Rabbit Will Run
Iron Lyrics


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Last I saw mother, she rose from her chair
When they caught me I'd just finished combing my hair
'Cause a rabbit will run, and the colt hasn't long with the mare

We've all learned the earth while we've carried the throne
We dove under the rivers and under our clothes
And I still have a prayer, as sure as my settling bones
Last I saw mother, she covered my ears
When they caught me I offered the captain a beer
'Cause the rabbit will run, and the lion has nothing to fear

We bricked up the garden and know what it means
And we've all kissed a virgin as if she were clean
And I still have a prayer, despite all the colors I've seen

And judgment is just like a cup that we share
I'll jump over the wall and I'll wait for you there
Well past the weeds in our vision of things to come

We've all heard the rooster and all been denied
And we've seen through the haze and the spit in our eyes
And I still have a prayer, a well-weathered word to the wise

Last I saw mother, she smelled like a rose
When they caught me, the captain, he opened my nose
'Cause the rabbit will run, and the wind takes a bird where it blows

We've all traded lovers and woke up alone
And we've clapped for the king though our fingers were cold
And I still have a prayer 'cause I love what I cannot control

Last I saw mother, she acted surprised
When they caught me, the captain, he cried like a child
Because the rabbit will run, good dogs together go wild

We've all lived in grace at the end of the day
And we've armed all the children we thought we betrayed
And I still have a prayer, but too few occasions to pray

And judgment is just like a cup that we share
I'll jump over the wall and I'll wait for you there
Well past the weeds in our vision of things to come

And we've all found a reason for hiding a gun
And we've helped out a few if we've hurt anyone
And I still have a prayer, and so be it, I've done what I've done

Last I saw mother, she blew me a kiss
When they caught me, the cuffs cut the blood from my wrist
'Cause the rabbit will run and the pig has to lay in it's piss

We've all given half to the hand in our face




We've all taken a stone from the holiest place
And I still have a prayer, and I've furthered the world in my wait

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Iron's song "Rabbit Will Run" capture a sense of desperation and resignation, as if the singer is facing an inevitable fate. The repeated line "the rabbit will run" suggests the idea that no matter what actions individuals take, they cannot escape the larger forces that shape their lives. The first verse alludes to the singer's capture, and his sense of finality is underscored by the image of his mother rising from her chair. The following lines suggest a sense of futility, as the singer spends his final moments combing his hair. The subsequent verse implies that the singer and those around him have experienced a difficult life, evoking images of diving under rivers and the harsh struggle of survival. Despite this, the singer maintains a belief in God, playing up the idea of settling bones suggesting elderly age.


Line by Line Meaning

Last I saw mother, she rose from her chair
The last time I saw my mother, she stood up from her seat.


When they caught me I'd just finished combing my hair
When they captured me, I had just finished grooming myself.


'Cause a rabbit will run, and the colt hasn't long with the mare
Rabbits will flee and young horses have limited time with female horses.


We've all learned the earth while we've carried the throne
All of us have become acquainted with the ground while holding power.


We dove under the rivers and under our clothes
We have swam under the waters and hidden things beneath our garments.


And I still have a prayer, as sure as my settling bones
Despite my aging bones, I still have hope in my heart.


Last I saw mother, she covered my ears
When I last saw my mother, she shielded my ears from something.


When they caught me I offered the captain a beer
When they apprehended me, I attempted to appease the captain with a drink.


'Cause the rabbit will run, and the lion has nothing to fear
Rabbits flee from danger while lions are fearless.


We bricked up the garden and know what it means
We sealed off the garden and understand it's significance.


And we've all kissed a virgin as if she were clean
We have all kissed an inexperienced person as if they were pure.


And I still have a prayer, despite all the colors I've seen
Despite experiencing life in all it's variety, I still have a prayer within me.


And judgment is just like a cup that we share
The act of judging someone is akin to sharing a cup.


I'll jump over the wall and I'll wait for you there
I'll leap over the barrier and be waiting on the other side for you.


Well past the weeds in our vision of things to come
Looking beyond the obstacles we face to our future vision.


We've all heard the rooster and all been denied
We've heard the rooster crow and have experienced rejection.


And we've seen through the haze and the spit in our eyes
Despite the obstacles obstructing our vision, we've seen through them.


And I still have a prayer, a well-weathered word to the wise
Despite the passage of time, I still have wisdom and hope.


Last I saw mother, she smelled like a rose
The last time I saw my mother, she had a rosy fragrance.


When they caught me, the captain, he opened my nose
When they apprehended me, the captain made my nose bleed.


'Cause the rabbit will run, and the wind takes a bird where it blows
Rabbits will flee while birds will go wherever the wind takes them.


We've all traded lovers and woke up alone
We've all exchanged partners and have woken up in solitude.


And we've clapped for the king though our fingers were cold
Despite being cold-hearted, we have still applauded the ruler.


And I still have a prayer 'cause I love what I cannot control
I still have hope because I feel affection for things beyond my control.


Last I saw mother, she acted surprised
The last time I saw my mother, she feigned astonishment.


When they caught me, the captain, he cried like a child
When I was captured, the captain wept like an infant.


Because the rabbit will run, good dogs together go wild
Rabbits flee and dogs become overly excited when together.


We've all lived in grace at the end of the day
When the day is over, we have all lived gracefully at some point.


And we've armed all the children we thought we betrayed
We have equipped the children we previously neglected.


And I still have a prayer, but too few occasions to pray
I have hope, but not enough opportunities to express it.


And we've all found a reason for hiding a gun
We've all had a motive for keeping a gun concealed.


And we've helped out a few if we've hurt anyone
We've assisted some while harming others.


And I still have a prayer, and so be it, I've done what I've done
I still hold onto hope, despite having done what I had to do.


Last I saw mother, she blew me a kiss
When I last saw my mother, she blew me a goodbye kiss.


When they caught me, the cuffs cut the blood from my wrist
When I was apprehended, the handcuffs cut off circulation to my wrist.


'Cause the rabbit will run and the pig has to lay in its piss
Rabbits flee while pigs have to reside in their excrement.


We've all given half to the hand in our face
We've all given half of what we have to someone who has treated us poorly.


We've all taken a stone from the holiest place
We've all taken something sacred from a holy location.


And I still have a prayer, and I've furthered the world in my wait
I maintain hope and by waiting, I have contributed to the world.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL ERVIN BEAM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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