Make It Rain

Ed Sheeran sings this amazing song-prayer for Sons of Anarchy  – admittedly an unusual source from which to draw the wells of prayer.  Titled Make it Rain, the song was originally written by Foy Vance. His bio indicates:

“… his passion for traditional music was born in the southern states of America. As a child, Foy relocated with his father, a preacher, to the American Midwest settling in Oklahoma. With his father, Foy travelled the American South, widening his horizons and absorbing the rich musical traditions he was exposed to. Returning to Ireland some years later, Foy began writing his own music, deeply shaped by the sounds of his youth. Since those days, he has spent a considerable amount of time on the road, touring with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Michael Kiwanuka, Marcus Foster, Snow Patrol, and Ed Sheeran.

Foy has been writing about these spectacular miseries for years… Vance is moved by the fractions of love and sentiment, giving himself over to the quiet deluge. His is a voice that rattles you and forces you to let it in so that you may all enjoy a dark room, a modest fire and something to toast with… [his songs] often find their ways to tragic ends, but Vance reminds us constantly that we reap what we sow and sometimes we’re reaping very little. He presents the sadness that we find in our coffers as something valuable, as something that shouldn’t be dismissed as failure. He presents the sadness that he’s collected as rich with importance – with as much significance to his happiness as anything else.”

Enjoy the ways that both Sheeran and Vance blues-sing this prayer; and may you enter the lamentable hope “to make a change.”

MAKE IT RAIN

When the sins of my father
Weigh down in my soul
And the pain of my mother
Will not let me go
Well I know there can come fire from the sky
To refine the purest of kings
Even though I know this fire brings me pain
Even so And just the same

Make it rain
Make it rain down Lord
Just make it rain
Make it rain
Make it rain
Make it rain down Lord
Just make it rain
Make it rain

And the seed needs the water
Before it grows out of the ground
But it just keeps on getting hard
And the hunger more profound
Well I know there can come tears from their eyes
But they may as well be in vain
Even though I know these tears bring me pain
Even so And just the same

Make it rain
Make it rain down Lord
Just make it rain
Make it rain
Make it rain
Make it rain down Lord
Just make it rain
Make it rain

And the seas are full of water
That stop by the shore
Just like the riches of grandeur
That never reach the poor

So let the clouds fill with thunderous applause
And let the lightning be the veins
And fill the sky
With all that they can draw
When it’s time to make a change.

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