☝️ Key Points
- The song 'Red Rain' by Peter Gabriel explores feelings of threat, fear, and helplessness
- The recurring line 'Red rain is coming down' could be seen as a symbol of an inevitable threat or impending disaster
- The lyrics convey a sense of powerlessness and vulnerability, especially in the verses where the singer finds himself in a dreamlike or unreal situation
- The imagery of 'red rain' could be a metaphor for blood and thus violence, injury, or death
- The song suggests a kind of repetitive compulsion or trapped situation from which the singer cannot escape, and reinforces this through the recurring images of 'red rain' and water
Interpretation
'Red Rain' by
Peter Gabriel is a song that leaves many possibilities for interpretation due to its metaphorical language and vivid descriptions. In general, the song seems to address feelings of fear, worry, and unease that pour down on the singer like red rain.
The recurring line 'Red rain is coming down' could be seen as a symbol of an inevitable threat or impending doom approaching the singer (or the character he represents in the song).
In the lines 'I am standing up at the water's edge in my dream / I cannot make a single sound as you scream', a sense of helplessness and powerlessness is conveyed. The singer seems to be in a dreamlike or unreal situation where he has lost control.
The image of 'red rain' could also be a metaphor for blood and thus violence, injury, or death. This is hinted at in the lines 'There is no blood around see no sign of pain / Hay ay ay no pain / Seeing no red at all, see no rain'.
The lines 'Putting the pressure on much harder now / To return again and again / Just let the red rain splash you / Let the rain fall on your skin / I come to you defences down / With the trust of a child' suggest a kind of compulsion or predicament from which the singer cannot escape. He surrenders to the 'red rain', even though he knows it will harm him.
Overall, 'Red Rain' conveys feelings of threat, fear, and helplessness, which are reinforced by the metaphorical language and recurring images of 'red rain' and water.