Love Reign O'er Me
Pearl Jam Lyrics
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The way the beach is kissed by the sea
Only love can make it rain
Like the sweat of lovers
Laying in the fields
Love, reign o'er me
Love, reign on me, rain o'er me
Only love can bring the rain
That makes you yearn to the sky
Only love can bring the rain
That falls like tears from on high
Love, reign o'er me, rain on me
Love, reign o'er me, rain on me
Rain on me
On the dry and dusty road
The nights we spend apart alone
I need to get back home to cool cool rain
I can't sleep and I lay and I think
The night is hot and black as ink
Wooh God, I need a drink of cool cool rain
Love, reign o'er me
Reign o'er me, o'er me
Love, reign o'er me
Rain on me
The song "Love Reign O'er Me" by Pearl Jam is a powerful and emotional ballad that deals with themes of love, loss, and spiritual rebirth. The lyrics suggest that only love can bring rain and heal a drought, both literally and metaphorically. The idea is presented that love is the only force that can bring renewal and rejuvenation to a person's life, much like the way rain nourishes and refreshes the earth. The repeated plea of "Love, reign o'er me" sounds like a prayer, asking for divine intervention or guidance in finding the strength to continue in the face of overwhelming sadness and suffering. The tone of the song is one of desperation, as the singer acknowledges that they are lost and alone, and in need of a spiritual awakening to heal their broken heart.
The imagery in the lyrics is vivid and evocative, painting a picture of lovers in a field, sweat mingling, and rain falling like tears from the sky. The metaphor of rain as a symbol of emotional release and spiritual renewal is a common one, and the use of it in this song adds a sense of urgency to the message. The verses that describe the dry and dusty road, and the hot, black, ink-like night, suggest that the singer is lost in depression and despair, and in need of salvation. The repeated plea for rain, for love to reign over them, is a cry for help, a desperate plea for something, anything, to bring relief from the pain and suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
Only love can make it rain
Love is the only thing that can bring forth emotions equivalent to rain
The way the beach is kissed by the sea
Similar to the eternal love between the sea and the beach, it is the love that holds the key to make it rain
Like the sweat of lovers laying in the fields
Love has a way of bringing people closer in intimate union to the extent that their sweat is akin to the elixir of life, which propels the vast sky to release rain
Love, reign o'er me
Here, the artist is asking for love to rule over his thoughts and actions with an unprecedented level of control that rivals the sky's reign over the earth
Only love can bring the rain
Reinforcing the first line, love is the fundamental force that promotes the act of raining
That makes you yearn to the sky
True love gives a feeling akin to wanting to be with the vast sky and the stars beyond the horizon
That falls like tears from on high
Like dropping tears from heaven, love brings forth the gentle fall of rain to the ground
On the dry and dusty road
The artist is on an arid path, and there is a necessity for something to quench the thirst of his soul
The nights we spend apart alone
In moments of being apart and far away from the ones they love, the world seems without joy
I need to get back home to cool cool rain
The artist's longing for the source of true love that quenches one's thirst for a renewed sense of life
I can't sleep and I lay and I think
Being absent from the one he loves keeps him awake, ruminating on the current drought-like situation of his life
The night is hot and black as ink
The conditions of his surrounding (dark, hot and dry) only exacerbate his yearning for true love's rain
Wooh God, I need a drink of cool cool rain
Asking for the love that reigns over him to satisfy his thirst and provide him with a clear, refreshed mind
Reign o'er me, o'er me
Repeating a version of the chorus, the singer is reaffirming that love is the key to reign over his thoughts, spirit, and soul.
Contributed by Gabriella S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.