When the Allman Brothers Band reformed in 1989 in response to the popularity of the Dreams box set, Warren Haynes was added on lead guitar and Allen Woody on bass. The two shared a love for '60s power trios, like Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, and James Gang. With no bands making similar music in the 90s (except ZZ Top), Haynes, Woody, and former Dickey Betts drummer Matt Abts came together as Gov't Mule during Allman Brothers' breaks. (It is likely that Haynes and Abts first met during the recording of the Dickey Betts Band CD "Pattern Disruptive" in 1988.) They released their debut album the selftitled Gov't Mule in 1995. It was followed by Live from Roseland Ballroom.
When it became apparent that the Allman Brothers weren't planning on recording any new material, Haynes and Woody left to concentrate full-time on Gov't Mule in 1997. Dose, the studio follow up to their first studio effort, was released in early 1998. They were joined by members of the Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, and Parliament/Funkadelic for their 1998 New Year's Eve concert. This was released in both a two and four CD version as Live ... With A Little Help From Our Friends. The band exposed some of their roots with covers of Neil Young, Free, Traffic, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Mongo Santamaria (via John Coltrane) and Frank Zappa.
In 2000, the band released Life Before Insanity to critical praise. Many thought that this would be Gov't Mule's breakthrough CD. However, Woody was found dead in New York City in August. Haynes and Abts considered breaking up the band but did stage a concert called "One for Woody" to raise money for his daughter's education. The Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, members of the Grateful Dead, and other friends of Woody also performed at the concert.
At both the "One for Woody" performance and other shows, Haynes began appearing with the Allman Brothers Band again. With Dickey Betts' departure from the Allmans, Warren came back full time to the band at the beginning of 2001 and has continued splitting his time between the Allmans and for a period Phil Lesh and Friends and the reformed Dead as well as Gov't Mule (performing acoustic gigs with just Haynes on guitar and Abts on percussion and as The New School of Gov't Mule with Widespread Panic's Dave Schools on bass and Chuck Leavell, formerly of the Allman Brothers and known for his current work with the Rolling Stones on keyboards).
The next year, Haynes and Abts began to record a tribute CD using Woody's favorite bass players. These sessions resulted in two CDs The Deep End, Volume 1 (2001) and The Deep End, Volume 2 (2002). A documentary of the recording sessions was also made by Phish bassist Mike Gordon called Rising Low. Bass contributions to the CDs came from Jack Bruce of Cream, John Entwisle of The Who, Mike Watt of Minutemen, Les Claypool of Primus, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Chris Squire of Yes among others.
When it came to touring in support of the Deep End CDs, Haynes and Abts used a revolving door of keyboardists and bassists. Keyboardists included Chuck Leavell, Rob Barraco of Phil Lesh and Friends and Zen Tricksters, Phish's Page McConnell and Danny Louis. Bassists included among others, Dave Schools, Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers, Les Claypool, Victor Wooten of the Flecktones, George Porter Jr. of The Meters, Greg Rzab formerly of The Black Crowes and the Buddy Guy Band and Andy Hess, also formerly of The Black Crowes. Louis and Hess were eventually added as permanent members of Gov't Mule. They continue to tour extensively and have become staple acts at many music festivals including Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Vegoose, and their annual New Orleans Jazzfest night show (where they filmed and recorded the last show of the Deepest End tours, with 17 guest musicians in a 6 hour show) wich was released on CD/DVD as The Deepest End, Live in Concert.
The first CD with Louis and Hess Deja Voodoo was released in September 2004. Additional material from those sessions was released in 2005 as and EP entitled Mo' Voodoo.
The new lineup's second release, titled High and Mighty, was released on August 22, 2006.
A third, Mighty High, was released in 2007 it features reggae and dub versions of classic Mule covers and originals with special guest appearances by Willi Williams, Michael Franti and Toots Hibbert,
Make It Rain
Gov't Mule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know the story, here it comes again
I have no pride, I have no shame
Gotta make it rain
Make it rain
Now since you're gone, deep inside it hurts
Just another sad guest on this dark Earth
Make it rain
Make it rain
Night's too quiet, stretched out alone
I need the whip of thunder and the wind's dark moan
I'm not Abel, I'm just Cain
Open up the heavens
Make it rain
Close to heaven, crushed at the gate
They sharpen their knives on my mistakes
What she done, you can't give it a name
Make it rain
Make it rain
Without her love
Without her kiss
Hell can't burn me, much more than this
I'm burning, with all this pain
Put out the fire
Make it rain
I'm born to trouble, born to fate
Inside a promise I can't escape
It's the same old world, nothing looks the same
Gotta make it rain
Make it rain
You've got to make it rain
Oh, you've got to make it rain
Make it rain
You've got to make it rain
Oh, make it rain
Make it rain
You've got to make it rain
Make it rain
The lyrics of Gov't Mule's song "Make It Rain" refer to the pain and struggles associated with lost love. The opening lines, "Took all my money, my best friend, you know the story, here it comes again" indicate that the singer has suffered a great loss, likely a breakup with a partner who took everything from him. The line "I have no pride, I have no shame" suggests that the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to get his life back on track, including begging for mercy from the heavens. In the chorus, he pleads with the world to "make it rain," meaning he needs to feel the pain of the storm to help him move on.
The second verse brings up the idea of feeling lost and alone without the person he loves, describing the night as too quiet and himself as needing the power of thunder and the wind to help him through. The imagery of "not Abel, I'm just Cain" refers to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, in which Cain kills his brother Abel out of jealousy. This suggests that the singer is feeling like a dark and cursed figure, and is perhaps even contemplating resorting to desperate measures to ease his pain.
The final verse describes the singer's struggle to escape his fate, as if he's been doomed from birth to experience the kind of pain he's feeling now. He calls for the world to "make it rain" once more, implying that he needs to feel the cleansing force of the storm in order to move past his grief and start anew.
Overall, "Make It Rain" is a deeply emotional and melancholy song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and loss, and the need for catharsis in order to heal.
Line by Line Meaning
Took all my money, my best friend
Someone took all of the singer's possessions, including their best friend.
You know the story, here it comes again
This has happened to the singer before and they know what's coming.
I have no pride, I have no shame
The singer feels like they've hit rock bottom and have nothing left to lose.
Gotta make it rain
The only way out of this is to make it rain - to somehow acquire more wealth or fortune.
Now since you're gone, deep inside it hurts
The singer is heartbroken and in emotional pain since someone they loved left them.
Just another sad guest on this dark Earth
The singer feels like just another person living a sad, difficult life on this planet.
I wanna believe, in the mercy of the world again
Despite their sadness, the singer wants to have hope and faith in the world once more.
Night's too quiet, stretched out alone
The singer is alone and the silence of the night is overwhelming.
I need the whip of thunder and the wind's dark moan
The singer wants something more dramatic to happen to take their mind off of their sadness.
I'm not Abel, I'm just Cain
The singer feels like they're more of a bad person (Cain) than a good one (Abel).
Open up the heavens
The singer wants something extraordinary to happen.
Make it rain
The only solution to their problems is to make it rain - to fix their financial situation.
Close to heaven, crushed at the gate
The singer feels like they're almost at the top, but something always holds them back.
They sharpen their knives on my mistakes
The people around them are waiting for the singer to mess up so they can attack them.
What she done, you can't give it a name
Something terrible happened, but it's hard to explain or describe it.
Make it rain
Once again, the only solution is to make it rain - to acquire more wealth.
Without her love
The singer is unhappy without love in their life.
Without her kiss
The singer misses the intimacy of a relationship.
Hell can't burn me, much more than this
The pain the singer feels cannot be worse than it already is.
I'm burning, with all this pain
The emotional pain is physically affecting the singer.
Put out the fire
The singer wants to stop feeling the pain they're experiencing.
Make it rain
To fix their emotional pain, the singer once again turns to making it rain - acquiring more wealth.
I'm born to trouble, born to fate
The singer feels like they were born to experience trouble and can't escape their fate.
Inside a promise I can't escape
The singer is stuck in a situation they cannot get out of.
It's the same old world, nothing looks the same
Despite everything that has happened, the world hasn't changed - everything looks the same to the singer.
Gotta make it rain
To change their situation, the only option is to make it rain - to acquire more wealth.
You've got to make it rain
The repetition of this line emphasizes the importance of wealth and its ability to solve problems.
Oh, you've got to make it rain
The singer is pleading with someone to make it rain, as they can't do it alone.
Make it rain
Once again, the only solution is to make it rain - to acquire more wealth.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: Kathleen Brennan, Thomas Alan Waits
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Donna Bowen
I fell in love with this band the first time I heard them.
Avery Allen
@Temporary Saint legendary in between brothers shows hot damnnn⚡⚡
Jeff Cosser
It's unheard of to have over 60 albums and still not widely known...
Love the mule.....
Peggy Haralson
Me too! I can’t stop hits my ♥️
bluesyfish
I've seen 'em twice - not enough! When they next come through I can't go. Crossing fingers for next year!
the Griffin
I saw them do the first show in Macon at liz reeds in 94. Iv been hooked ever since. I miss Woody very much. But like Duane Allman said once, it's not revolution it's evolution....... Love me some Mule!!!!!
kcmule
Warren you play with as much feeling and emotion as anyone I have ever seen in my 31 years of experiencing live music. Peace and love to you my friend!
Joseph Zirngibl
Yaaaaaaahhh!!! Absolutely LOVE this bluesy stuff! Keep 'em comin' guys.😎🎸🎤🥁🎶🍄🐴🤘
Grizzilyultra
Great tune, great band!!! Get well quickly Warren.
Newage Ancient
Im really digging this new album… stellar lyrics in this song… vid/performance are hot stuff!
🔥
♥️