The Rains of Castamere

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire

The Rains of Castamere was a song written about Lord Tywin Lannister's crushing victory over rebellious House Reyne of Castamere and the destruction of the House at the end of their rebellion. The song is typically sung as a reminder of the fate that awaits those who cross Tywin Lannister, or the Lannisters of Casterly Rock in general.

Contents 1 Refrain 2 Major performances 3 Game of Thrones 4 References and Notes

Refrain

And who are you, the proud lord said,

that I must bow so low?

Only a cat of a different coat,

that's all the truth I know.

In a coat of gold or a coat of red,

a lion still has claws,

And mine are long and sharp, my lord,

as long and sharp as yours.

And so he spoke, and so he spoke,

that lord of Castamere,

But now the rains weep o'er his hall,

with no one there to hear.

Yes now the rains weep o'er his hall,

and not a soul to hear.^[1]

Major performances

• It was played by envoy by Lord Tywin Lannister to House Farman of Faircastle which grew truculent, it was enough to make Lord Farman reconsider his position.
• It was played at the Red Wedding, a signal to start the blood bath that ended the life of King Robb Stark ending his rebellion.
• Played numerous times at the wedding feast of Joffrey I and Margaery Tyrell.
• Jaime Lannister has Tom of Sevenstreams play it to the the captive Edmure Tully to remind him what would happen to his family if he did not surrender Riverrun.

Game of Thrones

The first occurrence of The Rains of Castamere in the HBO series is in episode one of season two as Tyrion Lannister whistles the refrain as he enters the small council for the first time. In the episode 9 scene in which Bronn (Jerome Flynn) drinks and sings with his men outside the Red Keep, the song is The Rains Of Castamere is featured in a more complete form. The song was performed in the closing credits episode 9 of the second season, Blackwater, by the indie rock band The National, sung by their vocalist Matt Berninger.^[2] On the published tracklist of the soundtrack, the title is spelled "The Rains of Castomere" rather than "Castamere" as in the novels.^[3] The music was written by Ramin Djawadi and and lyrics by George R.R. Martin.

References and Notes