“Real Tears” is a completed track from Stevie Nicks‘ The Other Side of the Mirror sessions (1988-1989). It appears as a bonus track on the “Long Way to Go” and “Two Kinds of Love” singles and Disc 9 of Complete Studio Albums & Rarities (2023).
About the Song
Stevie Nicks recorded “Real Tears” during The Other Side of the Mirror sessions (1988-1989), one of several songs considered for the album. Producer Rupert Hines provided the music for Stevie’s lyrics and background vocals on the completed track.
Lyrics
There was another girl
She was much like you
She lived in the past
And had trouble with the future
Well, she walked with her head held high
And her hands held down at the sides
It was everything that I had not wanted
There were reasons to be crazy
Make no mistake about it
(When she stopped crying her eyes got bright)
Make no mistake about it
(She walked with her head held high and her hands held down at her
sides)
Make no mistake about it
( Make no mistake about it…those were real tears)
Make no mistake about it
(Make no mistake about it…I’ve always been unreal)
And you walked a thousand miles in a few weeks
Very little love exists through the rain and the fog
And her always hanging mirror
It was everything that I had not wanted
There were reasons to be crazy
Those were real tears
Make no mistake about it
(When she stopped crying her eyes got bright)
Make no mistake about it
(She walked with her head held high and her hands held down at her
sides)
Make no mistake about it
Those were reals
( Make no mistake about it…those were real tears)
Make no mistake about it
(Make no mistake about it…I’ve always been unreal)
I’ve always been unreal
She takes a lot of time sometimes
It takes a lot of time to know her
She will disappear before you
Right in front of your very eyes
Down through the years
She has accepted her life
With her hands held down in fear
Take a tear of a rose and push it into your hands
These are real tears
Make no mistake about it
(When she stopped crying her eyes got bright)
Make no mistake about it
(She walked with her head held high and her hands held down at her
sides)
Make no mistake about it
Those were real tears
( Make no mistake about it… those were real tears)
Make no mistake about it
(Make no mistake about it… I’ve always been unreal)
I’ve always been unreal
It was everything I had not wanted
Whoa, there were reasons to be crazy
And more reasons
Well, that she was just like you
(Make no mistake about it…I’ve always been unreal)
So she keeps them in her heart
(She walked with her head held high and her hands held down at her
sides)
Keeps them in her heart
(Stevie Nicks/Rupert Hine) © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
References
Nicks, S. (1989). Rockline [ Radio interview].
