Rain, pools, waves, water and The Beatles

I spent a few days in Liverpool last February. The result was our April 2008 travel story, "Liverpool: England's pool of life". Liverpool in February was wet. It rained. Did The Beatles ever write about rain? I asked myself, as I walked down Matthew Street towards the Cavern Club and stepped into another puddle. Of course they did. "Across the Universe" from their final album, Let It Be, begins: "Words are flying out like / endless rain into a paper cup. / They slip away across the universe. / Pools of sorrow, waves of joy."

Along with an umbrella, the best defence against British weather is a Macintosh coat. I could have used one on the Albert Dock as I hummed the words of "Penny Lane". Remember? "And the banker never wears a Mac / In the pouring rain — very strange." I'm not a banker, but I never wear a Mac. Very strange.

Liverpool is a fascinating old city, especially the waterfront area. Oddly, there isn't much water in Lennon and McCartney's songs. Using the Beatles Lyrics Machine, I could only find "muddy water" in "Come Together". That's probably a reference to the great blues singer Muddy Waters. Talking of water, how many times has Bob Dylan mentioned it in his songs? 56. How do I know that? Simple. You can search his lyrics, too.