Rain falls. Most of us, at some point, have stood by a window watching droplets race down the glass while humming that familiar, repetitive tune. It's catchy. It's Raining It's Pouring is a staple of preschool classrooms and rainy-day playdates. But have you ever actually listened to what happens to the "old man" in the second verse? It’s not exactly a bedtime story. He goes to bed, bumps his head, and doesn't get up in the morning. Honestly, that sounds less like a nursery rhyme and more like a traumatic brain injury.
People often assume these rhymes are just nonsense syllables meant to keep kids entertained. They aren't. Historically, folk songs and nursery rhymes like It's Raining It's Pouring served as a way to process the harsh realities of life—death, taxes, and the occasional medical catastrophe—long before we had the internet to vent our frustrations.
Where did It's Raining It's Pouring actually come from?
Tracking down the "birth certificate" of a nursery rhyme is a nightmare. These things evolve through oral tradition. However, the version of It's Raining It's Pouring we recognize today seems to have solidified in the early 20th century. One of the earliest copyrighted versions appeared in 1939, credited to Herbert Halpert, an American anthropologist and folklorist who spent his life documenting the songs and stories of everyday people.
Before that? It was a mess of regional variations. In some parts of the UK, children sang about "Old Joe" or "Old Man" without the specific mention of the rain. The melody itself is remarkably simple—a falling minor third, which is basically the "universal" interval of childhood. It’s the same interval kids use to tease each other ("Nana-nana-boo-boo"). This simplicity is why the song sticks. You don't need to be a vocalist to hit those notes. You just need to be able to chant.
The dark interpretation: A medical mystery
Let’s talk about that bump on the head. In the lyrics, the old man goes to bed and "couldn't get up in the morning." Most modern parents skip over this part without thinking. But if you look at it through a medical lens, you're describing a classic subdural hematoma.
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When you hit your head, specifically if you're older, the blood vessels between the brain and the skull can rupture. This causes blood to pool. Often, the person feels fine initially—this is the "lucid interval." They go to bed, thinking they’ll sleep off the headache. Then, as the pressure builds overnight, they lose consciousness. By morning, they aren't waking up. It is a grim reality wrapped in a bouncy melody. Some folklorists argue this was a cautionary tale for people living in rural areas where medical help was miles away. Don't go to sleep after a head injury. Simple as that.
Why do we keep singing it?
It’s about the weather, mostly. Humans have a weird relationship with the rain. It’s nourishing but also isolating. It's Raining It's Pouring captures that feeling of being stuck inside. It's a "boring" song for a "boring" day.
Curiously, the song has also become a cultural shorthand for something inevitable. When the weather turns, the rhyme starts. It is embedded in our collective consciousness. You'll hear it sampled in horror movie trailers to create a sense of "creepy childhood innocence," or used in hip-hop tracks to provide a rhythmic, familiar hook.
- The rhyme is short.
- The rhyme is repetitive.
- The rhyme features a clear, if tragic, narrative arc.
These are the ingredients for an "earworm."
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Different versions you might hear
While the standard version is what most of us know, folklore is rarely standard. In some variations, the old man "snored" because he was drunk. This adds a completely different layer to the story—perhaps the fall was a result of intoxication rather than just a slippery floor? It changes the old man from a sympathetic figure to a cautionary one.
In other versions, the lyrics are expanded to include a wife or children, but these rarely stick. The core remains: the rain, the old man, the bump, and the silence of the morning. It's a complete three-act play in about fifteen seconds.
The psychological appeal of the macabre
Why do we teach kids about people dying in their sleep? It seems cruel. But childhood experts often point out that nursery rhymes like It's Raining It's Pouring help children process the concept of "bad things happening" in a safe, controlled environment. If you can sing about a bump on the head, maybe the bump isn't so scary when it happens to you.
It’s the same reason we sing Ring Around the Rosie (which might or might not be about the plague—historians are still fighting over that one) or Rock-a-bye Baby (which is literally about a child falling out of a tree). We use music to soften the blows of reality. Life is messy. The rain pours, people get hurt, and sometimes they don't get up.
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Moving beyond the rhyme
If you're using this song with kids or just curious about the history, there's a lot more to explore than just the lyrics.
First, pay attention to the "Old Man." This archetype appears in folk music constantly. He’s usually a representation of the "Old Year" or the "Old Ways" passing away to make room for the new. In this context, the rain washing him away could be a metaphor for seasonal change. The "pouring" isn't just weather; it's a cleansing of the landscape.
Second, look at the medical reality. If someone actually bumps their head like the old man, the modern advice is vastly different from the rhyme. You watch for "red flags"—confusion, repeated vomiting, or loss of consciousness. The song is a great "what NOT to do" guide for first aid.
Third, appreciate the rhythm. The 4/4 time signature makes it easy to march to. If you’re a teacher or parent, try using the rhythm to teach "keeping the beat." It’s a perfect foundational tool for music education because it’s almost impossible to get the timing wrong.
To get the most out of this classic, stop treating it as just a background noise. Use it as a jumping-off point for a conversation about weather, history, or even how stories change over time. Listen to different recordings—from the folk-heavy versions of the 1960s to the synthesized nursery rhyme channels on YouTube today. Notice how the tempo changes. Slow it down, and it becomes a dirge. Speed it up, and it’s a celebration.
The next time the sky turns gray and the first drops hit the roof, go ahead and sing it. But maybe, just maybe, check on the old man if he decides to take a nap. Reality is often much more interesting than the rhyme suggests. For more on how folk music shapes our understanding of history, look into the Smithsonian Folkways archives; they have incredible recordings of these rhymes from across the decades that sound nothing like the polished versions we hear today. Explore those "rougher" versions to find the true heart of the song.