White Rabbit
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals Lyrics


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One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
To call Alice, when she was just small

When the men on the chessboard get up
And tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving slow
Go ask Alice, I think she will know

When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards
And the red queen's off with her head




Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head, feed your head

Overall Meaning

The song "White Rabbit" by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals is a cover of the original song by Jefferson Airplane, which was written by Grace Slick in 1965. The lyrics of the song are enigmatic and describe the experience of a person who has taken drugs and is having a psychedelic experience. The first stanza of the song talks about how one pill can make you larger and one pill can make you small. This could be interpreted as a reference to drugs that alter your perception of reality. The line "And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all" could be a reference to prescription drugs, which may not have the same impact as recreational drugs.


The next stanza of the song talks about chasing rabbits and falling down. This could be a reference to the nonsensical nature of a drug-induced experience. The line "Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar has given you the call" is a reference to the character of the hookah-smoking caterpillar from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The line "When the men on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go" could be interpreted as a reference to the randomness and confusion experienced during a psychedelic experience. The final stanza talks about how "logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead." This could be interpreted as a reference to the dissolution of rational thought during a drug experience. The song ends with the line "feed your head," which suggests that the song is encouraging listeners to expand their minds and explore different perceptions of reality.


Line by Line Meaning

One pill makes you larger
Taking one pill will make you feel bigger than life


And one pill makes you small
Taking another will make you feel insignificant


And the ones that mother gives you
The pills you receive from trusted loved ones


Don't do anything at all
Are ineffective at resolving your personal issues


Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall
This is a reference to the book 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and implies asking someone who is dealing with the same surreal situation


And if you go chasing rabbits
If you go after something fleeting and unattainable


And you know you're going to fall
Knowing that you are setting yourself up for failure


Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Blame your actions on something or someone else


Has given you the call
Claim that you were compelled to act a certain way


To call Alice, when she was just small
Asking for help when one is in a vulnerable state


When the men on the chessboard get up
When your environment seems alive with possibilities


And tell you where to go
But you feel stuck with no direction


And you've just had some kind of mushroom
Understood to be a metaphor for an altered state of mind


And your mind is moving slow
Feeling dulled and removed from reality


Go ask Alice, I think she will know
Going back to the previous reference to 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and seeking help from someone who has experienced a similar state


When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead
When things no longer make sense and chaos seems to reign


And the white knight is talking backwards
When someone who should be helping is speaking in riddles


And the red queen's off with her head
A reference to the Queen of Hearts who orders executions on a whim – a situation where authority is in chaos


Remember what the dormouse said
A reminder to keep your wits in such situations


Feed your head, feed your head
Find ways to improve or develop yourself in order to better navigate surreal situations such as those described in the song




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Grace Wing Slick

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

alan rothchild

Grace Potter is so under rated. More talent than anyone can count.

Rocco

🤩More than Billie Eilish🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

ray staples

Nothing can beat the original but this is very very good.

R '

Have you heard the original?
Jefferson Airplane didn't actually play it first. It was performed and recorded by Great Society first, when Grace Slick was there singer, before she was in Airplane

AZ SUN

@ray Go look up Pink's version. It's awesome

georgia hughes

@AZ SUN xs

duncan idaho

@R ' yu'r right , the first version by the great society is amazing

Michael Taylor

yes very good

4 More Replies...

Mark Hollingsworth

She does this song justice. Glad to hear it again. I won't compare it with Grace Slick at Woodstock. That was a long, long time ago. They say that Grace Slick wrote this in minutes and it just flowed out naturally.

Cynthia Coleman

She, above, doesn't have the "right" inflections as Slick, which made the song slick, not graceful. People just don't know how the pills were given out back then, how we were to behave. I've listen to the 1967 version and the song at Woodstock, and I prefer the 1967, Dick Cavett, version. I prefer the "Spanish" elements to the song. Slick said, "In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Slick mentioned that, in addition to Alice in Wonderland, her other inspiration for the song was Ravel's Boléro. Like Boléro, "White Rabbit" is essentially one long crescendo." That's what made this brief song so great. The mix of Alice and Boléro. If you don't know Boléro, listen to it. This song may be about hallucinogens, but it's sung by someone intellectual.

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