View From The Front Porch- Stan Hitchcock-September 17, 2012

Sitting in my music/fishing room with the metal roof, and the sound of the rain on the roof is soothing to me. It's a sound I have always loved, some how. As a kid, I would go over across the road to our big barn, on rainy days, lay up in the hay mow, and listen to the rain on the metal roof. As a young man in the Navy, I always liked to operate the 50 foot motor launches when it was raining, don't know why....but, thinking about it, maybe I do. I lived through one of the worst droughts the State of Missouri has ever known. It started about 1951, got worse in 52, really bad in 53 and in 54 I left for the Navy, still looking back at a dry land that I loved. Course, it wasn't only Southern Missouri, it was Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas...just bad years for farmers everywhere. So I developed a longing to hear rain on a tin roof, it signified the droughts were over, that the land would drink and grow again. Yeah, I know, it is all subliminal and deeply rooted in my subconscience .... well, so what? I like it, and that's reason enough. Hmmm...rain dripping down the back of my shirt, like I ain't got nothing on....anybody goin' to San Antone, or Phoenix, Arizona? Or, maybe this one.....In the Early Morning Rain, with a dollar in my hand, an aching in my heart, my pockets full of sand, I'm a long way from home, and I miss my loved ones so, In The Early Morning Rain, with no place to go......Or, one I wrote long ago from real life..."Woke Up This Morning, turned to your pillow, you were not there by my side, I turned to the window, and there you were standing, just staring out at the rain, I spoke your name, you turned to face me, and goodbye was there in your eyes, I knew from your look you were thinking of someone, or maybe someplace far away...It's Over And Done With, too late to worry, no tears to cry no regrets, we had a good thing once, but now it's all over, best thing to do is forget..  
-Stan Hitchcock 1976.