“Rabbits” - a song about resistance
Story Pairing
When I was recently in Belfast, I had a conversation with a local that has really stuck with me. We swapped where we were from, and he immediately asked a question along the lines of “do you think America will be ok?” I had sort of steeled myself for a slightly different question, as everyone was asking things more like “what the hell are you doing” or “how did that happen” etc. So asking if we were going to be ok felt different.
He proceeded to tell me how his entire life growing up in a different country, America was always the good guy. They are in the history books as the big powerful country that put people first, opened up their shores to people in need, and fought to make sure that men were created equal. That’s pretty romantic, and certainly all through history people have been doing pretty horrible things to each other no matter where we are from. The thing that resonated though, was that when the dust settled, throughout time, we were still seen as the “good guys” on a world scale.
Again, that’s a pretty bold title to hold on to when you look through history and mark down all the injustices, but to have our global scale leaning towards good felt nice to hear. That got me thinking that maybe I am only hearing what I want. To that guy, America was a hero, but to other places and people it certainly wasn’t. That’s a hard pill to swallow, because growing up if a character had an American flag on it in some way, they were a good guy. Captain America, Uncle Sam, Captain Flag, Yankee Girl, etc. Almost always portrayed as a hero fighting against some form of injustice. That’s who we were told America was.
I love to think of America as the great American melting pot, from my schoolhouse rock days. A place that is trying to be better for the world.
Look at our past leaders and monuments
Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…
George Washington "The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions...
Ronald Reagan “If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.”
George H.W. Bush “Immigration is not just a link to America's past; it's also a bridge to America's future”
Who do you think said this: “They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done...” Guess what piece of work spouts things like that? Guess who is at the helm when people who have thought of America as a “good guy” their entire life is now worried that America is losing its soul and turning evil?
Having traveled most of the US, I can confidently say that it’s not the people that are changing. They are being tricked and undermined and distracted, but they aren’t being irreversibly corrupted. When you’re back is against a wall and injustice is obvious, I like to think that the working American would be one of the first to help pick you up. It’s greed what is poisoning us, not the people. It’s people in power who are so set on holding all the cards that they will lie to and steal from and hurt just about anyone that get’s in their way.
I wanted to get away from writing another political song, as I am so torn about creating division within my fan base. I cherish every single person who has ever given me even a moment of their time. Regardless if we think the same, it’s those differences that can make any group stronger. The issue that has been coming up is that they aren’t so much the differences that are the major rifts, it seems to be where we get our information. Spin doctors have us all twisted up. People are good at their core, I want to believe that. I think America can be a hero again, it just has to realize that the people at the top should be reflections of us, not putting us in cages like rabbits.
There is so much more that I want to say, but when I write about these sort of topics, my mind seems to fray. I can only be in this space so long before I start to second guess myself, feel overwhelmed, and I think muddy my waters for being able to keep writing songs. The songs come out, take what they need, and then live on. If I dwell too long in that singular craft’s space, it’s harder for me to step back and be ready for the next one. Heavy songs feel like tar. They are important, and have a use, but can also hold you in place to not be able to stay open minded.
Song Structure
Capo 3-5 (depending how early it is)
Verse: C - F - C - G - C - F - G - C - C - Cdim - E7 - Am - C - F - G - C
Chorus: Am - F - C - G
Voice Memos
Notebook Page
Feb 2026
Lyrics
He grabs em by the throat
Dunks em into buckets
Buckets full of paint, both red & blue
Then throws them into cages
With nothing but each other
And broken bones, skin stained and bruised
Mothers find their babies
With arms or eyes through metal
Brothers found their brothers, blood or not
And the colors and the prisons
Faded into daily living
For a moment those evil hands forgot
He was in the shadows watching
Drooling over dollars
Sanity long ago plated in gold
And he wondered at the creatures
The parts that made them different
Could he cheat them into doing what they’re told
Years passed in the cages
The artists found among them
Had been busy sharing dance and sharing song
While the farmers worked to feed
And builders gave them rest
All the colors worked to live and sing along
One cage in rows of many
Stood out as something better
It had opened up it’s doors to welcome in
They became that systems hero
An oasis in the desert
And a plot in greedy shadow did begin
If the wicked man could trick them
Stain his skin a foolish color
And slither into that shining cage
Could he twist that wholesome message
Turn neighbor against neighbor
And profit from division and manufactured rage
He told them what they wanted
Lies and empty promise
To get a seat that he declared a throne
And any color that opposed him
Any walk that sounded different
He bought those brothers into throwing stones
All the other cages
Who had thought their heroes better
Couldn’t hold belief in the terror born
The place they all desired
Where dreams could give them purpose
From sea to shining sea was being torn
The majority was vocal
Terrified of losing comfort
Convoluting bigger numbers meaning right
The forgotten in the corners
Pressed up hard against the edges
Had no choice but to struggle and to bite
He points and calls them demons
Look upon this sudden violence
It must surely be a product of their birth
How quickly they admonish
While they clutch their doctored doctrine
And banish in the ruse of perceived worth
This observations getting wordy
Surly it’s losing listeners
Like the oppressed who are dropping dead like flies
Sitting safe in the other cages
The inevitable’s coming
Doesn't matter, blue or red, it’s time we rise
Say goodbye to broken leaders
Usher in a kind resistance
Drop your pride down through their rusty failing bars
No more hands around our necks
Just hand in hand together
Together we can take back what is ours