[Verse 1]
If you only knew the times that I have cried for you
Then my feelings would be obvious
But somehow along the way it became impossible
To tell you how I feel
You say that's not the way we deal
With life
And love
Relationships
But this is life
This is love and we're wasting it
[Chorus]
So cry when you're sad
You don't have to laugh
When it's not funny
Don't try to ignore the rain
When it's not sunny
[Verse 2]
Do you have a clue how much I am afraid for you
All the things trapped in your heart
Are gonna find their way out
I know that you're going to be broken eventually
But I'm hoping for a healing starting
With your life
And love
Relationships
But this is life
This is love and we're wasting it
[Outro]
You've gotta stop all your pretending
It's not helping
You should know it's ok to cry
Stop Pretending
Song Meaning
JJ Heller names a specific, ongoing silence in "Stop Pretending" — "if you only knew the times that I have cried for you, then my feelings would be obvious, but somehow along the way it became impossible to tell you how I feel" — describing communication that broke down gradually rather than all at once.
"You say that's not the way we deal with life and love, relationships" quotes the other person's own rule back at them before rejecting it: "but this is life, this is love and we're wasting it." The short chorus strips its instruction down to almost nothing — "so cry when you're sad, you don't have to laugh when it's not funny" — refusing to complicate a simple permission with further argument.
"Do you have a clue how much I am afraid for you, all the things trapped in your heart are gonna find their way out" reframes suppressed emotion as inevitable rather than avoidable, and "I'm hoping for a healing starting" admits the outcome isn't guaranteed even while hoping for it. The closing command, "you've gotta stop all your pretending, it's not helping," states the entire song's argument in its plainest form, right before the final permission: "you should know it's ok to cry."