As a duo, Fahey and Detroit released two albums and are best-known for the song "Stay", a top five hit in the U.S. which spent eight weeks at number one in the U.K. Both "Stay" and the follow-up single "Hello (Turn your radio on)" are co-written by Dave Stewart under the pseudonym Jean Guiot. Detroit left the act after many quabbles with Fahey, and Shakespear's Sister's Third album #3, technically a Fahey solo album, was shelved by London Records. Years later, after wrangling the album rights from the label, Fahey released it independently.
After sporadically recording under her own name for a few years, Fahey reclaimed the Shakespear's Sister moniker for herself as a solo artist and independently released a new album, ''Songs from the Red Room'', in November 2009 accompanied by touring in the UK. A physical release of "Songs from the Red Room" in the U.S. went ahead on 12 April 2010, followed by a deluxe edition double-CD with 8 bonus tracks on 3 May in the UK.
White Rabbit
Shakespear's Sister Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
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 low
Go ask Alice
I think she'll 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
The song White Rabbit by Shakespear's Sister is a tribute to Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The lyrics speak of how taking certain pills can either make you feel bigger or smaller, with the reference to "ones that mother gives you" implying prescription medication. The line "Go ask Alice when she's ten feet tall" is a nod to the idea that Alice's character grows and shrinks throughout the novel, and suggests seeking advice from someone who has already gone through transformative experiences.
The second verse references the Caterpillar who appears in the novel and is often depicted smoking a hookah. The phrase "given you the call" can be interpreted as a call to adventure or enlightenment. The song's titular White Rabbit appears in the third verse alongside references to characters such as the Red Queen, White Knight, and Dormouse. The lyrics urge listeners to "feed your head" by seeking knowledge and expanding their minds beyond the concepts of logic and proportion.
Overall, White Rabbit is a psychedelic and metaphorical journey through the mind and experiences of Alice in Wonderland. It also serves as a call to adventure for the listener to open their minds and seek out their own transformative experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
One pill makes you larger
Taking a pill can result in an increase in size.
And one pill makes you small
Taking a pill can result in a decrease in size.
And the ones that mother gives you
The pills given to you by your mother are ineffective.
Don't do anything at all
The pills given to you by your mother will not have any effect on your size.
Go ask Alice
Ask Alice for advice.
When she's ten feet tall
When Alice is in a superior position, ask her for advice.
And if you go chasing rabbits
If you pursue something, it may lead to negative consequences.
And you know you're going to fall
It is inevitable that you will fail.
Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar
Tell them you have received advice from an unconventional source.
Has given you the call
You have received guidance from an unexpected source.
Call Alice
Seek Alice's advice again.
When she was just small
When Alice was in a less authoritative position, seek her advice.
When the men on the chessboard
When people around you start influencing your decisions.
Get up and tell you where to go
They start dictating your actions.
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
When you're under the influence of a hallucinogen.
And your mind is moving low
Your mind is not functioning at its highest capacity.
Go ask Alice
Ask Alice for advice.
I think she'll know
Alice has experience with these kinds of situations.
When logic and proportion
When logical reasoning and balanced judgment fail you.
Have fallen sloppy dead
They have become ineffective in helping you make decisions.
And the White Knight is talking backwards
The people who were once trustworthy become confusing and irrational.
And the Red Queen's off with her head
People in positions of power are becoming unstable.
Remember what the dormouse said
Recall this piece of advice.
Feed your head
Consume knowledge to make better decisions.
Contributed by Harper L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.