Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits by The Magnetic Fields Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Playful Metaphors of Desire
Lyrics
For you now that you’re gone
You’d grow wings and fly
Home to me
Home tonight
And in the morning sun
Let’s pretend we’re bunny rabbits
Let’s do it all day long
Let abbots, Babbitts and Cabots
Say Mother Nature’s wrong
And when we’ve had a couple’a’beers
We’ll put on bunny suits
I long to nibble your ears
And do as bunnies do
Let’s pretend we’re bunny rabbits
Let’s do it all day long
Rapidly becoming rabid
Singing little rabbit songs
I can keep it up all night
I can keep it up all day
Let’s pretend we’re bunny rabbits
Until we pass away
Let’s pretend we’re bunny rabbits
Until we pass away
The Magnetic Fields have long been a troupe celebrated for their sardonic wit and lyrical genius. The seemingly innocuous ‘Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits,’ a track from their expansive ’69 Love Songs,’ does more than just skitter across the surface of playful imagery—it digs deep into the warrens of human longing and connection.
On its face, the song is whimsical and light-hearted, but scratch beneath its effervescent veneer, and one uncovers a hotbed of metaphor and meaning. Here, we unearth the profound messages buried within this enchanting composition by The Magnetic Fields, navigating through the melodies and metaphors as if through a labyrinthine burrow.
Hippity-Hopping Into Human Desire
At first blush, ‘Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits’ seems to be an undemanding track that utilizes the playful idea of bunnies as a vehicle for joy. But bunnies here are more than cute critters; they’re an allegory for the primal pulse of passion that throbs beneath our civilized veneer. Bunnies, known for their prolific breeding, become a substitute for the singers’ own repressed desires, now bursting forth unchecked.
The song doesn’t shy away from a carnal interpretation, where the imagery of ‘doing it all day long’ speaks directly to an innate drive, as timeless and natural as Mother Nature herself. It is a nod to humanity’s base instincts, wrapped in the soft fur of innocuous lyrics.
Donning the Bunny Suit: Disguises of the Heart
Decoding ‘Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits’ further, the lyricist propositions an escape from reality—’Let’s put on bunny suits.’ Here is an invitation to intimacy, but also, perhaps, to anonymity. In the suits, lovers can abandon social norms and explore their desires without the weight of identity. There’s freedom in the furry façade, a liberation from the self that is as intoxicating as love itself.
The suits are both literal and metaphorical armor, a playful uniform that allows exploration under the guise of fantasy. It suggests a space where the id can play unfettered, where lovers can engage with their most fundamental wants without the trappings of ego or pretense.
The Dance of Ears and Whiskers: Flirting with Innocence and Playfulness
The track’s catchy chorus, with the enamored singer longing to ‘nibble your ears,’ evokes a sense of flirtatious play. It’s tender and sweet, an ordinary act made extraordinary by the affection implied in the metaphor. ‘Doing as bunnies do’ isn’t just physical; it’s a kind of emotional mimicry, a means of connecting through innocent acts of fondness.
The charm of this song lies in the way it intertwines the playful with the profound. To be whisked away in a song about bunny rabbits feels like reverting to a childlike state, yet, in this regression, adults find a new way to express their otherwise complicated feelings.
Chasing the Rabbit: The Song’s Hidden Meaning
While it may seem we’re just grazing the surface with frolic and fun, there’s actually a resonant depth to ‘Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits.’ It’s about not just the pursuit of love but also the unrelenting pursuit of happiness. The song captures a utopian, if not quixotic, desire to maintain the peak joys of love and life ‘until we pass away.’
Mortality often makes a cameo in the happiest of songs in unexpected ways, and here, it lurks subtly, hidden amidst the play. There’s a sense that these bunny games are not just an escape but a race against time, a way to saturate the fleeting moments with as much joy and love as possible.
Memorable Lines: Echoes of Timeless Longing
The Magnetic Fields have an uncanny ability to plant lines that resonate long after the music stops. Lyrics like ‘Rapidly becoming rabid / Singing little rabbit songs’ transcend their surface absurdity and delve into the madness of love’s affliction. Love’s fever, its eager persistence, is beautifully encapsulated in the idea of ‘rabid’ little lovesick rabbit songs sang into the expanse of night and day.
The notion of ‘keeping it up all night’ and ‘keeping it up all day,’ while a saucy play on stamina, also signifies a deeper commitment to love’s endless chase. It’s a relentless optimism, a testament to staying the course of passion—a mantra for lovers attempting to sustain the electric pulse of new love.
