Mmm. Beautiful little song. Yes, this is a girl that is frustrated and angry that the "cherubim" (you know, cupid) haven't "drawn their bows" toward her yet, that love hasn't come her way.
But this song is really about what that does to her. She's angry and frustrated and down (that is her "rain") but she hides it and runs away from it - stays inside with her fluffy pillows where she's comfortable, doing nothing more than "heaving her fiercest sigh" as if that would make a difference. And when she is in this rain -- her gloom, her defeated state -- she just puts on a raincoat and tries to protect herself and stay comfortable, and ironically all that brings is more rain. And when the rain comes up she'll "wear her britches tight", and you can imagine what that means metaphorically. Think where the phrase "loosen your britches" comes from, or "loosen up" even. It's the opposite.
It's a wonderful little metaphor. It's about getting into a rut, and the vicious cycles that keep us there. I love how Meloy makes it so personal, yet, subtle, with the speaker telling this story, and talking directly to her in first person - "I should teach you right" - it's quite a beautiful song with tons of weight to it. And the moral, of course, is that we shouldn't try too hard to protect ourselves from the sorrows of the world as that just makes more sorrow. Ironically, it's not like rain - we can control it. We can't expect good fortune to come to us without trying, we have to quit moping around, quit worrying, get out into the world and make things happen for ourselves! A wonderful sentiment.
Mmm. Beautiful little song. Yes, this is a girl that is frustrated and angry that the "cherubim" (you know, cupid) haven't "drawn their bows" toward her yet, that love hasn't come her way.
But this song is really about what that does to her. She's angry and frustrated and down (that is her "rain") but she hides it and runs away from it - stays inside with her fluffy pillows where she's comfortable, doing nothing more than "heaving her fiercest sigh" as if that would make a difference. And when she is in this rain -- her gloom, her defeated state -- she just puts on a raincoat and tries to protect herself and stay comfortable, and ironically all that brings is more rain. And when the rain comes up she'll "wear her britches tight", and you can imagine what that means metaphorically. Think where the phrase "loosen your britches" comes from, or "loosen up" even. It's the opposite.
It's a wonderful little metaphor. It's about getting into a rut, and the vicious cycles that keep us there. I love how Meloy makes it so personal, yet, subtle, with the speaker telling this story, and talking directly to her in first person - "I should teach you right" - it's quite a beautiful song with tons of weight to it. And the moral, of course, is that we shouldn't try too hard to protect ourselves from the sorrows of the world as that just makes more sorrow. Ironically, it's not like rain - we can control it. We can't expect good fortune to come to us without trying, we have to quit moping around, quit worrying, get out into the world and make things happen for ourselves! A wonderful sentiment.