Can't Cry Pretty

Listen

I'm sorry, but I'm just a girl
Not usually the kind to show my heart to the world
I'm pretty good at keeping it together
I hold my composure, for worse or for better

Don't we all do this? We are afraid of being judged for showing our emotions, so we hide them. We keep our composure because we feel like we have to. The world tells us we have to be something perfect, so we hide the feelings that make us look imperfect.

So I apologize if you don't like what you see
But sometimes my emotions get the best of me
And falling apart is as human as it gets
You can't hide it, you can't fight what the truth is

Sometimes our emotions get the best of us, we all fall apart at some point or another. We are all human and there is only so much we can take when living in this fallen world. It's what we do in those moments that really shows who we are though. How we use that those difficult times shows our character. And when we fall apart we really can't hide it.

You can pretty lie and say it's okay
You can pretty smile and just walk away
Pretty much fake your way through anything
But you can't cry pretty

When you're upset, are you the person who says "I'm okay" even when you need help? Do you pretend that it's nothing and just smile as you turn away? You can fake your way through anything and most of us do. We hide the pain deep away from people because we don't want to be seen as weak. But you can't cry pretty. Sometimes you just have to open your heart to someone who cares about you.

Oh no, you can’t dress it up in lace or rhinestones
It don't matter if you're in a crowd or home all alone
Yeah, it's all the same when you're looking in the mirror
A picture of pain, so let it flow like a river

Sadness is just a part of life. We all go through hard time. We all lose control. Keeping it inside too long leads to bitterness and anger. Sometimes we just need to let it flow. The picture of pain is there whether or not your in a crowd or all alone. We weren't born perfect and we are never going to be perfect. Pretending that you are will only lead to more pain. Christ is made strong in our weakness so it's ok to admit that we are weak. Often, it comes out flowing like a river no matter how hard we try to disguise it.

You can't turn off the flood when the dam breaks
When all your perfection* is going to waste
When things get ugly, you just gotta face
That you can't cry pretty

No matter how you try to disguise your pain and weakness, it all goes to waste when you cry. There is nothing wrong with that. When life is too hard, stop faking it. Admit that you need help. When it get's rough you're going to wish you had someone close to you, because you can't cry pretty. Admit your weakness, find someone close to you, and recognize that life is going to be rough and you can't always keep it together, but that's ok.

You can pretty lie and say it's okay
You can pretty smile and just walk away
Pretty much fake your way through anything
But you can't cry pretty

-Carrie Underwood, Cry Pretty

*I did change the word to perfection to make it more relatable