When It Rains

The speaker addresses someone who seems deeply withdrawn and is pulling away from people who care about them. The speaker feels shocked and hurt, but also wants to understand what happened. As the song develops, the pain becomes a plea: perhaps the relationship or situation can still change if both people take time and accept a chance to try again.

Rain seems to spread over the speaker’s whole side of town, suggesting that sadness affects everything around them. The “blackest hole” is an image of severe despair or isolation, while making a bed there suggests settling into that state as if it were a place to live. Sleeping until May and avoiding the sun may imply staying shut away for a long time, though these images need not be literal.

The lyrics leave the cause of the separation unclear. The speaker may be describing a loved one’s emotional struggle, a damaged relationship, or both. Their repeated question about why the person cannot stay long enough to explain shows a need for closure, but the offer to “take my time” also suggests patience and hope. The song does not promise that things will improve; it holds open the possibility that they might.