Have you ever looked out the window on a rainy day and started singing the lyrics “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day”?
Rain, Rain, Go Away Lyrics
Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day.
Little Arthur wants to play.
Rain, rain, go away.
Click the image to download a beautiful PDF of the “Rain, Rain, Go Away” lyrics!
Story of the Song
Several similar rhymes about rain are sung all over the world. The first English version of this short nursery rhyme dates back to the 17th century when James Howell, an Anglo-Welsh historian and writer, added a line about the Spanish Armada.
Rain, rain, go to Spain,
Never show your face again!
In the late 16th century, Spain and England were rivals at sea. The English fleet of ships was outnumbered by larger Spanish ships. In the end the Spanish Armada was defeated. Ships were scattered about by stormy weather and returned home to Spain.
The original “Rain, Rain Go Away” lyrics contained just the first set of two rhyming lines. In the 19th century, lines were added by James Orchard Haliwell, a collector of nursery rhymes, about a little boy named Arthur who wanted to go out to play.
Note: A fun alternative is to insert children’s names into the rhyme as you wait for it to stop raining so you can go outside to play!
After all these years and its interesting origins, “Rain, Rain, Go Away” continues to be a family favorite around the world!
Enjoy singing along with this favorite rainy-day nursery rhyme in our beautifully illustrated video, found on The Good and the Beautiful Kids YouTube channel.
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Comments
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