Long as I remember
The rain's been coming down
Clouds of mystery fallin'
Confusion on the ground
Good men through the ages
Tryin' to find the sun
And I wonder
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
I went down Virginia
Seekin' shelter from the storm
Caught up in the fable
I watched the tower grow
Five year plans and new deals
Wrapped in golden chains
And I wonder
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
Heard the singers playing
How we cheered for more
The crowd had rushed together
Tryin' to keep warm
Still the rain kept pouring
Fallin' on my ears
And I wonder
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
The rain's been coming down
Clouds of mystery fallin'
Confusion on the ground
Good men through the ages
Tryin' to find the sun
And I wonder
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
I went down Virginia
Seekin' shelter from the storm
Caught up in the fable
I watched the tower grow
Five year plans and new deals
Wrapped in golden chains
And I wonder
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
Heard the singers playing
How we cheered for more
The crowd had rushed together
Tryin' to keep warm
Still the rain kept pouring
Fallin' on my ears
And I wonder
Still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?
Lingua: Italiano
Versione italiana di Lorenzo Masetti
reduce da un concerto del Boss a Firenze, chiuso da questa canzone. Nessuno ha fermato la pioggia ma neanche la pioggia ha fermato né Springsteen né il pubblico che ha continuato a ballare fino alla fine.
(foto di Michele Comai)
reduce da un concerto del Boss a Firenze, chiuso da questa canzone. Nessuno ha fermato la pioggia ma neanche la pioggia ha fermato né Springsteen né il pubblico che ha continuato a ballare fino alla fine.
(foto di Michele Comai)
CHI FERMERÀ LA PIOGGIA?
Fin da quando ricordo
La pioggia è sempre caduta
Nuvole di mistero fanno cadere
confusione sulla terra
La brava gente nei secoli
ha provato a trovare il sole
e mi chiedo
ancora mi chiedo
chi fermerà la pioggia?
Sono andato giù in Virginia
a cercare riparo dalla tempesta
ingannato dalla favola
ho visto la torre crescere
Piani quinquennali e New Deals
Incartati in catene d'oro
e mi chiedo
ancora mi chiedo
chi fermerà la pioggia?
Ho sentito i cantanti suonare
urlavamo perché continuassero
La folla si era raggruppata
tentando di restare al caldo
Ma ancora continuava a piovere a dirotto
l'acqua mi cadeva sulle orecchie
e mi chiedo
ancora mi chiedo
chi fermerà la pioggia?
Fin da quando ricordo
La pioggia è sempre caduta
Nuvole di mistero fanno cadere
confusione sulla terra
La brava gente nei secoli
ha provato a trovare il sole
e mi chiedo
ancora mi chiedo
chi fermerà la pioggia?
Sono andato giù in Virginia
a cercare riparo dalla tempesta
ingannato dalla favola
ho visto la torre crescere
Piani quinquennali e New Deals
Incartati in catene d'oro
e mi chiedo
ancora mi chiedo
chi fermerà la pioggia?
Ho sentito i cantanti suonare
urlavamo perché continuassero
La folla si era raggruppata
tentando di restare al caldo
Ma ancora continuava a piovere a dirotto
l'acqua mi cadeva sulle orecchie
e mi chiedo
ancora mi chiedo
chi fermerà la pioggia?
... vorrei solo aggiungere che questa magnifica canzone dei CCR dà il titolo ad un altrettanto bellissimo film americano di uno dei padri del free cinema britannico, Karel Reisz (ebreo cecoslovacco riparato in Inghilterra dopo l'invasione nazista). Il film è tratto dal romanzo "Dog Soldiers" di Robert Stone. Da noi, come spesso avviene, uscì con un titolo del cavolo che ammiccava al pubblico dei film d'azione: "I guerrieri dell'inferno"...
"Who'll Stop the Rain (1977), allegorico, è un thriller ad inseguimento; è la storia di un pacco di eroina trasportato da un reduce del Vietnam a Los Angeles per conto di un giornalista, conteso ai due da poliziotti corrotti e da professionisti della droga; nello spettacolare scontro a fuoco finale, il soldato muore, permettendo all'amico e a sua moglie di mettersi in salvo; sarà sepolto nel deserto e per croce avrà il fucile. Il film dissacra e smitizza un po' di tutto: il reduce applica nella vita l'addestramento ricevuto per combattere i Vietcong, la sanguinosa sparatoria avviene in una valle un tempo abitata da un comune hippie (la sparatoria si trasforma effettivamente in uno spettacolo psichedelico quando il soldato accende il grande impianto di luce e amplificazione, maceria di una civiltà scomparsa), l'eroe hollywoodiano è metà soldato invincibile ma vendutosi al crimine e metà intellettuale fallito. Un film apocalittico che trasferisce l'atmosfera di orrore e nichilismo della guerra del Vietnam nella società capitalista di tutti i giorni, trasformando sia l'una sia l'altra in un colossale sballo lisergico.
Gli stati alterati della psiche come effetto dell'anelito alla libertà e la grandiosa macchina repressiva della vita quotidiana continuano ad essere i temi preferiti da Reisz, che però si tiene ora sul versante drammatico, dimentico del tradizionale humour nonsense britannico e convertito invece alle tensioni e alle angosce della metropoli americana.
Piero Scaruffi
Gli stati alterati della psiche come effetto dell'anelito alla libertà e la grandiosa macchina repressiva della vita quotidiana continuano ad essere i temi preferiti da Reisz, che però si tiene ora sul versante drammatico, dimentico del tradizionale humour nonsense britannico e convertito invece alle tensioni e alle angosce della metropoli americana.
Piero Scaruffi
Alessandro - 17/8/2006 - 23:04
I noticed several comments that John was implying anti-war suggestions, and / or possibly hidden meanings with the lyrics for Who'll Stop the Rain.
Pretty sure John made the statement that it wasn't anti-war at all.
The Band finished playing at Woodstock in 1969. It rained during almost all of the festival.
To the point to were, when they came on stage, it was around 2 or 3 am, early in the morning.
Basically causing them not to be as noticed, as they should have been.
Had they came on at there normal, scheduled time, who knows how big/ and even more famous they might have been.
The song was released the song in 1970.
Woodstock was in 1969.
Pretty sure John made the statement that it wasn't anti-war at all.
The Band finished playing at Woodstock in 1969. It rained during almost all of the festival.
To the point to were, when they came on stage, it was around 2 or 3 am, early in the morning.
Basically causing them not to be as noticed, as they should have been.
Had they came on at there normal, scheduled time, who knows how big/ and even more famous they might have been.
The song was released the song in 1970.
Woodstock was in 1969.
Bailey - 21/6/2018 - 22:37
Hi Bailey, sorry for my googlenglish but... sometimes the songs go beyond their true history and meaning... See "Who'll Stop the Rain" movie by Karel Reisz.
Regards
Regards
B.B. - 21/6/2018 - 23:02
Interview with CCR Drummer Doug Clifford
Was "Who'll Stop the Rain" written about Woodstock?
Clifford: John says it was. Originally it was written about the reign of Richard Nixon. The reign from the sky, you know, Tricky Dick, and what was going on. So take your pick - written about Woodstock or about the reign of Richard Nixon. I think if I had to make a choice now, it would be about the rain at Woodstock.
Clifford: John says it was. Originally it was written about the reign of Richard Nixon. The reign from the sky, you know, Tricky Dick, and what was going on. So take your pick - written about Woodstock or about the reign of Richard Nixon. I think if I had to make a choice now, it would be about the rain at Woodstock.
Just another stone cold classic from one of America's greatest bands. Not sure how CCR's fame suffered from a poor starting time at Woodstock as suggested by an earlier comment...
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Group leader John Fogerty wrote this. Like some of his other songs, like "Fortunate Son," it is a protest of the Vietnam War.
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Bruce Springsteen opened with this song during his summer stadium tour of 2003 whenever it was raining.
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Who'll Stop the Rain" is written in the classic folk tradition about the lives of common people neglected by those in power. It's a political statement against politicians who boast of all the wonderful accomplishments they pretend to have achieved, but in reality have done nothing to improve peoples lives. Wishing for someone to stop the "rain" is a masked reference to wishing someone will rise up to stop the "reign" of neglect toward common folk.
- Jeff, Queens, NY
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Fogerty wrote this song after performing at Woodstock. As we all know, Woodstock was a peaceful demonstration in support of stopping the war (excuse me "conflict") in Vietnam.
I really "dig" the comment above comparing the "rain" to a "reign." Nice insight Myriam! However, as Eduardo points out, lets not forget the whole third paragraph which ends the song back on a lighter note with a simple description of the rainy event young protestors experienced at Woodstock.
In the long run, IMHO, "Who'll Stop the Rain" is both a simple song about the rain at Woodstock linked in parallel by the purpose of Woodstock as a peaceful protest of the Vietnam "conflict" and War in general.
- Lauren, Leesburg, VA
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I heard John Fogerty on a radio interview several years ago. He stated that this song was specifically asking who would stop the rain of B.S. coming from Washington D.C. during the Vietnam war.
- Tom, Clyde, TX
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There are a lot of similiarities between this and the Rolling Stones' similiar protest song "Gimme Shelter". They both have titles that express a desire to get away from something, and the first line of "Gimme Shelter" is "Ooh, the storm is threatening my very life today, if I don't get some shelter, I'm gonna fade away". In both cases, war is represented by stormy rain. In fact, one line in "Who'll Stop the Rain?" says "I went down Virginia, SEEKING SHELTER FROM THE STORM"- a direct parrallel. There are also some musical similiarities; both songs are neither fast nor slow, and are based mostly on the guitar playing throughout the song in a rather "rolling" manner (you need to hear them to understand).
- Brett, Edmonton, Canada
(Song Facts)