1) The Rat Pack is the nickname given to a group of popular entertainers mo… Read Full Bio ↴1) The Rat Pack is the nickname given to a group of popular entertainers most active between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s. Its most famous line-up featured Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, who appeared together in films and on stage in the early 1960s. Despite its reputation as a masculine group, the Rat Pack did have female participants, such as movie icons Shirley MacLaine, Lauren Bacall, and Judy Garland.

As of 2007, Joey Bishop is the only male member of the Rat Pack who is still alive.

2) In 1984, RAT PACK singer/founder Matt Ratt was covering the vocal duties for Rich Kids on LSD, while singer Jason Sears was away on "medical leave". During this time Rich Kids on LSD was signed on to record for the now infamous"NARDCORE" album on Mystic Records. Just prior to recording, Jason returned from his leave of absense. So left with the dilema of an album to record, and suddenly no band, Matt was told to throw something together quickly and record for the album anyway. So after a few rehearsals with Chris Rest and Alpo D.(borrowed from Rich Kids on LSD) Dave Casillas from STALAG 13 and Mike Torres from NARTHEX STRUCTURE, RAT PACK was born! Although originaly only meant to be a recording project for the NARDCORE album, RAT PACK ended up doing three records for Mystic, 1985's self titled 7", 1987's "Ice Cream Acid and Cigarettes" 7" and 1990's self titled full length Lp. Through the years RAT PACK has gone through long periods of hibernation, with many line up changes...people that have played in and recorded with RAT PACK include current and former members of bands such as NOFX, SOCIAL DISTORTION, STALAG 13, ADOLESCENTS, D.I., SUGAR CULT, HOLLYWOOD HATE, FOO FIGHTERS, Rubber Neck, LAGWAGON, Rich Kids on LSD, NO USE FOR A NAME, and ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES.

Pennies from Heaven
Rat Pack Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Every time it rains
It rains pennies from heaven
Don't you know each cloud contains
Pennies from heaven
You'll find your fortune
Fallin' all over town
Be sure that your umbrella is upside down
Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers

If you want the things you love
You must have showers
So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree
There'll be pennies from heaven
For you and me

Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
If you want the things you love
You must have showers
So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree

There'll be pennies from heaven
For you and me

Overall Meaning

The Rat Pack's rendition of Pennies from Heaven is a song about the importance of optimism and taking risks in order to achieve the things you love. The first two lines of the song, "Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven, Don't you know each cloud contains pennies from heaven", serves as a metaphor for the idea that opportunities are all around us - we just have to look for them, even in the most unexpected of places. The lyrics then proceeds to advise the listener to be ready to take advantage of these opportunities when they arise, as symbolised by the phrase "be sure your umbrella is upside down" - that is, be prepared to catch those pennies from heaven.

The following lines "Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers If you want the things you love You must have showers" are a gentle nudge to take risks by trading in the safety of the pennies for the enjoyment of the things that truly matter - sunshine and flowers - that represent the things we really love in life. This idea of "trading in" is emphasised in the repetition of "if you want the things you love, you must have showers" - essentially saying that in order to gain what you desire most in life, you need to be willing to take risks to get there. Finally, the song returns to its original metaphor, with the line "there'll be pennies from heaven for you and me" - a hopeful message that opportunities are plentiful for those who are willing to take risks and approach life with a positive attitude.

Line by Line Meaning

Every time it rains
Whenever it starts to rain

It rains pennies from heaven
Money comes down from the sky with the rain

Don't you know each cloud contains
Each rain cloud has some money in it

Pennies from heaven
Small pieces of money coming from the sky

You'll find your fortune
You can find money

Fallin' all over town
Money is falling everywhere around you

Be sure that your umbrella is upside down
Make sure your umbrella is flipped up to catch the money

Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
Exchange the money for something positive and enjoyable

If you want the things you love
To get what you desire

You must have showers
You have to go through hard times to get what you want

So when you hear it thunder
When you hear thunder during a storm