Mr. Rabbit
Mr. Rabbit is Br'er Rabbit, the hero of many African American folktales. This song was most likely sung as a "call and response" type of song.
Mr. Rabbit
Spiritual
Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Rabbit,
Your ears are mighty long.
Yes, don't you know*,
They were put on wrong.
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine,
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine.
Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Rabbit,
Your coat is mighty grey,
Yes, don't you know,
It was made that way,
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine,
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine.
Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Rabbit,
Your nose it twitches,
Yes, don't you know,
It always itches,
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine,
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine.
Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Rabbit,
You're in my cabbage patch,
Yes, don't you know,
I won't come back,
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine,
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine.
Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Rabbit
Your tail is mighty white.
Yes, don't you know,
And I'm getting out of sight.
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine,
Every little soul must shine, shine, shine.
Notes
*Alternative lyrics for this line are: "Yes, my Lord".
Comments
Sea Mac wrote, "Over 50 years ago: I remember hearing Burl Ives, on a 33 RPM Record, singing this song. I had forgotten about it: until I found it again on your site.
Burl has yet another Lyric instead of the line 'Yes, don't you know'* or *'Yes, My Lord'... it is sung 'Yes, Bless God' ... and his verses are in a different order ... and he has a few extra verses that you don't have yet." Here's a YouTube link for Burl Ives version.
You can hear the tune to this song in the recording below.
Many thanks to Holly Deuel Gilster for contributing the tune to this song!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thanks to Carl McCall for sharing info about Burl Ives' version!
