Weaving Culture into Song: How I Wrote "Rain, Won't You Please Stop!"

Premiered by the Peace Region Girls Choir | May 2025 | Grande Prairie, AB

When I was a little girl, I loved playing outdoors by myself.

I remember I was always attempting to create my own playground of sorts with my wild imagination.

I would boldly step into the shallow community pond and catch tadpoles at the condo we were living in.

I would climb the rocks of the waterfall feature when there was no running water.

I would pluck flowers, various leaves, dig holes in the ground and bury random rocks that I deemed were "precious gems".

I was either roller blading, cycling, or playing tag and running around with the neighborhood kids in the warm sun.

And whenever it rained, I would sulk at home because I could not go outside to play.

I was born and raised in the country of Malaysia; it is a tropical country with one hot and humid temperature that is quite steady throughout the year.

We do not have four seasons like Canada. Every year, we experience 2-3 months of heavy rain during the monsoon season.

And it rains like there's no tomorrow. It could be hours of heavy downpour each day.

When I came to Canada, I was so amazed with the whole concept of living through four seasons.

I remember my very first day in Canada, arriving in the middle of dark winter, close to midnight; it was a truly a culture shock. It was quiet and snowing, and the streets were a blanket of white.

I was sitting in a bus with other international students who were on the same journey as I was, and I remember thinking to myself, "Will I be alright?"

Fast forward to my first Spring, I was happy to see blooms and green leaves appear all around.

Living in Edmonton at the time, I remember walking about with a friend on campus when I realized it was going to rain. I expressed concern that I didn't have an umbrella but my Canadian friend said to me,

"You don't need one, really. No one in Alberta uses an umbrella when it rains."

I was quite confused, but it didn't matter as I was so excited for rain as I had been away from my home for so long; I really did miss the sights and sounds of a rainstorm.

To my surprise, when it finally rained, I was shocked that it only lasted for 3 minutes. That's when I knew what my friend meant by saying I didn’t need an umbrella!

Having lived in Canada for 22 years, I’ve observed children playing outside in the rain during Spring. Oh, and what cute and fancy little outfits Canadians have for the perfect outdoor play in the wet rain!

I’ve never seen anything quite like it (except in movies, of course). It is not a thing in Malaysia, for kids to go out and play in the rain. You would either get washed away, or get really sick!

Taking in all these experiences, coupled with watching my own children play outside when Spring and Summer arrives, inspired me to write this song, “Rain, Won’t You Please Stop!”

When you live in a place that sees 8 months of cold wintry weather, you will be glad for warm weather and opportunities to be outside. So if it’s a rainy Spring… it’s not all that fun to be stuck inside the house again!

“Rain, Won’t You Please Stop!” is a charming song, lovable by children (and moms!); a 2-part choral song about a young child wishing the rain would stop so she can go outside to play in the Spring time.

The amazing children singers who performed this song mentioned to me that they love everything about it, and their favorite line to sing was this:

"Bored! I am so bored! My baby brother is screaming and mom is nagging. I can't take the noise no more!"

I think we all can relate to that, haha!

Below, you can listen to a fun performance of the song by the Peace Region Girls Choir in Grande Prairie, AB.

The sheet music for the song is available for purchase at my shop!

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Copyright 2025 Yun Shyuan Ling

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