Song Lyric Sunday this week takes ‘rain’ as its theme. The real standout choice for me would be Carole King’s ‘It Might As Well Rain Until September’; unfortunately it’s such a standout that I’ve already deployed it. Same with my second choice, the Grateful Dead’s ‘Looks Like Rain’; indeed, I used that for Helen’s prompt to which Jim refers in his post.
So, to my third choice and I don’t think it’s a bad one either.
I turn and walk away then I come ’round again
It looks as though tomorrow I’ll do pretty much the same
I must turn down your offer but I’d like to ask a break
You know I’m ready to give everything for anything I take
Someone called my name you know I turned around to see
It was midnight in the Mission and the bells were not for me
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain
Ten years ago, I walked this street my dreams were riding tall
Tonight I would be thankful Lord, for any dream at all
Some folks would be happy just to have one dream come true
But everything you gather is just more that you can lose
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain
All the things I planned to do I only did half way
Tomorrow will be Sunday born of rainy Saturday
There’s some satisfaction in the San Francisco rain
No matter what comes down the Mission always looks the same
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain
Written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter
the only deadhead in the hameau 
Thanks for selecting this song today. The song is about a guy walking through the San Francisco Mission district at midnight in the rain. At this time in the Mission district, you would find hookers especially at midnight, and this was the case going at least back to the early Sixties. It seems that there were no Mission Bells at midnight, but there may have been many Mission “Belles” around, and the verse in this song, “I must turn down your offer, But I’d like to ask a break, You know I’m ready to give anything, For anything I take”, may be about the guy talking to one of these hookers. The guy is lacking finances, or he can’t afford her services at this time, but he would still enjoy being with her if she took pity on him. In the chorus it says, “Someone called my name you know I turned around to see, It was midnight in the mission and the bells were not for me”, which might mean that he was no stranger in this part of town, but he was not getting any this night.
Thanks for your comment. I was fortunate enough to visit SF a few times for both business and leisure, and it is definitely my second-favourite world city (after Liverpool, of course).
Nice! I haven’t heard that one in a while, thanks for sharing!