• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

what do these lyrics mean?

matadorpoeta

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Messages
4,324
Reaction score
1
this song is by jenny lewis and it's called "rabbit fur coat". i've bold faced the part i don't understand. please help.

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 hundred thousand dollar kid
When I was old enough to realize, wiped the dust from my mother's eyes
Is 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
 

TheIdler

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Messages
1,199
Reaction score
2
I'm completely speculating here, but Jenny Lewis was a child actress before she started singing. Maybe she's saying her mom used her as a way to make lots of money (filling the role of the bread-winning 'spouse'). When Jenny grew up, she realized it wasn't really worth it, though she's not bitter about what happened & she's moved on.

Seems plausible, at least.
 

rdawson808

Distinguished Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
4,122
Reaction score
4
Before even reading TheIdler's post, I had the same thought. I have no idea who the singer is but it sounds like a kid singing about being made a child star of some sort.

bob
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,160
Messages
10,578,964
Members
223,882
Latest member
anykadaimeni
Top