Troubled weather's on its way
Tempests threaten us today
There's no respite from long dark nights
Just the fantasy of spring
From the hailstones of summer
To a scorching winter land
A frozen death sleep, then this heat
Beats down on this buckled land
Flames lick closer to the core
From city limits fireball
And in a headless chicken run
Race red and screaming fire engines
Then the cannons came
Oh 'neath the brooding sky
Beneath its baleful eye
The cannon shot, the cannon crack
Disturbing night dreams
People fled in droves
To the lakes and to the shores
Left behind a near ghost town
Save the life of the cannons resounding
Still there was no rain
No rain, no rain, no rain
Once more in the line of fire
Hovers the preying sky
The cannons aim jabs at the eye
Heralding the rain
Heralding the rain
Oh, heralding the rain
Heralding the rain
Tempests threaten us today
There's no respite from long dark nights
Just the fantasy of spring
From the hailstones of summer
To a scorching winter land
A frozen death sleep, then this heat
Beats down on this buckled land
Flames lick closer to the core
From city limits fireball
And in a headless chicken run
Race red and screaming fire engines
Then the cannons came
Oh 'neath the brooding sky
Beneath its baleful eye
The cannon shot, the cannon crack
Disturbing night dreams
People fled in droves
To the lakes and to the shores
Left behind a near ghost town
Save the life of the cannons resounding
Still there was no rain
No rain, no rain, no rain
Once more in the line of fire
Hovers the preying sky
The cannons aim jabs at the eye
Heralding the rain
Heralding the rain
Oh, heralding the rain
Heralding the rain
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SIOUXSIE: " 'Cannon': "It was inspired by seeing a book programme about T. S. Eliot. I think it was. And it touched upon this freak weather period in the 20's, when it was either incredibly hot and oppressive or ridiculously cold when it shouldn't have been. Apparently, in desperation about what to do a cannon was shot into this oppressive sky every night in the hope of bursting a rain cloud. The image of this deserted town, with someone having to stay behind to fire the cannon, stuck with me." Source: NME 28/09/8.
CARRUTHERS: "In Spanish medieval times, if it hadn't rained and the crops were suffering then they pointed a cannon into the sky in the hope of bursting the clouds." Bang! Source: Melody Maker 1986.