Make It Rain
Foy Vance
A Plea for Cleansing and Renewal in 'Make It Rain'
Foy Vance's song 'Make It Rain' is a powerful and emotional plea for cleansing and renewal. The lyrics delve deep into themes of pain, suffering, and the desire for redemption. The opening lines, 'When the sins of my father / Weigh down in my soul / And the pain of my mother / Will not let me go,' set a somber tone, suggesting a burden of inherited guilt and sorrow. This burden is something that the narrator feels deeply and is seeking relief from, symbolized by the repeated call to 'make it rain.' The rain here is a metaphor for purification and the washing away of sins and pain, a common motif in literature and music that signifies a fresh start or a new beginning.
The song also touches on the struggles and hardships of life, as seen in the lines, 'A seed needs the water / Before they grow out of the ground / But it just keeps on getting harder / Hunger more profound.' This imagery of seeds needing water to grow parallels the human need for emotional and spiritual nourishment. The rain, therefore, becomes a symbol of hope and sustenance, something that is desperately needed but seems increasingly out of reach. The mention of tears and pain further emphasizes the depth of the narrator's suffering and the urgent need for relief.
In the latter part of the song, Vance uses the imagery of the sea and the shore to highlight the disparity between the rich and the poor, 'The seas are full of water / Stops by the shore / It's like the riches of grandeur / Never reach the poor.' This can be interpreted as a critique of social inequality and the longing for a more just and equitable world. The call for rain, in this context, is not just a personal plea but a universal one, asking for a change that will bring about fairness and balance. The thunder and lightning mentioned towards the end symbolize the power and intensity of this desired change, suggesting that it will be both dramatic and transformative.