Rain Rain Go Away

"Rain, Rain, Go Away" is a weather charm, a small spell children chant at the sky to send the rain off so they can go out and play. It is older than it looks: a version was written down in 1687, and an even earlier couplet sent the rain off "to Spain."

Origins

The earliest documented version of a rain-banishing chant in English is found in James Howell's 1659 collection of adages, which recorded the couplet: "Rain, rain go to Spain, / Fair weather come again." In 1687, the English writer and folklorist John Aubrey recorded a version closer to the modern rhyme in his manuscript Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, noting that children sang it as a charm to drive away rain. By the nineteenth century, James Orchard Halliwell included the version "Rain, rain, go away, / Come again another day; / Little Arthur wants to play" in his 1842 book The Nursery Rhymes of England.

Meaning & Interpretation

On a basic level, the rhyme is a simple, direct expression of a child's desire to play outside during bad weather. The practice of singing to the elements is connected to ancient folk magic and pagan traditions, where charms were recited to influence weather patterns.

One popular historical theory connects the older phrase "go to Spain" to the English defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. During this conflict, massive storms scattered the Spanish fleet, securing an English victory. Some suggest the rhyme arose as a celebration of the weather that saved England, though historians generally view this political link as a later speculation rather than a proven historical fact.

What is the origin of Rain Rain Go Away?

The rhyme is an ancient weather charm. The earliest similar English couplet was recorded in 1659, and the modern version of the chant was documented by John Aubrey in 1687.

When was Rain Rain Go Away first published?

The first printed version appeared in 1659 as a proverb, while the first version featuring the modern structure was published by John Aubrey in 1687.