Weekend Lyrics: Rain

Rain
by Patty Griffin


It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart


Beating close to mine


Pounding up against the stone and steel


Walls that I won't climb


Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep


You think that you're gonna drown


Sometimes all you can do is weep, weep, weep


With all this rain falling down


Strange how hard it rains now


Rows and rows of big dark clouds


But I'm holding on underneath this shroud


Rain



It's hard to know when to give up the fight


The things you wanted that will never be right


It's never rained like it had tonight before


I don't want to beg you baby


For something maybe you could never give


I'm not looking for the rest of your life


I just want another chance to live



Strange how hard it rains now. . .





Why I chose these Lyrics: Sarah and Bob first introduced me to this song by Patty Griffin on a mix CD they made for me. The CD came during a time of great emotional, spiritual and physical struggle. Sarah and Bob went through all of their CDs to choose songs they thought I might like, and Bob topped off the mix CD with a gorgeous label and case decorated in butterflies. I have played 'Sarah and Bob's Butterfly Mix' over and over again--but this song and this artist quickly became my absolute favorite. In those days when tears flowed, I would play this song over and over and over again. I continuously find comfort in Patty's music.



I chose this song before I knew this was going to be a 'rainy' week--emotionally, physically, and literally! We finally got some much needed rain in the form of fabulous thunderstorms. When I picked it I also did not think about the coincidence that Friday was Sarah's birthday and she and Bob were ultimately responsible for introducing me to this artist. Nor did I realize how exhausted I would be at the end of the week from fighting the medical system. Still, even though it's not nearly as 'rainy' as it has been before, I wanted to use this song as my introduction to this artist that I love so much. I didn't know, in life, how hard it was going to rain for me or for my parents or for my friends (Jeannine and Melissa this one's for you girls!) I'm not naive, and I never EVER thought life is easy for ANYONE. Still, I didn't know the dark times to come or how deeply such lyrics would speak to me in those times.



I now own three Patty Griffin CDs and am, of course, convinced that I need all the rest of her CDs! I chose 'Rain' because it was the first song I ever heard by her, because it has the power to speak my sadness in difficult times, and because ultimately, 'Rain' is the song that made me fall in love with Patty Griffin.



Patty's voice is: Raw. Rich. Robust. Real. Powerful. She harnesses her powerful voice to create gorgeous melancholy, mellow and fluid melodies that flow from her mouth. The clarity and fluidity of her voice stand on their own; she needs no 'loud background' noise to cover-up for a voice that might be lacking in some aspect. It is Patty's voice that I love so much. And, on a rainy day her melancholy lyrics comfort the soul. A friend challenged her to write a 'happy' song on her latest CD but even her other lyrics, while speaking of pain and heartache, manage to remind me that we do and can endure.



We may feel that it has never rained this hard before--and Patty gives us permission to weep, but she also reminds us that we will hold on underneath this shroud.



Blessings,



Emily


Photos: My beloved gladiolas! They've been sparse this year, so I think next year it is time for new bulbs! I have a special affinity for this patch of gladiolas in our yard because for a time, I was able (with LOTS of help from my mom) to manage a small flower patch. Gladiolas were the first flowers I planted, and I absolutely fell in love with them. They remind me that maybe someday again I will be able to plant a little flower patch. And, of course, they are PINK!