There are a few rain songs / Nursery Rhymes that almost all American children know. It’s a classic part of an American education. We chose three of them to take a closer look. Singing them as adults one begins to wonder…
WHAT ARE THESE CHILDREN’S RAIN SONGS SUPPOSED TO MEAN?
THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
“The Itsy Bitsy Spider” seems to have the clearest, most positive message of these 3 children rain songs. It’s a story of resilience and determined perseverance. The little tiny spider might have been forced down and pushed out by the overwhelming force of the rushing water, but that did not deter our little spider or weaken its resolve. As soon as the rain was gone, up again it went. This is a good clear message, and a valuable life lesson to instill in children for a lifetime of bouncing back from adversity, overcoming challenge, never giving up!
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY
Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day,
Little (insert name here)
wants to play.
So everyone knows rain is important for nature, it sustains life, things can’t grow or live without it. But little Johnny wants to play! This song seems so narcissistic, hedonistic, self-centered! Why celebrate this for children? Does their play and pleasure come before communal and nature’s needs? Why put Little Johnny’s play first? This seems to have a very negative message and life-perspective? Why do all American kids sing and know this?
Perhaps, maybe it can be said that this song reminds us to never to lose sight of the individual. See this post on the Rebbe’s Waldo-esque vision and this post from Moshe’s Bar-Mitzvah speech on individual vs. community. Yes, we ought to be communal-minded, we have to think big picture, we have to think beyond ourselves. But sometimes that big picture makes us lose sight of the individual, as Wald0 teaches us: Never get lost in the crowd!
Another thought might be that this “Rain Rain Go Away” because “Little Johnny wants to play” instills within us the importance of the here and now, the immediate rather than the longer-term. While of course there is much value in thinking longer-term, and we should plan ahead and think beyond the immediate need, but there also needs to be a focus and urgency on what’s happpening right now. Live in the moment! Be present! Rain can come another day, but right now Johnny wants to play!
IT’S RAINING,
IT’S POURING
It’s raining, it’s pouring,
The old man is snoring,
He bumped his head
and went to bed,
And couldn’t get up
in the morning.
This song is just bizarre. What does an old man have to do with the rain, and the bumping of his head? What are we singing here? What is the message?
Apparently according to Wikipedia this children’s rain song (which everyone knows!) is a actually a sobering message about excessive alcoholism, when spirits flow like water and the drinkers fall asleep in drunken stupor, bump their heads and can’t get up the next day.
Rain and moderation? What’s the connection? Perhaps this classic Talmud story (tractate Taanis 19a) can help:
They once asked Choni, “Pray for rain.” Choni prayed, but no rain fell. What did he do? He drew a circle, stood inside it, and said to G‑d: “Master of the Universe! Your children turned to me because I am like a member of Your household. I swear by Your great name that I’m not budging from here until You have compassion on Your children!”
A rain began to drizzle. Said Choni: “That’s not what I asked for. I asked for rains to fill the cisterns, trenches and reservoirs.”
The rains started coming down in torrents. Said Choni: “That’s not what I asked for. I asked for rains of goodwill, blessing and generosity.”
That’s when good beneficial rains came down. (Goldlocks-Zone: Not too little, not too much, just right!)
—
Resilience, The Individual, Goldilocks Zone…
Seen in this light, these three children’s rain songs are all-American themes and are essential ingredients to an American education.
and there’s much Jewish wisdom and relevance in this as well!