Written by peter holsapple Main voice: peter Produced by continental drifters & mike mayeux Released on 'vermilion' (1999) Daddy was the eldest of ten And my mama was an only child She must've represented back then The part of him that couldn't go wild She was free Something he could never be 'cause daddy was the one Who always took responsibility. They met at a uso dance hall At the start of the second world war She was gentle, kind and intelligent Something daddy'd never known before And they danced Later on came the romance 'cause daddy shipped out Before he had the chance to ask for her hand. But it all turned out all right And he would lay in his hammock at night Dreaming of a family and home With the woman that he left behind At night, his shipmates would go check out the bars But daddy'd just stare at the stars And dream of her 'til he thought he might lose his mind. They got married on v.e. day By the preacher from my mama's church Mama'd always dreamed of a honeymoon But daddy had to go back to work He plowed those fields Since the navy never tought him a trade Mama'd make his lunch And they'd eat it out in the shade. The boys were born in the fifties Georgie, herman and me And we grew up wanting for nothing 'til georgie saw his first tv It was the christmas of 1959 There was a console in the living room Well, mama and the boys watched variety shows And daddy just stared out at the moon.
The drought hit hard in the sixties And the irrigation couldn't control Mama sighed when they sold the farm But daddy lost a piece of his soul He said "hard work is a virtue And you should always work as hard as you can" He said "hard work will never hurt you" But he never said nothing about the land. Yeah, but mama always told us boys "you should follow the golden rule Always look for the good in the other guy But never be anyone's fool" Then daddy'd laugh a little Then he'd look out at his weather vane Oh mama wants a rainbow Daddy just wants it to rain. They moved in with herman's family In the nice part of the city Mama'd help gina with the grandchildren And tried to make the house look pretty But daddy'd sit at his window From when he got up 'til he went to bed Just knowing that he'd failed his family He couldn't get it out of his head. It was the summer of 1978 When mama caught pneumonia and died Daddy lost his will to live that fall Now they're buried side by side And in the midst of all our grief Georgie said to our relief "well, mama got her rainbow And it's starting to rain". He said "mama got her rainbow And it's starting to rain". And it's starting to rain It's starting to rain It's starting to rain It's starting to rain It's starting to rain. It's starting to rain It's starting to rain It's starting to rain, to rain, rain To rain.