After signing to Columbia, they concentrated on putting out their first album, which had a considerable Byrds influence and some good original compositions, notably Jim Fair's Ben Franklin's Almanac. It also contained some well done cover versions of songs like Hey Joe, If I Needed Someone, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, We'll Meet Again and She Don't Care About Time. It peaked at No. 192 in the U.S. album charts.
Further 45s followed: another Jim Fair composition from their debut album, I Wanna Meet You, which became a minor hit, and Georgia, which was even less successful.
Gerry Stone was drafted and further line-up changes took place before they began work on a second album. The result was rather bland but a marked advance in terms of production and harmony. Commercially, it was more successful than their first, climbing to No. 156. Meanwhile they enjoyed a minor 45 hit with It Could Be We Are In Love - one of their more inventive singles. Like the follow-up, Up On The Roof, it made the No. 85 spot.
Their third album, Synthesis had strong material and lavish instrumentation but could only manage No. 184 in the album charts. For this release, Dave Carter joined from the recently disbanded Saturday's Children.
In 1969, Carter, Kerley, and Dawson joined with members of Aorta to do an album of Navy public service spots under the moniker Aorta/Cryin' Shames Ensemble. The following year the band called it quits.
Isaac Guillory gave it a go solo and issued at least one 45 (Sidewalks Of America/Steamboat on Atlantic (UK 10442) (UK #) in 1974) and an LP, Isaac Guilloly (Atlantic SD 7307) 1974, in the folky 'singer-songwriter' mould. In the nineties Jim Pilster, who got his nickname because he had a hook instead of a left hand, was still singing for a re-formed The Cryan Shames, for which Tom Doody also makes occasional appearances.
Rainmaker
The Cryan' Shames Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Last rain was in May
When the rainmaker came to Kansas
In the middle of a dusty day
The rainmaker said to the people
"Tell me what you are prepared to pay"
And the rainmaker said to the people
Ninety degrees 'neath the trees where it's shady
A hundred and ten in the hot sun
Heat from the street burned the feet of the ladies
See how they run.
Ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah
Called down the lightnin'
By a mystical name
And the rainmaker called on the thunder
And then it suddenly began to rain.
Then the rainmaker passed his hat to the people
But the people all turned away
And the rainmaker's eyes and the Kansas skies
Well they both became a darker gray.
First day in August
Last rain was in May
When the rainmaker came to Kansas
In the middle of a dusty day.
The rainmaker smiled as he hitched up his wagon
And without a word he rode away
And the people of the town heard the sound of his laughter
And they knew the rain had come to stay.
Rain, rain, go away
Come again another day
Rain, rain, go away
Come again another day
Rain, rain, go away
Come again another day
Rain, rain, go away
Come again another day.
The Cryan' Shames's song Rainmaker initially presents itself as a story of a rainmaker who arrives in Kansas on a hot and dusty day. The lyrics depict the rainmaker asking the people what they are willing to pay for rain and promise to conjure up rain that day. The weather is described as scorching and intolerable, and the rainmaker calls down lightning and thunder before finally making it rain. The people seem unimpressed with his efforts and refuse to pay him for his services. The song's final verse closes with the rainmaker leaving town, his laughter echoing through the streets, as the people realize that the rain has indeed come to stay.
On the surface, Rainmaker could be interpreted as a commentary on the fleeting nature of human appreciation, as the people who were desperate for rain quickly forget the sacrifice and effort made by the rainmaker to fulfill their plea. However, the song's larger themes revolve around the meaning of control and the willingness to let it go. The Rainmaker shows that control is an illusion and that power resides in the natural world. The rainmaker might have conjured up the rain, but it was not he who decided when it would come or what it would bring.
Line by Line Meaning
First day of August
The story begins on the first day of August.
Last rain was in May
It has not rained even once since May.
When the rainmaker came to Kansas
A rainmaker arrives in Kansas to create rain.
In the middle of a dusty day
The day was hot and dry, and the rainmaker appears in the midst of this.
The rainmaker said to the people
The rainmaker addressed the people who had come to see him.
"Tell me what you are prepared to pay"
The rainmaker asked the people what they were willing to give him in exchange for making rain.
And the rainmaker said to the people
The rainmaker reiterated his intent to make rain.
"Now I'll conjure up a rain today."
The rainmaker promises to create rain on that very same day.
Ninety degrees 'neath the trees where it's shady
The temperature was 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade under the trees.
A hundred and ten in the hot sun
In the sun, the temperature was even hotter at 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat from the street burned the feet of the ladies
The heat from the street was hot enough to cause discomfort to the feet of the women.
See how they run.
The women were running away from the street's heat.
Ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah
The lyrics depict an instrumental section of the song.
Called down the lightnin'
The rainmaker summoned lightning.
By a mystical name
The rainmaker invoked the name of a mystical power in order to create lightning.
And the rainmaker called on the thunder
The rainmaker also summoned thunder.
And then it suddenly began to rain.
As a result of these actions, the rain began to pour down from the sky.
Then the rainmaker passed his hat to the people
The rainmaker asked for money after successfully making it rain.
But the people all turned away
The people who had witnessed the miracle of rain chose not to pay the rainmaker.
And the rainmaker's eyes and the Kansas skies
The skies turned dark, matching the rainmaker's eyes in color.
Well they both became a darker gray.
The sky also turned a darker gray color.
The rainmaker smiled as he hitched up his wagon
Despite not receiving payment, the rainmaker remained content and hitched up his wagon.
And without a word he rode away
The rainmaker left quietly, without saying goodbye.
And the people of the town heard the sound of his laughter
As he left, the people of the town heard the rainmaker's laughter.
And they knew the rain had come to stay.
The rain, which had been absent for far too long, had finally arrived and would stay for a while.
Rain, rain, go away
These lyrics are a popular children's rhyme in reference to rain.
Come again another day
The song concludes with a plea for the rain to return at a different time.
Rain, rain, go away
The lyrics are repeated for emphasis.
Come again another day
The song ends with the same line as before.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON, BILL MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind