Honestly, 2020 has not been a walk in the park, and that is a massive understatement. Sometimes it seems like the only thing left to do (since having true fun isn’t really much of an option anymore, thanks, coronavirus) is cry it all out. And not just your standard *sniffle sniffle* boo-hoo kind of crying either—I’m talking the chest-rattling, nose-dripping type of crying that can only be cured by a damn good song. Enter: Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s now-iconic, multi-VMA-nominated hit, “Rain on Me.”

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If it seems like “Rain on Me” was created specifically to make you feel better about all the tears you shed and the hardships you went through this year, that’s kinda because…it’s the entire point of the song! In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Gaga said:

“This is about an analog of tears being the rain. And you know what it’s also a metaphor for is the amount of drinking that I was doing to numb myself. I’d rather be dry. I’d rather not be drinking, but I haven’t died yet. I’m still alive. Rain on me. Okay, I’m going to keep on drinking. This song has many layers.”

Ari echoed a pretty similar sentiment about the song’s meaning on Twitter and said that her and Gaga’s ability to lean into their pain allowed them to make the song the empowering pop anthem that it is.

“One time…I met a woman who knew pain the same way I did…who cried as much as I did, drank as much wine as I did, ate as much pasta as I did, and whose heart was bigger than her whole body. She immediately felt like a sister to me,” she wrote. “She then held my hand and invited me into the beautiful world of Chromatica, and together, we got to express how beautiful and healing it feels to mothafuckinnnn cry! 🌧 I hope this makes u all feel as uplifted as it does for us both. I love u @LadyGaga, u stunning superwoman!”

Listen to the song again (and again and again) and obsess over these lyrics:

[Verse 1: Lady Gaga]
I didn’t ask for a free ride
I only asked you to show me a realgoodtime
I never askedfor the rainfall
At least I showedup, you showed me nothing at all

[Pre-Chorus: Lady Gaga]
It’s coming down onme
Waterlikemisery
It’s coming downon me
I’m ready,rain on me

[Chorus: Lady Gaga]
I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive
Rain on me, rain, rain
Rain on me, rain, rain
I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive
Rain on me, rain, rain
Rain on me

[Post-Chorus: Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande]
Rain on me
Mmm, oh yeah, baby
Rain on me

[Verse 2: Ariana Grande]
Livin’ in a world where no one’s innocent
Oh, but at least we try, mmm
Gotta live my truth, not keep it bottled in
So I don’t lose my mind, baby, yeah

[Pre-Chorus: Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga]
I can feel it on my skin (it’s comin’ down on me)
Teardrops on my face (water like misery)
Let it wash away my sins (it’s coming down on me)
Let it wash away, yeah

[Chorus: Both, Lady Gaga, and Ariana Grande]
I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive
Rain on me, rain, rain
Rain on me, rain, rain
I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive
Rain on me, rain, rain
Rain (rain) on (on) me

[Post-Chorus: Ariana Grande, Both, and Lady Gaga]
Rain on me
Rain on me
Oh yeah, yeah
Rain on me, ooh yeah
Rain on me
Rain on me, ooh

[Bridge: Both, Lady Gaga, and Ariana Grande]
Hands up to the sky
I’ll be your galaxy
I’m about to fly
Rain on me, tsunami
Hands up to the sky
I’ll be your galaxy
I’m about to fly
Rain on me (rain on me)

[Chorus: Both, Ariana Grande, and Lady Gaga]
I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive (rain on me)
Rain on me, rain, rain
Rain on me, rain, rain (rain on me)
I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive (at least I’m alive)
Rain on me, rain, rain (rain on me, babe)
Rain on me (rain on me)

[Outro: Both, Lady Gaga, and Ariana Grande]
I hear the thunder comin’ down
Won’t you rain on me?
Eh, eh, yeah (rain on, woo)
I hear the thunder comin’ down
Won’t you rain on me? (Me)
Eh, eh, yeah
Rain on me

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