Rain Rain Go Away


"Rain Rain Go Away" is a popular English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19096.

Lyrics

There are few versions and variations of this rhyming couplet. The most common modern version is:

Origins

Similar rhymes can be found in many societies, including ancient Greece. The modern English language rhyme can be dated to at least to the 17th century when James Howell in his collection of proverbs noted:
A version very similar to the modern version was noted by John Aubrey in 1687 as used by "little children" to "charm away the Rain...":
A wide variety of alternatives have been recorded including: "Midsummer day", "washing day", "Christmas Day" and "Martha's wedding day".
In the mid-19th century James Orchard Halliwell collected and published the version:
In a book from the late 19th century, the lyrics are as follows: