At a family dinner, I asked my mom if she could tell me any folklore. She told me the following:
M: “Que llueva, que llueva
La virgen de la cueva,
los pajaritos cantan,
la luna se levanta,
Que si, que no,
Que caiga un chaparrón.”
which translates to:
“Let it rain, let it rain,
The virgin of the cave,
The little birds sing,
The moon rises,
What if, what not,
Let a shower go down.”
Collector Analysis:
The rain song was a song my mom used to sing when she was a little girl. She sang it with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. I’ve heard her sing this song before. Growing up in Los Angeles, I didn’t experience much rain but whenever it rained a lot my mom was always by the window singing this song. It was her way of calling for more rain. As a little girl, she sang this song with her friends from her neighborhood and school. They would hold hands and spin in a circle, very similar to how young kids sing ‘ring around the rosie’. However now, my mom sings this song in an attempt to call down more rain because it reminds her of El Salvador.
I cannot even imagine my mom singing this as a little girl, but at the same time she is very fond of this song. She has taught it to several of the younger kids in our family. I found it interesting how the song incorporates nature, because El Salvador is very rural, as well as including christian images, like the virgin Mary. Even the songs my mom sang as a child were influenced by Christianity in one way or another.