Hopelessly Devoted: "Come in With the Rain" Meaning, Explained

Come in With the Rain is an early Taylor Swift song that uses a little-known saying as its title and concept.

To “come in with the rain” means to come to your senses, and see what’s been in front of you the whole time.

But what is Taylor really saying in this song, and who is she trying to convince to love her?

Here’s my full English teacher analysis of Swift’s Come in With the Rain meaning, line by line.

Cover image for Swiftly Sung Stories' post explaining Taylor Swift's Come in With the Rain meaning. A gold shimmer background features the title text.

Come in With the Rain (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

Title: Come in With the Rain (Taylor’s Version)
Track: 17, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), originally track 4 on Fearless Platinum Edition (2008)
Written By: Taylor Swift, Liz Rose
Pen: Fountain
Secret Message: “Won’t admit that I wish you’d come back.”

Come in With the Rain Analysis: Narrative Summary

Setting: Giving up in trying to get a crush to like her back.
Characters: Narrator (Taylor), subject (“you,” who broke her heart)
Theme: Hopelessly hoping.
Mood: Sadly reflective, tired, resigned.
Conflict: This person doesn’t reciprocate her feelings, and she’s tired of trying to show them how right they are together.
Inciting Incident: Remembering all the steps she took to try to make this relationship happen.
Quest: Let this person know that she’ll no longer pursue them, and will just hope that eventually they’ll come to their senses.
Metaphors & Deeper Meanings: “Every laugh,” “don’t want go there,” “steps up to your door,” “talk to the wind, talk to the sky / talk to the man with the reasons why,” “what you find,” “leave my window open,” “too tired to call your name,” “come in with the rain,” “I’ve got you down, I know you by heart,” “screamed your name,” “all these games.”
Imagery: “talk to the wind, talk to the sky,” “leave my window open,” “too tired at night to call your name,” “come in with the rain,” “don’t wait for the sky to clear” “screamed your name.”

What is Come in With the Rain About?

This sad track sees Taylor resign from her pursuit of a crush. She’s realized that if this person doesn’t see her in a romantic way after all she’s done to try to get their attention, that they’ll just have to come to their senses on their own.

Who is Come in With the Rain About?

Taylor has never revealed who Come in With the Rain may have been inspired by. The song is about unrequited love, and wishing that your crush would see what is right in front of them.

The secret message in the original liner notes read: “Won’t admit that I wish you’d come back.”

Come in With the Rain Lyrics Meaning: Line by Line

English teacher's annotated lyrics to Taylor Swift's "Come in With the Rain," explaining the songwriter's use of literary devices, translating tricky lyrics, and uncovering hidden meanings.

The first verse and chorus read: "I could go back to every laugh

But I don't wanna go there anymore

And I know all the steps up to your door

But I don't wanna go there anymore

Talk to the wind, talk to the sky

Talk to the man with the reasons why

And let me know what you find

[Chorus]

I'll leave my window open

'Cause I'm too tired at night to call your name

Just know, I'm right here hopin'

That you'll come in with the rain"

Please Note: I use gender-neutral pronouns (they/them) to refer to the love interest in Come in With the Rain, as the gender of the subject is not explicitly revealed in the text.

“I could go back to every laugh,” she begins in the first verse, “But I don’t wanna go there anymore.”

Immediately, we get a sense of place: we’re in the present, looking back on past happier times. Those happier times, however, are difficult to remember, because they now only conjure up pain.

“And I know all the steps up to your door,” she says, “But I don’t wanna go there anymore.”

This provides the central context: she’s looking back at a past relationship that either ended, or never started. She’s devastated, not wanting to risk getting hurt again.

“Talk to the wind, talk to the sky,” she says, encouraging her love interest to reflect on themselves and their actions by communing with the universe.

“Talk to the man with the reasons why,” she says, telling them to speak to God or some higher power.

Who does she not ask them to talk to? Her. She’s resigned, and totally surrendered to the fact that she can’t provide answers or motivation for them any longer. It’s entirely up to them and their psyche to figure out where they stand.

“And let me know what you find,” she says, asking them to circle back to her after they’ve done some heavy self-reflection. Will it come out in her favor? She doesn’t know. But she is out of energy to keep propping up this relationship.

“I’ll leave my window open,” she says, metaphorically keeping herself open to the possibility that they could someday be together. (She’ll later metaphorically close this window of opportunity in Peter: “the woman who sits by the window has turned out the lights.”)

“’Cause I’m too tired at night to call your name,” she says, emphasizing her exhaustion at this emotional labor. She’s run out of energy to pursue this person, but if they decide to pursue her, she’s open to that.

“Just know, I’m right here hopin’,” she tells them, “That you’ll come in with the rain.”

To “come in with the rain” is an old saying that means to come to your senses, or to realize what was right in front of your face all along. It’s a similar sentiment to You Belong With Me: wishing your crush would wake up and smell the coffee.

She’s done doing all the heavy lifting, and now it’s up to them to figure out what’s been right under their nose all along: a great girl who is in love with them.

Verse 2: “I Could Stand Up and Sing You a Song”

“I could stand up and sing you a song,” she says ironically in the second verse, “But I don’t wanna have to go that far.” The irony is that she is singing this person a song, and she has gone that far.

But the message isn’t a love song; it’s a song of loss and longing.

“And I, I’ve got you down, I know you by heart,” she says, “And you don’t even know where I start.” She knows everything about them, but they don’t know the first thing about her. They haven’t been paying attention.

“Talk to yourself, talk to the tears,” she says in the second pre-chorus, but this time, it feels like she’s talking to herself instead of the subject. She’s the one upset by this, so it’s likely that “Talk to the man who put you here” means her crush.

But it could also be interpreted as another message to her crush, encouraging more self-reflection, and “the man who put you here” is a higher power or a God.

“And don’t wait for the sky to clear,” she says, tying into the central “come in with the rain” metaphor. They don’t have to wait for things to be perfect. They just have to come to their senses, no matter what the emotional weather is doing.

Bridge & Final Chorus: “I’ll Leave My Window Open”

“I’ve watched you so long,” she says of her long-standing admiration of her crush. She’s “screamed your name,” meaning that she’s tried over and over to get their attention. They weren’t listening.

“I don’t know what else I can say,” she says, surrendering to their maddening obliviousness. But “I’ll leave my window open,” she kind of shrugs, because there’s nothing else she can do at this point. She’s out of options, and now she can only wait and hope.

“’Cause I’m too tired at night for all these games,” she says, describing this constant cat-and-mouse game of love and loss.

It’s exhausting, but she assures them. “Just know, I’m right here hopin’ / That you’ll come in with the rain.” She won’t do any more emotional labor, but she won’t close the door on the possibility that it could someday work out, either.

Hopefully, this person will wake up, come to their senses, and realize that what was right in front of them “has been here the whole time.”

Come in With the Rain Meaning: Final Thoughts

This track is if You Belong With Me was a fountain pen song instead of a glitter gel pen song. The theme is the same: frustrated Taylor is tired of being overlooked and undervalued.

This is, in fact, the larger theme of Fearless as a whole, and will be the precursor for Speak Now’s foray into saying everything left unsaid.

This is a deeply underappreciated song, and is some of Taylor’s best lyricism on the whole of this album.

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More Songs from Fearless (Taylor’s Version)