About the song
Few voices in American music carry the weathered beauty and deep emotional resonance quite like **Willie Nelson**, and when paired with the gentle strength of his daughter **Paula Nelson**, magic happens. Their rendition of **Willie Nelson & Paula Nelson – Have You Ever Seen the Rain** is a moving, cross-generational interpretation of a classic rock staple originally penned by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. But under the careful hands—and voices—of the Nelsons, the song takes on a different hue: more intimate, more reflective, and, in many ways, even more timeless.
From the first strum of the guitar, there’s an unmistakable ease, a kind of unforced familiarity that only family can create. **Willie Nelson**, with his iconic phrasing and dusty vocal warmth, sounds both wistful and grounded, like a man who has lived through every storm the lyrics hint at. **Paula Nelson**, whose voice carries a soulful steadiness tinged with a tender vulnerability, meets her father note for note, line for line, creating a rich emotional dialogue rather than a mere duet.
What stands out in **Willie Nelson & Paula Nelson – Have You Ever Seen the Rain** is the way they allow space for the song to breathe. There’s no rush, no need to dress up the melody with anything unnecessary. Instead, the simple arrangement—soft acoustic guitar, a gentle drum brush, a few touches of piano—serves as the perfect backdrop for their vocal interplay. The result is a version of the song that feels lived-in, like a favorite jacket, familiar yet full of stories.
Their performance captures a truth about the song that sometimes gets overlooked: beneath its catchy surface, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” is a meditation on change, uncertainty, and the bittersweet passage of time. With their deep familial connection, **Willie Nelson** and **Paula Nelson** embody those themes with an authenticity that feels rare in today’s musical landscape. It’s a reminder that great songs don’t just endure—they evolve, gaining new shades of meaning as they are passed from one generation to the next.
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Lyrics
Someone told me long ago
There’s a calm before the storm
I know
It’s been coming for some time
When it’s over, so they say
It’ll rain a sunny day
I know
Shining down like water
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Coming down on a sunny day?
Yesterday, and days before
Sun is cold and rain is hard
I know
Been that way for all my time
‘Til forever, on it goes
Through the circle, fast and slow
I know
It can’t stop, I wonder
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Coming down on a sunny day?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Coming down on a sunny day?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Coming down on a sunny day?
Coming down on a sunny day
Coming down on a sunny day
