Rain Rain Go Away
Encyclopedia
"Rain Rain Go Away" is a popular English language
nursery rhyme
. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 19096.
. The most common modern version of is:
in his collection of proverbs noted:
A version very similar to the modern version was noted by John Aubrey
in 1687 as used by "little children" to "charme away the Raine...":
A wide variety of alternative have been recorded including: "Midsummer day", "washing day", "Christmas Day" and "Martha's wedding day".
In the mid-nineteenth century James Orchard Halliwell collected and published the version:
In a book from the late 19th century, the lyrics are as follows:
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 19096.
Lyrics
There are many versions and variations of this rhyming coupletCouplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
. The most common modern version of is:
- Rain rain go away,
- Come again another day.
Origins
Similar rhymes can be found in many societies, including ancient Greece. The modern English language rhyme can be dated to at least to the seventeenth century when James HowellJames Howell
James Howell was a 17th-century Anglo-Welsh historian and writer who is in many ways a representative figure of his age. The son of a Welsh clergyman, he was for much of his life in the shadow of his elder brother Thomas Howell, who became Lord Bishop of Bristol.-Education:In 1613 he gained his B.A...
in his collection of proverbs noted:
- Raine raine goe to Spain: faire weather come againe.
A version very similar to the modern version was noted by John Aubrey
John Aubrey
John Aubrey FRS, was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the collection of short biographical pieces usually referred to as Brief Lives...
in 1687 as used by "little children" to "charme away the Raine...":
- Rain raine goe away,
- Come again a Saturday.
A wide variety of alternative have been recorded including: "Midsummer day", "washing day", "Christmas Day" and "Martha's wedding day".
In the mid-nineteenth century James Orchard Halliwell collected and published the version:
- Rain, rain, go away
- Come again another day
- Little Arthur wants to play.
In a book from the late 19th century, the lyrics are as follows:
- Rain, Rain,
- Go away;
- Come again,
- April day;
- Little Johnny wants to play.
In popular culture
- A song, based on the rhyme, was co-written by Gloria Shayne BakerGloria Shayne BakerGloria Shayne Baker was an American composer and songwriter best known for composing the "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Christmas carol in 1962 with her then husband, Noël Regney.-Early life:...
and Noël RegneyNoel RegneyNoël Regney , World War II veteran and French songwriter, composed the Christmas standard "Do You Hear What I Hear?" with his then-wife Gloria Shayne Baker in 1962. Originally from Alsace, France, he moved to New York City and then eventually Connecticut, where he lived out the remainder of his life...
. "Rain Rain Go Away" was initially recorded by Bobby VintonBobby VintonBobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origin. In pop music circles, he became known as "The Polish Prince".-Early life:...
. - A song, based on the lyrics, was written by a rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from VladivostokVladivostokThe city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
, Russia called TandemTandemTandem is an arrangement where a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction....
. - The folkFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group Peter, Paul & Mary recorded a version of "It's Raining" on their first LP in 1962. - The band Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
used the rhyme in their song "Rain is falling" from their 1981 album "Time". - The rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Breaking BenjaminBreaking BenjaminBreaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due...
used some lines in their song "Rain". - The rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Counting CrowsCounting CrowsCounting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
used the rhyme in their song "I'm not sleeping" - The piano rockPiano rockPiano rock, sometimes referred to as piano pop, is a style of popular music that is based around the piano—and sometimes piano-related instruments such as keyboards–with piano typically replacing rhythm guitar as the rhythm instrument...
band Keane used the rhyme in their song "Maybe I Can Change" - Rapper Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
used the line "rain, rain, rain go away" in his song "Family Business". - Asian American rapper JinJin (rapper)Jin Au-Yeung , who performs under the stage name MC Jin, is a Hong Kong hip hop rapper, songwriter, and actor. Growing up in the Miami, Florida area, and later living in New York City, he decided to reside permanently in his motherland, Hong Kong...
sampled Rain Rain Go Away, Come again some other day" in the song called "Rain, Rain Go Away" he made dedicated to the victims of Virginia Tech Shooting. - The Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
song "Down in ItDown in It"Down in It" is a song by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released in 1989. Released as the project's debut single, the song was the first to be written by Trent Reznor, the only constant member of the act. It was released as a teaser single prior to the group's debut album, Pretty...
" ends with the line "Rain rain go away, Come again some other day". - It is used in the theme tune for the AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n children's television programme Round the TwistRound the TwistRound the Twist is a Logie Award-winning Australian children's television series about three children and their widowed father who live in a lighthouse and become involved in many magical adventures....
. - The Foo FightersFoo FightersFoo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
song "Arlandria" from their album Wasting LightWasting LightWasting Light is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Foo Fighters, released April 12, 2011, on RCA Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and described by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Grohl as their "heaviest album yet." The title is taken from the lyrics of the...
is linked to this rhyme.