I Wanna Know, Have You Ever...

I share a different bond with each of my three moms — I promise, I’ll get into this on another blog! “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) is a song loved by one of them. I’ve heard it hundreds of times. I know the lyrics. I sing it immediately the moment I hear any of the notes. I just never really thought about the lyrics... the deeper meaning... why this song means so much to so many people.

🎶 When it's over, so they say

It'll rain a sunny day

I know, shinin' down like water🎶

Some people think the song is about the Vietnam War — the rain being a metaphor for bombs. The way CCR explains the lyrics is that they’re specific to the group’s impending break up. Literally. To others (including my mom), the song has a completely different meaning. For her, it’s about coming out of a dark place, the rain (sadness) replaced by sunshine... so much sunshine that it’s “shinin’ down like water”. When you think of how good the sun feels when it’s shining in your face — it’s nothing but light, it’s free, it’s airy. It’s not hard, there’s no darkness, sadness or tears. You’re enveloped in the purity of sunshine. It’s actually a beautiful thought. And the beauty of music? It’s subjective. Ask 10 people what a song is about and you might get 5 different answers. Music can heal us when we’re hurting, soothe us when we ache. For me, whenever I hear this song, I think of my mom always saying this song reminds her of me. I’m reminded that I’m loved. And on some days, I really need that.

Tell me — what song reminds you of someone special?