Have You Ever Seen The Rain | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Am | F/C | C/G |
| G (A G E D G) | C | C (C B A A G E) |
Verse 1
| C | C | C | C |
Someone told me long ago, there’s a calm before the storm.
| G | G | C | C |
I know, it’s been comin’ for some time.
| C | C | C | C |
When it’s over so they say, it’ll rain a sunny day.
| G | G | C | C |
I know shinin’ down like water.
Chorus 1
||: F | G | C Csus2/B | Am7 C/G :||
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
| F | G | C | C (C B A A G E) |
Comin’ down on a sunny day?
Verse 2
Yesterday and days before, sun is cold and rain is hard.
I know, been that way for all my time.
‘Til forever, on it goes, through the circle, fast and slow,
I know it can’t stop, I wonder.
Chorus 2
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin’ down on a sunny day? Yeah!
Chorus 3
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
| F | G | C | C (A G E D G) | C |
Comin’ down on a sunny day?
Have You Ever Seen The Rain Chords: A Simple Yet Timeless Progression Breakdown
The classic Creedence tune Have You Ever Seen The Rain is as easy as it gets—to play, that is. Writing something this simple yet timeless is another story!
Let’s break down the chords and progressions behind this beginner-friendly masterpiece.
Intro
The intro features a chord that doesn’t appear the same way again—an unexpected touch. However, the bass lines subtly plant a seed in our minds. Here are the chords:
| Am (VI) | F/C (IV/5) | C/G (I/5) |
| G (V) (A G E D B) | C (I) | C (C B A G E) |
You can integrate the bass lines (shown in brackets) into the open G chord, starting on string 3, and then lower in the open C chord, starting on string 5.
For a detailed breakdown, check out the TAB section of this lesson: Have You Ever Seen The Rain – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Verse
Once the verse kicks in, it’s a I – V progression:
||: C (I) | C | C | C |
| G (V) | G | C | C :||
In verse 2, the bass line makes a brief appearance:
| G | G | C | C (C B A A G E) |
Chorus
The chorus starts with IV – V – I, then moves downward using I/7 – VI – I/5. This repeats, but in the third round, it stays on chord I:
||: F (IV) | G (V) | C (I) Csus2/B | Am7 (VI) C/G (I/5) :||
| F | G | C | C (C B A A G E) |
In chorus 3, the final line brings back the intro bass line:
| F (IV) | G (V) | C (I) | C (A G E D G) | C |
Here’s a chord chart I made for you. Use this to remember Have You Ever Seen The Rain’s chords on a gig.
Have You Ever Seen The Rain Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
I tried something new in the chord chart for Have You Ever Seen The Rain. Instead of writing the bass line as letters (for example, the G chord would be A G E D G), I wrote the intervals (9R65R) instead.
This approach offers two main benefits:
- It’s more musical, as thinking in intervals should be the goal whenever possible.
- If you change the key, you won’t need to manually adjust the bass line since it’s written in intervals, not specific chord notes.
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s the PDF: Have You Ever Seen The Rain chord chart PDF.
The chart was created using iRealPro. Here’s a link to the file: Have You Ever Seen The Rain chord chart iRealPro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Have You Ever Seen The Rain was about the band’s imminent breakup!
When first released in 1971, Creedence was at the peak of its success, with all their major hits already behind them.
The reviews hailed the song as having serious undertones about how the idealism of the ‘60s had faded and how, by the ‘70s, there seemed to be a loss of belief in anything.
While this was partly true, the song wasn’t about the world or America; it was actually about the band’s internal struggles.
John Fogerty later revealed that the song reflected how, despite having everything they’d ever dreamed of, the band members were deeply unhappy. The following year, Creedence split up.
Though they released a few more singles, Have You Ever Seen The Rain would be CCR’s last big hit.
Covers of Creedence’s final hit include versions by Johnny Cash, Joan Jett, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, and, most notably, Bonnie Tyler, who charted with her rendition in 1983.
As recently as 2018, a music video was released to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary.
You can check it out in the playlist above, alongside live recordings and the cover versions mentioned.
Have You Ever Seen The Rain? Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Have You Ever Seen The Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: