Rain Eyes
Chuck Berry Lyrics


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Rain eyes that blur the rays of sunshine
When all you see is seen through tears
The whole world seems as though it's crying
Rain eyes, that's how my world appears
One sunny day in Lou'siana
The clouds began to hover low
And darkness came in early evening
And brought a rain that would not go

I's just a child when mother told me
It seems your father's gone away
It's not his fault, my child, forgive him
I should have known he would not stay
You're so much like him and he loves you
But now his love's for only you
Although he forced himself to leave you
Forgiving me he could not do

Rain eyes that cloud the hope of sunshine
When everything is seen through tears
The whole world seems as though it's crying
Rain eyes, that's how my world appears
It rains all evening into nighttime
Then rains all night and through the day
My mother's eyes are weak from crying
Forgive her, she just lost her way

Since you've been gone her eyes have clouded
And darkness reigns her weary view
She'd see again from your returning
That God knows she's in love with you
One rainy day in Louisiana
The trade winds blew the clouds away




A mother heard her boy shout, "Father"
My God, 'tis him, he's come to stay

Overall Meaning

Chuck Berry's song "Rain Eyes" is an emotional expression of a mother's pain of abandonment from her partner and the effect it has on her and her child. The song starts off with the line "rain eyes that blur the rays of sunshine," which signifies the outlook of life through tears and hardship. The mother explains to her child why his father left, and it wasn't his fault but hers for not realizing "he would not stay." The child is consoled that his father still loves him, but unable to forgive the mother for the father's departure. This affects the mother so much that the only way she sees the world now is through "rain eyes" that hinder the rays of sunshine and darken her world.


The song uses the metaphor of rain to describe the tears and sorrow that both the mother and child have to endure. The line "The whole world seems as though it's crying" shows how deeply their pain has affected them. However, towards the end of the song, the rain clears, and hope is restored for the mother and child. The emotions conveyed through the lyrics are heart-wrenching, but it's the type of emotional honesty that Berry excels at conveying through his music.


Line by Line Meaning

Rain eyes that blur the rays of sunshine
When sorrow and pain is all that you visualise, the brightness of life is covered by tears


When all you see is seen through tears
When you're consumed by tears, they tend to conceal everything in the world


The whole world seems as though it's crying
During tough times, it feels like every aspect of life is sad and mourning


Rain eyes, that's how my world appears
The sight of tears in one's eyes depict the world that surrounds them


One sunny day in Lou'siana
This story starts with a tale from Louisiana on a bright day


The clouds began to hover low
The nice weather gradually starts to change, as clouds approach and hover closer to the ground


And darkness came in early evening
The day started getting darker before the usual time


And brought a rain that would not go
Rainfall started, and in this case, it seemed like it would not stop anytime soon


I's just a child when mother told me
The author of the song recalls being very young when his mother told him a particular story


It seems your father's gone away
The mother shares with the child that his father left them


It's not his fault, my child, forgive him
The mother acknowledges that the father leaving was not his fault and urges the child to forgive him


I should have known he would not stay
The mother accepts her wrong decision in choosing a man who would not stick by her side


You're so much like him and he loves you
Despite the father leaving, he still loved and cared for his child who still carries pieces of him in his personality and traits


But now his love's for only you
The love the father may have had for the mother no longer exists, but he still loves and cares for his child


Although he forced himself to leave you
The father may have left to hone his own path, but he may not have had much of a choice when leaving his child behind


Forgiving me he could not do
The father may hold his child in high regard and still loves him, but the mother's wrongdoing may be hard to forgive


Rain eyes that cloud the hope of sunshine
A sad memory that makes the world seem sorrowful and obscured through the tears in one's eyes


When everything is seen through tears
A situation where the tears blur what one sees, and sadness fills up the empty spaces in one's mind


It rains all evening into nighttime
Rainfall continues through the evening and into the night


Then rains all night and through the day
The rain does not subside and continues through the night and day continuously


My mother's eyes are weak from crying
The mother was crying a lot, having lost something very dear to her


Forgive her, she just lost her way
Despite her past mistakes, a parent's pain when separated from her child is comparable to getting lost in life


Since you've been gone her eyes have clouded
The mother's sadness has persisted and has not gotten any better since losing her child


And darkness reigns her weary view
The sadness has sucked the life out of her, making everything around her seem weary and gloomy


She'd see again from your returning
The mother believes that having her child back would renew her energy and give her renewed hope


That God knows she's in love with you
The mother's love is pure and holy, just as the love of God


One rainy day in Louisiana
The story's narrator remembers another day when it was raining hard in Louisiana


The trade winds blew the clouds away
On this day, the strong winds managed to whisk the clouds away, bringing in a bright sky


A mother heard her boy shout, 'Father'
A mother heard her son calling out to his father in happiness and excitement


My God, 'tis him, he's come to stay
The boy's father had returned and would stay this time around




Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: CHUCK BERRY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Jack


on Little Marie (Alternate)

Yes, oh yes, Long Distance, I'll accept the charge, I'll pay
Which love one is calling me, I did not hear you say.
Both are deep within my hearth, her Mom and my Marie

It so good to hear your voice from Memphis, Tennessee

Oh, you mean so much to me, more than you'll ever know,
Surely, you have not forgot how much I love you so
If you would remember, Dear, and sometimes talk to me
Maybe that would reunite our home in Tennessee.

Last time I saw you, just before I had to leave
You did not want to see me off and promised not to grieve,
My hearth was tore apart as I looked back at my Marie
And there the peace is still remain with you in Tennessee.

I guess I should stop talking, after all you placed the call
But anyway that I can help, you know I'll help you all


Then she spoke and asked me to come back and see Marie
And live together in our home in Memphis, Tennessee.

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