringing him to life with a few swift strokes. The artist weaves nostalgia and grief together, underlining the way we idealize and cling to our memories of the departed.

Ocean intertwines admiration with the pain of realization that this pivotal figure in his life was ‘pretty soon… gone too.’ The artist captures the all-too-familiar ache that comes with knowing that the past can be recalled but not relived.

Memorable Lines: The Echoing Resonance of Frank Ocean’s Words

‘You can’t miss what you ain’t had / Well I can, I’m sad.’ Herein lies the emotional crux of the song. It’s an outright contradiction of a commonly held belief that grief is proportionate to experience. Ocean lays bare the heartache of missing what one never fully possessed—an intangible, yet deeply felt sense of loss.

This simple yet profound declaration encapsulates the song’s essence and offers solace to those mourning the absence of someone, or something, they never truly had. It’s in these lines that Ocean’s ability to capture complex emotion with striking simplicity shines brightest.