So Many Tears

When the second single from Me Against the World was released, Tupac was in prison. So Many Tears sounded like a conversation with himself: quiet, almost exhausted. He rapped about friends he had lost, about guilt, and about the premonition that he wouldn't grow old himself.

Grief, Prayer, and a Sample from Stevie Wonder

The song combines personal grief with an almost religious tone: Tupac addresses God, questions the meaning of violence and incarceration, and reflects on his own end.

Shock G of Digital Underground, who had brought him into music years earlier, built the beat around a sample of Stevie Wonder's That Girl. Many critics consider So Many Tears to be among the album's strongest tracks.

On Stage Up to the House of Blues

Tupac later performed the song frequently on stage, including on the show Saturday Night Live. In July 1996, he performed it at the House of Blues concert, which is regarded as his final recorded live appearance (see Live at the House of Blues).

The US Maxi-Single Was Released on June 13, 1995

Shown here is the US maxi-single (CD 95748-2, also on cassette). The date of June 27, 1995, sometimes given, is two weeks too late; the correct date is June 13, 1995.

Hard to Imagine is by Dramacydal, the future Outlawz.