It's Raining, It's Pouring

"It's raining, it's pouring, The old man is snoring..." This traditional nursery rhyme and children's song is a staple of rainy days. With its simple melody, often sung to the same tune as "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," the verse is easy for toddlers to memorize, though the story it tells is surprisingly dark.

Origins

The exact origin of the rhyme is not fully known, but the earliest fragments appeared in the United States. In 1909, the first two lines were printed in a short story by Edwina Stanton Babcock, and they later appeared in The Little Mother Goose collection in 1912. The complete version, including the lines about the old man bumping his head, was first captured in an audio recording in New York in 1939 by folklorist Herbert Halpert. That same year, composer Charles Ives notated the melody, and a version was formally copyrighted in 1944.

Meaning & Interpretation

On the surface, the rhyme is a simple, humorous warning about the dangers of bad weather. However, medical professionals and neurosurgeons have noted that the lyrics provide an accurate description of a serious head injury, specifically an extradural hematoma. In this medical scenario, a person suffers a head trauma, goes to bed feeling fine (the "lucid interval"), but is later unable to wake up due to internal bleeding. Another interpretation suggests the rhyme is a metaphor for heavy drinking and its consequences.

Is the rhyme "It's Raining, It's Pouring" about a head injury?

Yes, many medical professionals analyze the rhyme as a description of a brain injury. When the old man bumps his head, goes to bed, and cannot wake up in the morning, it mimics the symptoms of an extradural hematoma, highlighting the danger of sleeping immediately after a severe head blow.

When was the first recording of the rhyme made?

The first audio recording of the rhyme was made in New York in 1939 by folklorist Herbert Halpert. This recording is preserved in the Library of Congress as a significant piece of American children's folklore.