Usher debuts tearful protest song during Global Goal live stream: 'I can't keep it together'

On Saturday, international advocacy organization Global Citizen brought together A-list artists from around the world for a live-streamed concert, Global Goal: Unite for Our Future, to help combat the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on vulnerable and marginalized communities, including people of color and those living in extreme poverty.

The two-hour event featured many emotional moments, including:

• Jennifer Hudson opened the show with a cover of Gladys Knight & the Pips’ “Where Peaceful Waters Flow,” performed on a boat floating down the Chicago River in her hometown

• Shakira urged the world not to forget Latin America and Africa in COVID-19 relief efforts (“We must do everything we can to help them avoid catastrophic damage,” she implored)

• Jimmy Fallon and the Roots performed “Helpless” with the reunited original Broadway cast of Hamilton

• Coldplay dedicated “Paradise” to Elijah McClain, a young Black man killed last year by Colorado police

But the standout moment of the Global Goal stream was the live debut of Usher’s heartbreaking new protest song “I Cry.”

The R&B superstar’s powerful performance began with an extreme closeup of his pained face as he confessed, “I can't keep it together” — and life imitated art as his eyes filled with tears before he’d even made it to the chorus. As the cameras panned out to reveal a bare Los Angeles soundstage, he was joined by masked protesters holding up Black Lives Matter signs; at the song’s chilling climax, those protesters were shown lying prone on the floor, their wrists clasped behind their backs in a symbolic handcuffed position, as Usher reached out through the screen to viewers at home. His final line, “If you love somebody, let them breathe,” seemed to be a reference to McClain, George Floyd, Eric Garner, and other Black men who have died as a result of police brutality.

Usher surprise-dropped “I Cry” on Friday, with proceeds from the track going to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, which provides grants to Black-owned small businesses and community organizations. The father of two young boys explained in a statement: “This song was inspired by wanting to teach my sons that it is OK for a man to feel emotions deeply and to cry. Like many men, I was raised to believe that we have to be ‘tough’ and not show our vulnerability, which I don’t want to teach them. While I was shut in during the pandemic and watching the death of George Floyd, the ongoing slaughtering of Black men and women, the protests and the events that unfolded, I became very connected to the wider universal feeling of hopelessness. Like many, I grew increasingly frustrated by how slow things have been to change. I became very depressed thinking about all sons who have lost their fathers to police brutality, social injustice and violence; the daughters and mothers too. So I returned to this song and realized it was intended for this time, so I finished it and here it is.”

The Global Goal concert was preceded by a summit that raised $6.9 billion in pledges from governments, corporations, and philanthropists internationally. Both the summit and concert were part of the Global Goal: Unite for Our Future campaign to coordinate the development of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines, and to ensure access to medical care for all.

Learn more about Global Goal: Unite for Our Future, including how to get involved. Check out some of the other emotional highlights from the concert, as well as Usher’s full “I Cry” lyrics, below.

“I Cry”

I can't keep it together

I usually don't show my emotions

But it ain't getting better

'Cause you can't be blind with eyes wide open

And I see struggle, I see pain

I see only the mess we made

I see things that I can't change

And it hurts my heart to say

I cry

For the sons without fathers

And the pain that their mothers

Hold deep inside

And I'll fight

For the future we're making

We can change if we face it

'Cause these tears won't dry

So I cry

When I look in the mirror

Do I see someone that cares for others?

Do I love myself more than my sisters (sisters)

And brothers? (brothers)

I don't know

Yeah, I've seen struggles

I've seen pain

I've seen beyond the mess we made

I've seen things that I cannot change

And it hurts my heart to say

I cry

For the sons without fathers

And the pain that their mothers

Hold deep inside

And I'll fight

For the future we're making

We can change if we face it

'Cause these tears won't dry

So I cry

For the truth that's unspoken

For the promises broken

I will stand by your side

I'll fight

For the ones who stopped dreaming

And the ones who stopped believing

You're not alone

I feel your pain

I cry

For the sons without fathers

And the pain that their mothers

Hold deep inside

I'll fight

For the future we're making

Only changes if we face it

It's love over pride

I cry

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