The sound of tears and rows (5)
I believe the answer is:
tiers
'rows' is the definition.
(tier is a kind of row)
'the sound of tears' is the wordplay.
'the sound of' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'tears' sounds like 'TIERS'.
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for tiers that I've seen before include "aprons for kids" , "I rest in layers" , "Layers, strata" , "Layers or thicknesses" , "Binders" .)