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about

This song was actually begun in 1992, looking down from the Hollywood Hills at smoke rising over south LA during the unrest after the acquittal of the cops involved in the beating of Rodney King. Back before smart-phones, it was unusual for video of such police violence to see the light of day, and for many people, the footage of King's beating, at the hands of multiple law-men, was a jarring and unforgettable update of their understanding of the real nature of "protect and serve" as practiced in Los Angeles County. No one who saw this video could have been surprised that trouble erupted following the not-guilty verdicts. The fact of fundamental inequality -- and unequal treatment under the law -- as built-in "features" of our society was once again painfully laid bare. And it saddened me deeply, and sent me in a prayerful spirit back to the guitar.

The song was mostly finished in a day or two, but it took many more years for the lyric to resolve itself -- and it wasn't until Ranchers for Peace was reborn in 2011, when Ray and I moved together into our little Red Shack, that the song finally came into focus. I guess it needed that extra voice -- and maybe also the timeless authority that comes from the open heart of a young one raising her voice on behalf of what is right.

We're adding it today -- on the eve of this important election -- in that same spirit: as a call for healing of the nation's spirit, a restoration of our "unity" as United States, and a re-dedication to the ideals of "liberty and justice for all." May such a rain come soon, and "...fall on every rooftop..."

lyrics

FAVOR FROM THE RAIN
(C. M. Duncan)

Maybe this rain
Will carry our sins away
And lead us to a brighter day
Away from this pain
Where anger and mistrust
Are swept away and justice
And compassion will remain

We ask this favor from this rain

Maybe these eyes
Will finally look around and see
A place where any child can be
Kept free from the stain
Of prejudice and hate
That strangle the tall gates
Of Freedom in their wicked chain

We ask this favor from this rain

Let it fall on every rooftop
And wash every street
Let it swallow every raging fire
And cool the heat

Maybe one heart
Will open all its windows wide
And let the light it holds inside
Pour out and show plain
Why our hearts should never be
Shut tight by fear when we
Need all the love they can contain

We ask this favor from this rain

Down a crooked road we’ve come,
Brother ring that bell, Sister bang that drum:

We need this favor from this rain

credits

from Live At The Red Shack 12​/​10​/​14, track released October 31, 2020
(c) 2012 C. M. Duncan, Wasteland Music/BMI

(p) 2020 Requisite Records

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Ranchers for Peace California

Doing what we can to make giving a damn cool again.

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