What does Purple Rain mean?

Prince: Purple Rain Meaning

Album cover for Purple Rain album cover
Get "Purple Rain" on MP3: Get MP3 from iTunes

Purple Rain Lyrics

I never meant to cause you any sorrow
I never meant to cause you any pain
I only wanted one time to see you laughing
I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple rain


Purple rain, purple rain, purple rain, purple rain, purple rain...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    Diana831
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    Apr 22nd 2016 !⃝

    If you know Prince and have listened to lyrics in his other songs, you would know he is very sexual, and also spiritual. The color purple,in Christianity is signified as a color of royalty. In the song "Purple Rain", the purple rain is the "Grace of God, and/or Salvation". He is sorry that things had to end with this woman, but he only wanted to see her (laughing, bathing, underneath) the purple rain(Grace of God).

    "You say you want a leader
    But you can't seem to make up your mind
    I think you better close it
    And let me guide you to the purple rain" "Grace of God."

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Jul 8th 2011 !⃝

    I think this song was for people he cares about. I think the "purple rain" represents happiness, he wants the people he cares about to just be happy, he never ment to hurt them or cause them any sorrow he only wants them to be happy.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Apr 23rd 2016 !⃝

    He ran away from his religion and he knew it was purple rain for him, but he struggled to justify his actions by going another way, knowing that God was his purple rain. I believe he was of this world but not really in this world, his thoughts and plans were beyond anything anyone could know because they hadn't been there yet and he wanted them to know about this place he transformed his mind to. I understand his love, pure and simple, uncomplicated and being individual. Prince wanted nothing more than to know he was under God's purple reign

  4. anonymous
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    Mar 7th 2023 !⃝

    In 1983, Christin Hoff found a bullfrog with light blue blood. It didn't have an arm, it had been damaged in the storm of an extramarital affair. He thought I'll forgive the lit match that took the arm, but it should be a Cobalt Blue Hexagon.

  5. anonymous
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    Apr 12th 2021 !⃝

    Purple rain its the song probably Aristoteles would think is the final solution to the Ancient Greek Theatrical Tragedy. Rain is the clean up of the soul. So since it is divine the meaning of this song goes way deep into emotion and soul as losing something precious and the only way to clear this mess is "Purple rain" to go down.Yet if you need the classic ancient definition of what is Ancient Greek Tragedy here it is: Εστιν ουν τραγωδία μίμησις πράξεως σπουδαίας και τελείας, μέγεθος εχούσης, ηδυσμένω λόγω, χωρίς εκάστω των ειδών εν τοις μορίοις, δρώντων και ου δι’ απαγγελίας, δι’ ελέου και φόβου περαίνουσα την των τοιούτων παθημάτων κάθαρσιν». Search the transalation and you get the point. I dont know if Prince know this but it perfectly matches

  6. anonymous
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    Aug 4th 2019 !⃝

    I believe it's about a twin flame relationship. Purple represents the crown chakra. He wanted that relationship to reign from the spiritual to transcend whatever was happening in the physical

  7. anonymous
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    Jan 6th 2019 !⃝

    It's the transcendence of a sexual relationship into a spiritual one. Prince's music underscores this with the scorching, screaming guitar work, paired with the haunting, subtle string and keyboard arrangement.

  8. anonymous
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    Aug 10th 2018 !⃝

    I believe it's about the yearning and wanting the love of Venus symbolically and metaphorically to be loved by him who might have hurt her without meaning to. So now he just want's to see her under the ''purple rain'' of long ago, that was experienced as a electrified field that shined with love given to her when altogether they were one in Saturn the sun that was much closer to the earth at one time when we were all under the purple reign of God back then.

  9. anonymous
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    May 29th 2018 !⃝

    Purple rain means bathed in love.

  10. anonymous
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    Apr 29th 2018 !⃝

    It's about his Mom, Dad & life. Rest in Paradise sweet Prince.

  11. anonymous
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    Apr 15th 2018 !⃝

    Purple Reign...

    It alludes to both ruling your world and to homosexual freedom.

    He wishes for his lovers to be in control of their own life and to rise in the world without anyone or anything holding them back.

    The "rain" is synonymous with letting power, freedom and pleasure surround and saturate you.

    The "reign" spelling gives meaning to ownership and control of your world.

    The song is rich with multiple meanings.

    (If the song is about pollution and the end or beginning of the world, it can seem to me a song about being at peace in any transitions of change.)

    I love this song. It makes me think.

  12. anonymous
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    May 27th 2017 !⃝

    Prince was Jehovah's Wittness and so were his parents. ln Biblical times Kings wore purple for it symbolized royalty and kingship. Jehovah's Wittness's believe and teach through Bible based scriptures that Christ Jesus will Reign for 1000 years bringing mankind back to his original state of percection. Revelations 20: 1-3. Please take NOTE: He spelled IT PURPLE Riegn" not rain. Now you know the truth.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    Jan 3rd 2017 !⃝

    Purple is the color of royalty. He took the name "Prince". He wanted the person to be be rained (reigned?) upon (surrounded by) a gentle precipitation of himself.

  14. anonymous
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    Apr 25th 2016 !⃝

    He's confused as to rather he's a woman or a man, he is singing about a relationship with either.

  15. anonymous
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    Nov 5th 2013 !⃝

    IMO, this represents religion and depression at the time.

  16. anonymous
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    Oct 26th 2011 !⃝

    I have this crush on a girl who I think is beautiful and interesting but she doesn't really know anything about me and I doubt that she will love me back if she did.

    Though, whats special to me about this song is that I know there's nothing I can do to get her love,so "I never wanted to be your[her] weekend lover"
    and instead "I only wanted to be some kind of friend" because that's pretty much the best I can do. I at least want to watch her enjoy herself in something magical like "purple rain."

    very relaxing and beautiful song.
    meaning is a bit simple, its break friendship/relationship song "It's such a shame our friendship had to end" expect that it's in an innocent way "I never meant to cause you any pain."

  17. anonymous
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    Apr 15th 2011 !⃝

    this song is the greatest love song of all time...i dont know why anybody didnt post something about this song... I am dazed and confused ;)


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