Rain was a peaceful, rolling, and hypnotic ballad about Ian's youth. Hunter has managed to write emotional songs about his life and in particular his youth between the ages of 16 and 27 and this is one of his most heartfelt. This is about his Northampton period and rain is a metaphor for the difficulty, violence, and poverty that afflicted the town. He names his mates--Barry Parkes, Johnny Facer, Tony Perrett, and Alan Manship--and their depressing prospects including those who are no longer with us, "Biddy" didn't make it and passed at 23 years old. Ian got out but I suppose it was not easy since his prospects like his mates were not promising. Hunter was living a life as a journeyman worker until he broke out of a dead end life with his musical talent. Ian says this period of his life is still very much with him.
There is both an alternate version and a live release from 2008 with just Steve Holley on drums and James Mastro on guitar.
Want more info? Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me
Rain
(Ian Hunter)
Billy said this town is dying,
it's dying just to be like me.
He was fighting everything in sight,
died when he was 23.
I used to meet him down at his cafe,
he had one eye on the door
and the other on the writing on the wall.
He'd get restless and angry and we'd all laugh
'cause we weren't really scared,
we was his friends, he wouldn't hurt us at all
And all he'd say was rain, rain, rain
rain, rain, rain,
rain, rain, rain,
rain, rain, rain.
We gotta leave this town.
And Glover was a dancer,
imitating Eddie Cochran by the jukebox.
In the corner of the room
'till he was lost.
Barry 'n me, we used to escape, playing I Go Ape
wearing Italian clothes drinking cider talking in the rain
Hey babe, come over here, let me buy you a beer, what's your name,
she said "Boy, it doesn't really matter, don't you see?
You ain't what I want, you ain't what I need,
you ain't what I fancy, you ain't what I dream of 'n I'd silently leave
?? you're ugly.
Rain, rain, rain,
rain, rain, rain,
rain, rain, rain,
rain, rain, rain.
I gotta leave this place.
My history is a cop-out
Somewhere in the dark I got scared 'cause I knew I was gonna lose.
You know that feeling you get in your guts, all that frustration when you know
you're going nuts.
You gotta make a move.
There was Billy and Glover and Pacer and Taylor and Valerie and Barry
I remember what he said about that town.
He said "I went to London once, came back,
wiped the tears from my eyes, looked out the window,
and it was still pouring down,
more of that rain, rain, rain,
rain, rain, rain,
rain, rain, rain,
rain, rain, rain."
I'm gonna get a train,
never coming back again.
'Cause if I did it would be the same.
Boy, you really messed up my brain.
All of that rain rain rain,
rain rain rain
rain rain rain
rain rain rain
Take your washing off the line.
Take your washing off the line.
Take your washing off the line.
Take the washing off the line.
It's gonna rain.
It's gonna rain.
| Rain | 5:54 | Originally issued on Short Back and Sides, and on the compilations The Collection and From The Knees Of My Heart. |
| Rain (alternate version) | 5:50 | Released on the outtakes CD Long Odds and Outtakes and on the box set version of Short Back 'n' Sides |
| Rain (live 2nd March 2008) | 6:24 | This live version (recorded at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford England) was issued on Acoustic Shadows (box set only). |
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