Everyone knows the tune. You’ve probably sung it while staring out a foggy window as a kid, or maybe you’ve chanted it at your own children when a playground trip got rained out. Rain Rain Go Away is basically the unofficial anthem of childhood disappointment. It’s a simple rhyme, but honestly, it’s been around much longer than most people realize. We tend to think of nursery rhymes as these fixed, ancient texts, but they actually morph quite a bit over the centuries depending on who is singing them and why.
Rain sucks when you're six.
It ruins everything. Baseball games. Birthday parties. Trips to the zoo. But the origins of this specific "go away" chant actually point toward a much more complex relationship between humans and the weather than just wanting to play outside.
Where did Rain Rain Go Away actually come from?
If you look back at the written record, the earliest versions of this rhyme pop up in the 17th century. A guy named James Howell, who was a bit of a polymath and historian, recorded a version of it back in 1659. In his book Proverbs, he noted a verse that went: "Rain, rain, go to Spain; fair weather, come again."
Why Spain?
Historians like Iona and Peter Opie, who are basically the gold standard for nursery rhyme research, suggest that England and Spain had a bit of a rivalry (to put it lightly). Sending the bad weather to your rivals was a classic 17th-century move. It wasn't just about being mean, though; it was a form of weather magic. People back then genuinely believed that words had the power to influence the natural world. If you said the right thing, maybe the clouds would actually part.
By the mid-19th century, the rhyme started to look a lot more like what we recognize today. James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps, another big name in folk history, included a version in his The Nursery Rhymes of England. Over time, the "Spain" reference started to fade out, replaced by specific names like "Little Johnny" or "Little Arthur" who "wants to play."
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Why we can't stop singing it
There is something deeply rhythmic about the song. It follows a trochaic meter, which basically means it has a stressed-unstressed pattern that feels very natural to the human ear. It's easy to memorize. It’s also a "catch," a type of song that can be repeated indefinitely.
Children use it as a coping mechanism.
Psychologically speaking, having a ritualized way to express frustration helps kids manage big emotions. When a child sings Rain Rain Go Away, they aren't just making noise; they are asserting a tiny bit of agency over a world—and a weather system—that they have absolutely no control over. It’s a protest song for the preschool set.
The global variations are actually wild
While we're used to the "come again another day" version, different cultures have their own spins on the "weather-go-away" trope.
- In Greece, kids have been known to sing to the sun to come out and melt the clouds.
- In some parts of Asia, there are rituals involving paper dolls—like the Teru Teru Bozu in Japan—which are hung in windows to bring fine weather.
- In various Spanish-speaking countries, there’s a song about the "Virgen de la Cueva" (Virgin of the Cave) asking for the rain to stop so the birds can sing.
It’s a universal human experience. We all want the sun when it’s gloomy.
The darker theories (that are usually wrong)
You’ve probably heard those "creepy origins" stories about nursery rhymes. People love to claim that Ring Around the Rosie is about the plague (it isn't) or that Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary is about a murderous queen (highly debatable).
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With Rain Rain Go Away, some internet sleuths try to link it to the Spanish Armada. The idea is that the "go to Spain" line was a taunt after the English fleet defeated the Spanish in 1588, partly thanks to a massive storm that wrecked the Spanish ships. While it makes for a great story, there isn't much hard evidence to back it up. Most folklorists agree it's just a simple charm used by people who lived in a very rainy climate and wanted a break.
Sometimes a song about rain is just a song about rain.
Modern usage and the "CoComelon" effect
If you have a toddler, you’ve heard the modern, hyper-produced versions of this song roughly ten thousand times. Channels like CoComelon and Little Baby Bum have turned these public domain rhymes into billion-dollar assets.
They don't just sing about "Little Johnny" anymore. They’ve expanded the lyrics to include the whole family. "Rain, rain, go away, Daddy wants to play... Mommy wants to play..." It’s a clever way to stretch a 20-second rhyme into a four-minute video. It also changes the dynamic. It becomes less about a solitary child’s frustration and more about a family activity.
Does it lose some of its folk charm? Probably. But it keeps the rhyme alive in the collective consciousness.
Real talk: Can you actually make it stop raining?
Short answer: No.
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Long answer: Humans have tried everything. Cloud seeding is a real thing where planes fly into clouds and drop silver iodide to encourage rain to fall now so it doesn't fall later (or to help during droughts). It’s been used at the Olympics and during major national holidays in countries like China and Russia.
But for the average person in their backyard? You’re stuck with the chant.
What to do when the rain won't go away
Instead of just singing at the sky, you've gotta pivot. If you’re dealing with kids who are climbing the walls because of a storm, the "go away" energy needs to be redirected.
- Stop fighting the weather. If it’s not lightning, sometimes the best move is to actually go out in it. Rain gear has come a long way. Puddle jumping is a top-tier childhood memory for a reason.
- The "Boredom Box." Keep a specific bin of toys or crafts that only comes out when it rains. It creates a "rainy day" reward system.
- Lean into the vibe. Make it a movie marathon day. Build a fort. Use the gloom as an excuse to do the slow, indoor stuff we usually skip when it's sunny.
Rain Rain Go Away is more than just a song; it’s a cultural relic that connects us to kids from 400 years ago who were just as annoyed about a canceled game of tag as your kids are today. We're all just people standing under clouds, hoping for a bit of blue.
If you're stuck inside right now, use this time to teach the younger generation the actual history of what they're singing. It’s a lot more interesting than just a repeat loop on a tablet. Check your local weather radar, see if there's a break in the front, and if not, grab some cardboard boxes and build that fort. The sun will eventually come back—it always does.