The straightforward simplicity and soulful nature of Creedence Clearwater Revival has always been appealing to me. In this song, the lyrics of "have you ever seen the rain / coming down on a sunny day" mixed with the chord progression evokes memories and thoughts of bummer days that one just has to grin to get through.
This is a song I sang as a kid in primary at church and still enjoy to this day. A few years ago, I practiced playing it on guitar for my mom for Mothers Day and, for the first time, thought for a minute about the lyrics. While not all of the words apply verbatim to myself or my mother, there is a line that always stands out to me:
"For if I love blossoms and meadows and walking,
I learn how to love them, dear mother, from you."
My mom has shared her love for so many things with me and my siblings: a love of the gospel, music, family, crafts, gardening, pictures, etc.... While I can't say I love each of the things to the degree she does, I strive to emulate her example of fully appreciating them and steeping herself in the full measure of enjoyment and pure pleasure they can offer.
When I hear this song and its lyrics, I obviously can't help but think of my own home growing up. Being the third of seven children, I definitely remember times of craziness and disagreement, but mostly I remember the good times and experiences we had together. One of the benefits of having so many siblings is that there's always someone around to do something with, which was definitely fun and enjoyable. I've tried to capture some of that fun and craziness in my arrangement here.
It seems that the song itself is a type of promise. It outlines what will happen "when [if] there's love at home." The greatest blessing of which, I believe, is that the entire world and our perspective of it improves, as demonstrated in the following lyrics sampled from each verse:
"There is beauty all around
When there's love at home;
There is joy in ev'ry sound
When there's love at home."
"Roses bloom beneath our feet;
All the earth's a garden sweet,
Making life a bliss complete
When there's love at home."
"All the world is filled with love
When there's love at home."
In my own experience, I've found its promises to be true as I look back on my growing-up years and try to build such a home in my own family now. Truly, everything's okay and everything will be okay as long as we have love in our homes.
