It’s raining, it’s pouring

It’s raining, it’s pouring
The old man is snoring
He went to bed and he bumped his head
And couldn’t get up in the morning

Nursery Rhyme Origins

Little is known about the origins of the song, but we believe it originated in England (well renown for its rainy weather!) The rhyme was often sang by children when they could not go out to play. The lyrics suited the ritual chants that children love. In the UK it is common for people to say that “It’s pouring” rather than say “It’s pouring with rain”.

Another song starting with the same words is as follows:

It’s raining, it’s raining,
There’s pepper in the box,
And all the little ladies
Are holding up their frocks.

Nursery Rhyme Origins

A reminder that of the fashions from bygone days and perhaps the value placed on pepper. Pepper and salt are the cornerstone of European seasoning. And pepper was popularly known as the king of all spices. The quest for spices encouraged the Renaissance Explorers on there voyages of discovery. Chilli peppers including red peppers, cayenne, paprika and chilli were all discovered in the New World which contributed to the colonization of the Americas. This broke the monopoly held by Venice (via their trade route to India) in providing Europe with this spice. The exorbitant price of pepper fell – eventually ordinary people could afford to fill their pepper box!