The Storm Won't Come
Richard Thompson Lyrics

I'm longing for a storm to blow through town
The singer wants a force powerful enough to destroy their surroundings and bring a cleansing renewal.

And blow these sad old buildings down
The singer desires the complete destruction of the oppressive, stagnant structures around them.

Fire to burn what fire may
The singer welcomes the idea of letting everything be destroyed, even if it means struggling through chaos.

And rain to wash it all away
The artist expects to recover from the destruction by starting fresh.

But the storm won't come
Unfortunately the artist's wish is not going to be granted, and they'll have to find another way to cope.

But the storm won't come
Reiterating the fact that the uncertainty of this situation is unbearable.

I'm longing for the storm
The singer is desperate to experience the transformative, renewing power of an all-consuming force.

But the storm won't come
They have to live with the disappointment of their hopes not coming to fruition.

There's a smell of death where I lay my head
At home, the artist is deeply unhappy and disturbed by the negative environment they're surrounded by.

So I'll go to the storm instead
The artist decides to seek out their own version of the storm, rather than wait for an external event to change their situation.

I'll seek it out, stand in the rain
They want to find a way to make themselves feel alive again, even if it means seeking out some kind of challenge or danger.

Thunder and lightning, and I'll scream my name
In the confrontation with their inner desires they break through and express their emotions.

But it's never the same
The relief that the singer is seeking will never be sustainable and will only serve as a temporary fix.

But it's never the same
The singer reiterates their disappointment that chasing after the storm has not been satisfying enough.

The storm must come to me
The singer realizes they are not capable of finding their own source of renewal, and that the storm must come to them.

And the storm won't come
Unfortunately, the artist can't control when the storm will arrive, if it arrives at all.

Not a leaf is stirred, nor dust is blown
Even the natural world around the artist remains unchanged by the absence of the transformative force they are seeking.

There is no storm, so I'll make my own
Realizing that there may be no external source of renewal, they decide to create their own storm within themselves.

Paint up the walls and I'll burn what's rotten
The singer wants to take an active role in improving their circumstances by getting rid of the negativity around them.

Throw out all the old and the half-forgotten
They want to start over completely without any remnants of their past holding them back.

But I'm not as strong
The artist is struggling to create the change they want to see without any external help.

But I'm not as strong
They realize that they still need something stronger than themselves to find the transformative energy they're seeking.

As the wind and the rain
Even though they want to be in control of their own renewal, the singer acknowledges that they will need a massive, uncontrollable force to truly experience it.

And the storm won't come
They are still waiting for the force that they feel they need to start anew, but it has yet to arrive.

But the storm won't come
Reiterating how desperately the singer feels they need the force of renewal that they are chasing after.

I'm longing for the storm
The singer still desires the transformative force that they feel will help them start anew and escape their current condition.

But the storm won't come
Unfortunately, the singer still lacks the external force of change they feel they need.