I think like much of the early JA songs, not only can this song simply be interpreted literally, peace of mind found walking out in the rain with no one around, but it's also infused with allusion and metaphor, usually exploring anti-religious sentiments. This song, like many others, embraces mother nature (see Ocean Size, Had A Dad, Up The Beach). There is a draw toward mother earth (...umm mother ocean?). It's quite pagan. This is in stark contrast to the embracing of Christian beliefs, in which people live for tomorrow when they reach heaven. Themes like this are typical of JA songs (the existence of God, of good and bad, right and wrong, etc.,). So Perry's "time" is not when the sun is shining (symbolic of rays beaming down from the heavens), but when mother nature cries down upon the earth, cleansing the "dirty town" (a baptism?). And so, while the faithful seek shelter, this one percenter hits the snake skin streets of the dirty town with nobody around to bother him.
I think like much of the early JA songs, not only can this song simply be interpreted literally, peace of mind found walking out in the rain with no one around, but it's also infused with allusion and metaphor, usually exploring anti-religious sentiments. This song, like many others, embraces mother nature (see Ocean Size, Had A Dad, Up The Beach). There is a draw toward mother earth (...umm mother ocean?). It's quite pagan. This is in stark contrast to the embracing of Christian beliefs, in which people live for tomorrow when they reach heaven. Themes like this are typical of JA songs (the existence of God, of good and bad, right and wrong, etc.,). So Perry's "time" is not when the sun is shining (symbolic of rays beaming down from the heavens), but when mother nature cries down upon the earth, cleansing the "dirty town" (a baptism?). And so, while the faithful seek shelter, this one percenter hits the snake skin streets of the dirty town with nobody around to bother him.