Pennies From Heaven

Oh every time it rains
It rains pennies from heaven
Don't you know each cloud contains
Pennies from heaven
You'll find your fortune
Fallin' all over town
Be sure that your umbrella is upside down
Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
It you want the things you love
You must have showers
So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree
There'll be pennies from heaven
For you and me.

This is from the song Pennies From Heaven, sung by the legendary Billie Holiday. While the lyrics carry a heavy load of hackneyed expressions such as "rain for flowers", the message is a good one, and the tune is smooth enough to soothe your aching soul. The rain, which she refers to as pennies from heaven, has several different connotations. The use of pennies has this sense of worthlessness, but at the same time treasure and value when in vast numbers. This metaphor helps the listener understand what sort of perspective the singer is looking at their circumstances from.

Ironic, though, that Billie Holiday would sing such a light-hearted song, while her life would later on become riddled with drug use, heavy drinking, and abusive relationships. It's still a nice idea, I suppose. But then again, it's silly if you think about it. Pennies falling from the sky? Wouldn't that hurt terribly, smacking us on our heads?