Let it Rain... Or the Engine Will Catch Fire

The title of the song that I chose is “Let it Rain” by OK Go.  It is apart of their album called Oh No that was released in 2005.  http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/okgo/letitrain.html

When I first listened to this song I had not given it the in depth interpretation that I have now realized it conveys.  I loved the music and the words that I could pick out to sing, however, I had no concept of the meaning of the song.  I now have come to the conclusion that this song is about getting lost in a lifestyle or relationship and having to deal with it.  The writer of this song is trying to explain that this girl has been in a routine that she might have thought would be temporary but is now finding that she has lost herself in the process and has to try to find her way back.  She turns to alcohol to improve her spiralling depression however she needs to let everything fall apart because she is keeping it in.

Instead of explaining this situation in the simplest terms that I have explained above OK Go translated her feelings and actions by using metaphors and personification.  The woman is constantly described using “super automatic pilot,” or “self-sustaining system,” and finally “cruise-control distressed” all personifying her as mechanical or almost programmed.  They also imply that she is not in control, she is in a routine that has taken over her life like she is a machine.  Also in the first line as opposed to saying she is stuck in the same situation or routine they use a metaphor and say “Super automatic pilot motor running down circles in the parking lot.”  The circles represent the seemingly never ending cycle.  Later the poem also explains how the routine has poisoned her by saying “Cruise-control distressed, her kind of cursed and kind of blessed her, engine running on the fumes.”  It began as a “blessing” but later was found to be “cursed” and now she is running out of will power or motivation (“engine running on the fumes”).  

I also think that alcoholism plays a role in this poem because in part of the chorus it asks, “Did you come here to Dance?/ What’s in your glass?/ Do you feel better?” The writer is asking the woman if the alcohol is being used to ease her pain and depression and we can guess that it is alcohol while setting the party scene with the dancing question.  It also describes her vision and “blue and blurry” which explains her cloudy mind from intoxication and the “blue” represents her developing depression.  

Finally in the main chorus it says “Let it rain let it pour.”  Basically representing the climax moment of letting out all of her pain and not keeping it in.  After saying “Let it rain” the writer or woman lets out a sigh of relief saying “Hallelujah” and exclaiming the reward that comes with lifting the weight of her sorrows.