She puts on her work clothes, fishnet panty hose
She’s got a nickname everybody knows at the gentlemen’s club
She clocks in at midnight, even though it never feels right
Makes her money one dollar at a time
Without the makeup, nobody knows her name
And she wears the pain
Black tears, rolling down
From the eyes of an angel in a sinner’s town
She reveals, and they all cheer
Then she cries, black tears
Jealous of the innocent, sometimes she’s convinced
The boss man is still a friend she needs
She’s tried everything, cheap sex and cocaine
Anything to hide the pain for a little while
The wrong kind of famous in her momma’s eyes
You can tell she knows it when she cries
Black tears, rolling down
From the eyes of an angel in a sinner’s town
White lines off the mirror
Just won’t hide, black tears
She tries and tries so hard to get away
But everybody’s watching
Black tears, rolling down
From the eyes of an angel in a sinner’s town
If all the pain would just disappear
She’d quit cryin’, yeah she’d quit cryin’
Black tears
A Portrait of Pain and Survival
“Black Tears” by Jason Aldean paints a haunting picture of a woman struggling to escape the hardships of her reality. The lyrics tell the story of a dancer at a gentlemen’s club who hides her vulnerability behind heavy makeup and a stage persona. Despite the cheers and attention she receives, her real emotions are exposed only when she is alone—her sorrow showing through “black tears” as her mascara runs. The repeated imagery of black tears encapsulates her inner struggle and sense of isolation, while references to coping mechanisms like “cheap sex and cocaine” reveal her desperate attempts to numb the pain. Aldean’s delivery imbues the narrative with empathy, offering listeners a glimpse into the life of someone yearning for escape but feeling trapped by circumstance.
Song Credits
“Black Tears” was written by Country music songwriters Neil Thrasher and Lee Thomas Miller. It was recorded by Jason Aldean and released in 2012 on his album “Night Train” under the Broken Bow Records label.