Rain, rain, go away

Lyrics

Rain, rain, go away

Come again some other day
We want to go outside and play
Come again some other day

Rain, rain, go away

Come again some other day
We want to go outside and play
Come again some other day

Rain, rain, go away

Come again some other day
We want to go outside and play

Come again some other day

The rhyme's historical context

The song is thought to have been written more than 450 years ago, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. The Spanish had plans to attack England with a massive fleet of ships at the time because of their rivalry with England. In Spanish, that's referred to as an Armada.

The Spanish sailed out in 1588 with around 130 massive ships known as galleons. A crew of almost 200 men and the equivalent of several million pounds were required to build each galleon, which required the use of 2,000 oak trees. For Spain, it was a big investment.

After colliding with the English, whose ships were faster, the Armada was followed by a violent storm that dispersed the galleons. Only 65 made it home. The rhyme recalls the Armada disaster from the perspective of the English.

Sing to ward off rain

A well-known diarist by the name of John Aubrey wrote about a version that was remarkably similar to the one we are familiar with in 1687. He claimed that little kids used it to ward off rain so they may play outside. On the following rainy day, you might give that a try. Who knows, it might succeed!

There are children's songs like "Rain Rain Go Away" throughout the world! The proverbs collection of James Howell, an Anglo-Welsh historian and writer, contained the current rhyme, which dates to the 17th century. "Raine raine goe to Spain: lovely weather come back," were the rhyme's lyrics.

John Aubrey recorded a nursery rhyme in 1687 that had the same lines as the present version: "Charme away the Raine..., Rain raine goe away, Come again a Saturday."

One of the most well-known children's songs, "Rain Rain Go Away" is also known by other names around the world, including "Christmas Day," "Midsummer Day," "Washing Day," and "Martha's Wedding Day."

Midway through the 19th century, English language nursery rhyme and fairy tale collector James Orchard Halliwell wrote a version, which is as follows:

Rain, rain, go away

Come again another day

Little Arthur wants to play.

The lyrics were printed as follows in a book from the 19th century:

Rain, Rain,

Go away;

Come again,

April day;

Little Johnny wants to play.