I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain: The Meaning Behind the Song and the Singer

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus
You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me through another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things
to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again, now

Thought I'd see you one more time again
There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now
Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain, now

This is one of my favorite songs, and once I heard the true story behind it, I loved it even more, which I explain later in the article. James Taylor was not only the singer, but also the writer of this song. He was only 22 when this song became a hit, and he became a pop star. He stated that he wrote this song three different times throughout 1968. He began writing this while he was auditioning in London for The Beatles' Apple Records, then wrote more of it while at a stay in Manhattan Hospital. It was not finished until he was at the Austin Riggs Center, where he was staying for drug rehabilitation. An actual quote from James Taylor that he replied to in 1072 at an interview sums up the story line when he stated:

"Fire and Rain" has three verses. The first verse is about my reactions to the death of a friend. The second verse is about my arrival in this country with a monkey on my back, and there Jesus is an expression of my desperation in trying to get through the time when my body was aching and the time was at hand when I had to do it ... And the third verse of that song refers to my recuperation in Austin Riggs which lasted about five months.

Although he wrote this at only 20 years old, it touches people of all ages, and still relevant forty plus years later.

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
I just can't remember who to send it to
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song

The Susanne referred to in this verse was Susanne Schnerr that Taylor states he used to get high with and knew quite well. He met her in New York during 1967 and 1968 when he was part of a group called The Flying Machine. He had just begun becoming successful.

Susanne, or who Taylor affectionately refers to as Suzie, committed suicide. He was currently living in London with mutual friends. Since he was beginning to become famous, his mutual friends waited until later to give him the news, since they knew he was so excited about his upcoming record deal. He actually didn't find out about her suicide until six months later. 

He also states in one interview that he always felt bad about the line, "The plans they made put an end to you," because people have made assumptions to whom "they" are. He intended they to be the Fates.

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus
You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me through another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way

This verse was written after a stay in a hospital in 1968. He was battling a heroine addiction. This was a plea to Jesus, as in Jesus Christ, to help him 'make a stand' against his drug addiction. This really portrays how much of a hold the addiction had on him, especially when he belts out, "I won't make it any other way."

Although it would be nice to say that i 1968 he finally kicked the habit, But fortunately, he unlike many like him, was finally able to make a stand against his addiction. In 1986, he became sober, and has been sober ever since. Although he still refers to himself as a recovering addict.

Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things
to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Earlier, during his senior year in high school, he had been treated at a hospital for depression. Him and a friend Danny Kortchmar decided to start a band called the Flying Machine. Unfortunately, or maybe a blessing in disguise as he ended up having a solo career, the band did not do well, and broke up only a few months after it started. The last line is referring to the band and his earlier attempts at finding success  as a writer.

This remains and probably always will be one of my favorite songs. It touches me on a deep level. Although I've never experienced depression or drug addiction, I still know how it feels to be on the bottom, hoping for a moment to rise. Life is like a roller coaster, many ups and downs, scary at times, exhilarating, and sometimes just plain boring. But I wouldn't replace anything in my life for anything.