Red Rain

I can't decide if this is a social commentary about holocaust or a testimony of guilt. It seems to suggest a witness that never spoke, and has lived with the knowledge of a terrible deed ("I can't watch anymore","I cannot make a single sound as you scream"); then again it also seems that others carry the guilt (though that knowledge lends no solace) ("They tell you that this rain can sting, and look down").

The song is a combination of several inspirations. The lyrics directly reference a recurring dream Gabriel was having where he swam in his pool drinking cold red wine. Another version of the dream had bottles falling from a cliff, and the bottles were in the shape of people. When they were smashed on the ground, the people-shaped bottles had red liquid coming out, and then it began to rain the same red liquid.

So says Wikipedia!

On Peter Gabriel's Play DVD, he talks aobut how Red Rain is a British expression relating to being overcome by one's emotions.

It's less social and much more psychological than that - I remember reading somewhere that this song is based on the writings of early psychoanalyst Carl Jung.

Given the comments below and my feelings--this song haunts me beautifully--this song sure touches lots of us. It's meaning? First, from Jungian psychology: Like lots of great songs, such as Dylan's, the meaning is enigmatic, yet it somehow makes sense to a deep part of the psyche. Though I, too, read in an interview with Gabriel that this song is based on a dream he had--he just put his dream into music--that does not contradict what it means to each of us. We project the unconscious parts of our psyches onto it, as with Dylan songs--and, many of us share similar unconscious minds. There is, in addition to a great collective unconscious mind, there are many, many lesser collective unconscious minds where it resonates. That's the Jungian trip. And who knows? Gabriel may be giving us just a piece by saying that it's from a dream of his. Like Dylan, he may conceal the truth. He's a guy that dressed up like a flower in Genesis some, and he's very, very bright. I wish I knew THE meaning; all we know is it touches us deeply enough to be on this site. Really something, ain't it? cheers

It's less social and much more psychological than that - I remember reading somewhere that this song is based on the writings of early psychoanalyst Carl Jung.

see if you can find the version of this with Michael Stipe and Natalie Merchant...also, R.E.M. covered this in a medley(on MTV unplugged)...they sing "Time After Time (Annelise)" then they go into this song...then they sing the classic "So. Central Rain," reprise "Red Rain" then finish "So. Central Rain"...it's awesome

not sure what this is about, but yeah that would make very good sense. I love these two lines:

just let the red rain splash you let the rain fall on your skin

Going off of that --he could be saying, when you get overcome with your emotions, don't fight them, just let them happen.

this song just makes you want to fall to your knees and just let everything you've been hiding and supressing to spill out in one climactic moment.

rikdad.. you fucking asshole. this song ain't about nothing like what you've said. gabriel has mentioned a few times that this song is based on a dream he had about the red sea. but of course perverted idiots like rikdad don't have anything better to do than invent their own sex-manic variations of the meaning of the song. awful.