I was of poor folk
But my mother had a rabbit fur coat
And a girl of less character pushed her down the L.A. River
Hand over that rabbit fur coat

She put a knife to her throat
Hand over that rabbit fur coat
When my ma refused, the girl kicked dirt on her blouse
Stay away from my mansion house

My mother really suffered for that
Spent her life in a gold plated body cast
Now, you ask, did she get that girl back?
She paid a visit to that mansion house

She knew the girl was not there
But her father was in cufflinks with slicked-back black hair
He invited her in, they never sang a note
But she took off that rabbit fur coat

And who do you think came home?
Miss so and so
She took one look at my ma and what did she say?
"Why are you stealing from my mansion house?"

No, I'm in love with Mr. So and so
He invited me in, I'm a girl no more
Then she dragged my ma out by her throat
Hand over that rabbit fur coat

Let's move ahead twenty years, shall we?
She was waitressing on welfare, we were living in the valley
A lady says to my ma you treat your girl as your spouse
You can live in a mansion house

And so we did
And I became a 100.000 dollar kid
When I was old enough to realize, wiped the dust from my mother's eyes
It's all this for that rabbit fur coat

But I'm not bitter about it
I've packed up my things and let them have at it
And the fortune faded, as fortunes often do
And so did that mansion house

Where my ma is now, I don't know
She was living in her car, I was living on the road
And I hear she's putting that stuff up her nose
And still wearing that rabbit fur coat

But mostly I'm a hypocrite
I sing songs about the deficit
But when I sell out and leave Omaha, what will I get?
A mansion house and a rabbit fur coat


Lyrics submitted by y plus white girl

Rabbit Fur Coat Lyrics as written by Jenny Lewis

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Rabbit Fur Coat song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    Yeah, this is all about Jenny's child actress days - and just general Hollywood madness, as she said in her interview with the Sunday Times.

    The "rabbit fur coat" is a metaphor for wealth and success which can be as easy to lose as it is to come by. Also, the line:

    "You treat your girl as your spouse."

    is about the way roles in families can be confused and reversed when the child is the one earning the most money as it was - and is - with child actors/actresses.

    A really beautiful songs, like all of the songs on Lewis' new album - but this one took a while to grow on me and figure out. Now it means a lot more for it.

    lemonjellyon January 31, 2006   Link

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