Released: 2024
Make It Rain by Ed Sheeran is a powerful ballad that dives deep into themes of redemption, suffering, and the plea for spiritual cleansing or relief. Ed uses strong, vivid imagery tied to nature and familial bonds to express deeply emotional and complex feelings. This song isn’t just about weathering a storm; it’s a metaphor for desiring change and seeking rebirth through trials.
The song begins with “When the sins of my father / Weigh down in my soul / And the pain of my mother / Will not let me go,” which sets a somber mood. Here, Ed’s talking about carrying the weight of his parents’ struggles and misdeeds, suggesting that our loved ones’ past actions and sorrows can deeply affect us. The reference to sins of my father and pain of my mother touches on inherited grief and the burden of living with the consequences of actions not our own.
As the song progresses, “Well, I know there can come fire from the sky / To refine the purest of kings,” Ed introduces the idea that suffering and hardship can purify and make even the best among us better. This concept, that trials can lead to improvement, prepares us for the recurring plea to Make it rain. The rain symbolizes a cleansing force, a way to wash away the past misdeeds, suffering, and pain by bringing something nurturing and life-giving, yet powerful and sometimes destructive.
In the lines “Oh, the seed needs the water / ‘Fore it grows out of the ground / But it just keeps on getting hard / And hunger more profound,” Ed moves to a metaphor of a seed needing water to grow, likening it to how people need challenges (rain) to grow spiritually or emotionally. The mention of hunger growing more profound suggests that the longer we go without facing our trials or receiving that cleansing rain, the deeper our suffering becomes.
The song also touches on social and economic inequalities with “Well, the seas are full of water / Stops by the shore / Just like the riches of grandeur / Oh, no, no / That never reach the poor.” Here, the imagery of the sea full of water that stops at the shore parallels wealth that never seems to trickle down to those in need. Ed is making a broader point about the unfairness in the world, recognizing that while there is enough to go around (like the water in the seas), it never seems to reach those who need it the most.
Finally, “And let the clouds fill with thunderous applause / And let lightning be the veins / And fill the sky, with all that they can draw / When it’s time, to make a change,” illustrates a shift towards action. Ed is calling for a dramatic, almost divine intervention to break the cycle of suffering and injustice, a storm so powerful it brings about the needed change. The reference to thunderous applause and lightning veins personifies nature as a participant in the human struggle for redemption and equality.
Throughout Make It Rain, Ed Sheeran masterfully uses the metaphor of rain and natural elements to discuss themes of suffering, redemption, and the human condition. The plea for rain becomes a universal cry for healing, hope, and the strength found in facing one’s trials head-on. It’s a song that goes beyond mere lyrics, reaching into the soul’s depths to touch on the shared human experience of longing for release and renewal.
