Written by peter holsapple

Main voice: peter

Produced by continental drifters & mike mayeux

Released on 'vermilion' (1999)



Daddy was the eldest of ten

And my mama was an only child

She must've represented back then

The part of him that couldn't go wild

She was free

Something he could never be

'cause daddy was the one

Who always took responsibility.



They met at a uso dance hall

At the start of the second world war

She was gentle, kind and intelligent

Something daddy'd never known before

And they danced

Later on came the romance

'cause daddy shipped out

Before he had the chance to ask for her hand.



But it all turned out all right

And he would lay in his hammock at night

Dreaming of a family and home

With the woman that he left behind

At night, his shipmates would go check out the bars

But daddy'd just stare at the stars

And dream of her

'til he thought he might lose his mind.



They got married on v.e. day

By the preacher from my mama's church

Mama'd always dreamed of a honeymoon

But daddy had to go back to work

He plowed those fields

Since the navy never tought him a trade

Mama'd make his lunch

And they'd eat it out in the shade.



The boys were born in the fifties

Georgie, herman and me

And we grew up wanting for nothing

'til georgie saw his first tv

It was the christmas of 1959

There was a console in the living room

Well, mama and the boys watched variety shows

And daddy just stared out at the moon.



The drought hit hard in the sixties

And the irrigation couldn't control

Mama sighed when they sold the farm

But daddy lost a piece of his soul

He said "hard work is a virtue

And you should always work as hard as you can"

He said "hard work will never hurt you"

But he never said nothing about the land.



Yeah, but mama always told us boys

"you should follow the golden rule

Always look for the good in the other guy

But never be anyone's fool"

Then daddy'd laugh a little

Then he'd look out at his weather vane

Oh mama wants a rainbow

Daddy just wants it to rain.



They moved in with herman's family

In the nice part of the city

Mama'd help gina with the grandchildren

And tried to make the house look pretty

But daddy'd sit at his window

From when he got up 'til he went to bed

Just knowing that he'd failed his family

He couldn't get it out of his head.



It was the summer of 1978

When mama caught pneumonia and died

Daddy lost his will to live that fall

Now they're buried side by side

And in the midst of all our grief

Georgie said to our relief

"well, mama got her rainbow

And it's starting to rain".



He said "mama got her rainbow

And it's starting to rain".



And it's starting to rain

It's starting to rain

It's starting to rain

It's starting to rain

It's starting to rain.



It's starting to rain

It's starting to rain

It's starting to rain, to rain, rain

To rain.