The Thunderstorm
Graeme Allwright Lyrics

Please don't talk about sun, you can talk about rain:
The singer prefers gloomy weather over sunny days.

All those good weather days were made to drive me insane,
Good weather makes the singer feel crazy or irritated.

And when it's blue skies – I curse out loud:
The singer curses when the weather is clear and sunny.

For the truly great love of my life in this world
The artist believes that their true love entered their life during a powerful thunderstorm.

Was sent in a storm from Jove, the lightning God,
The artist believes that their true love was sent to them by the god of lightning, Jove.

When love came down from Heaven's thunder clouds.
The singer believes that their true love came to them during a thunderstorm.

One dark night in November a thunderstorm crashed.
The singer remembers a specific night in November when a thunderstorm occurred.

Above roof-tops that trembled sheets of lightning flashed,
The lightning from the thunderstorm caused the artist's surroundings to tremble.

And in the tempest high winds howled and roared.
Strong winds accompanied the thunderstorm.

Then the lady next-door in a great state of fear
The artist's neighbor was frightened during the thunderstorm.

And her night-dress came over – she hoped that help was near –
The neighbor was so scared that her nightgown flew off and she hoped the singer could help her.

She knocked so hard she nearly broke my door.
The neighbor knocked on the artist's door with such force that it nearly broke.

I'm alone and afraid, won't you please let me in?
The neighbor was alone and scared and asked the singer for help.

My poor husband's out, a storm means work for him;
The neighbor's husband works during thunderstorms.

He's got to earn his keep against the odds.
The neighbor's husband has to work during bad weather to provide for his family.

He goes out on the job in the worst kind of weather
The neighbor's husband works in bad weather.

But the reason is plain – he's a salesman as you'll gather.
The neighbor's husband sells lightning rods for a living.

He's finding customers for lightning rods .
The neighbor's husband is trying to sell lightning rods to people during the storm.

And I blessed the inventor, good Benjamin Franklin,
The singer praised the inventor of the lightning rod, Benjamin Franklin, for their safety during the storm.

As I opened my arms and took her safely within –
The artist allowed the neighbor to seek shelter in their home.

You know that Love will always find a way.
The artist believes that love will always prevail despite obstacles.

But I wonder super-salesman of lightning conduction
The artist questions the neighbor's husband about why he didn't sell a lightning rod to his own home for safety.

Why you made the mistake, and issued no instruction
The singer queries why the neighbor's husband didn't instruct his own family to install a lightning rod for protection.

To put one in for her security?
The artist suggests that the neighbor's husband should have installed a lightning rod for the safety of his family.

Now when Jove and his thunderbolts went off elsewhere
The singer refers to the end of the thunderstorm.

And the beauty at last had overcome her fear,
The neighbor's fear had subsided by the end of the thunderstorm.

And had completely pulled herself together;
The neighbor had regained control of herself after being scared during the storm.

She went home where she dried out the poor man, but first
The neighbor went back to her own home and took care of her husband after he worked in the storm.

Made her plans to return if a thunderstorm should burst.
The neighbor planned to visit the artist's house in case of another thunderstorm.

We had a date! Depending on the weather!
The singer planned to see the neighbor during the next thunderstorm.

From that moment I never once lowered my eyes,
The singer kept an eye on the sky from that moment onwards.

I did nothing but gaze upon the great wide skies
The artist spent much time observing the sky for any signs of a coming thunderstorm.

And watch the passing clouds that floated free.
The artist watched the clouds moving in the sky.

I would look out for stratus, I would seek out the nimbus,
The artist searched for specific cloud types that could potentially produce a thunderstorm.

Making eyes to encourage fair cumulus into grimness,
The singer wanted cloud formations that looked harmless to become more ominous.

And yet she never did come back to me.
The neighbor never returned to see the artist during thunderstorms again.

For that evening her husband had been in fine fettle
The neighbor's husband had a successful evening selling lightning rods.

And the fellow had sold so many bits of metal
The neighbor's husband sold a lot of lightning rods.

That he became a millionaire no wonder!
The neighbor's husband became wealthy because of his sales of lightning rods.

So he took her away to the bluest of skies,
The neighbor's husband took her to a place with clear, blue skies.

To the stupidest lands where rain's not recognized
The neighbor's husband took her to a place where it rarely rains.

And no-one's even heard of thunder.
The place where the neighbor and her husband went to was so far from thunderstorms that no one had even heard of them.

Dearest Lord, hear my prayer: send her on my lament,
The singer prays that the neighbor would return to them during a thunderstorm.

Let it tell her of loving in the storm you sent,
The artist wants the message to emphasize the importance of their encounter during the thunderstorm.

Of how we braved the tempest, seized our chance.
The artist wants the message to communicate how they faced the storm and found love within it.

And of love at first sight – how the lightning engraved
The artist tells of how they fell in love during the thunderstorm and it felt like it was love at first sight.

On my heart a small flower, I'll bear it to the grave,
The singer will always cherish the memory of the love found in the thunderstorm and will carry it to their death.

A sprig of rosemary, that's for Love's Remembrance.
A sprig of rosemary, symbolizing remembrance, represents the artist's love found during the thunderstorm.