"What the Dormouse said..."

[Anne Marie]

I may be many years late in asking this, but just the other day my son and I were arguing about certain lines in the song, "White Rabbit," and so we went on-line on YouTube looking for a video with the lyrics and discovered that no one there seemed to "know," either. We Googled the song, and searched every web site we could find, and again, no two "White Rabbit" lyrics agreed...very frustrating.

Then I found this site and sent a "whining" e-mail, and I got answers...

I still cannot come to terms with the last line, "Remember what the Dormouse said...FEED (?) your head!"

It simply does not make sense to me, as the last line in a song this powerful, and so metaphorical, should make sense in that it should MEAN something. After all, the Red Queen is noted as being one who yells, "Off with her head!!" quite a lot, and it seems to make more sense if, at the Tea Party, which was BEFORE Alice meets the Red Queen, that the Dormouse would have given Alice the advice to "KEEP your head." This is good advice in both a literal and metaphorical way.

I have been advised that perhaps "FEED your head" refers to drugs, but again, this makes less sense in view of the rest of the song...

Can anyone here help me to get this clear in my mind...it really is very important to me!!

Thanks!!
Anne Marie

[CookOfTheHouse]

It is FEED your head indeed... Don't know why, Grace seems to write a lot of nonsense in her songs, she said it herself! It's like trying to find a meaning to Aerie (Gang Of Eagles). There's an entire discution about the meaning of that song, nobody seems to be getting somewhere! Don't try to find sense in any JA songs, that's kind of the magic, the thrill of the group!

[woodensaucers]

You can try cutting out the "unnecessary" part of this particular verse so that only the bare minimum of words are there...

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
Feed your head

I personally believe this means when you've taken all these wacky drugs, you have to feed your head with the wisdom to stop. Or maybe more drugs, who knows.

[redrabid]

"Feed Your Head" was one of the rallying cries of the 60s, boys and girls.
It was believed that the real world we lived in (the war, social conflicts etc.) showed that prevailing ideologies and values would never bring us closer to a future governed by "Love". More wisdom and new insights to deal with the chaos around us, were to be experienced by using drugs, at least that was promised to us by the prophets of "mind-expanding"-substances.
A stupid, irresponsible idea, not only in retrospect.
"Feed Your Head" was never about reading books of course. You could learn so much more by blowing your mind. Far easier too!
But who am I to judge, I am a boozer: I see so much wisdom at the bottom of the bottle.

[Anne Marie]

You can try cutting out the "unnecessary" part of this particular verse so that only the bare minimum of words are there...

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
Feed your head

I personally believe this means when you've taken all these wacky drugs, you have to feed your head with the wisdom to stop. Or maybe more drugs, who knows.

Thank you so much for your particular explanation; it is the only one that "made sense" to me, and yes, everyone is right. I am one who tries to "make sense" out of things, as even when something appears to "not make sense," there is, indeed, some "sense" to apparent "nonsense," and in my mind, you have proven this to be true!!

[MilkTrain]

From memory the Dormouse said "Nothing"
I wouldnt try to make too much sense of a lyric like "Feed Your Head" Grace probably liked the idea that you could interpret that lyric in a number of ways.
To me it has always sounded like an exhortation to use drugs. The whole song does.
It also could be interpreted as that we should use our brain, learn, expand,use your head. ie.dont be a brainless bimbo.

[MilkTrain]

The more happy most people THINK they are, John B. Money cant really buy true happiness. Sure, it's good to have a little money to cover the cost of things you need in life but just spending to try and buy happiness is really shallow.

[psychy]

it's good to have a little money to cover the cost of things you need in life but just spending to try and buy happiness is really shallow.

I agree :)

[psychy]

It is well-known that Grace came from a rather rich Californian family. However, she didn't measure her life on this,,,,,Grace always did what her soul and heart told her to do.....that's why I love her so much...and her music:):):)

[psychy]

It is well-known that Grace came from a rather rich Californian family. However, she didn't measure her life on this,,,,,Grace always did what her soul and heart told her to do.....that's why I love her so much...and her music:):):)

That's it ! Some people (Grace) are very "rich"... but not with dollars ! It is their kindness.

So true...and she shows this attitude thru her music, art, love for China and her family......AND love for her fans :):). Of course, I don't know Grace personally, but I believe her to be a very kind and loving person......Grace's love of Janis Joplin is proof of this when everyone else ignored the latter

[usedtobebabson]

Feed your head - Ok I'll take a stab. It was the rally cry of the counter culture. We were sorting through the establishment, tossing things that kept us from a better place. We tossed things like traditional war, love, hair length, dress length, general clothes style. We referred to ourselves as "heads", i.e. he's a good head...It seems in retrospect it was just a common feeling we all felt, and flashing the peace sign and being freaky was the form of greeting, as in "are you with it?" "Are you hip?". So feed your head fit in so nicely with the counter culture, as in feed that "head" mindset....and everyone kept the "head" theme going 'n growing... "Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...."

[psychy]

Feed your head - Ok I'll take a stab. It was the rally cry of the counter culture. We were sorting through the establishment, tossing things that kept us from a better place. We tossed things like traditional war, love, hair length, dress length, general clothes style. We referred to ourselves as "heads", i.e. he's a good head...It seems in retrospect it was just a common feeling we all felt, and flashing the peace sign and being freaky was the form of greeting, as in "are you with it?" "Are you hip?". So feed your head fit in so nicely with the counter culture, as in feed that "head" mindset....and everyone kept the "head" theme going 'n growing... "Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...."

Thanx for those words.......I was only 10 years old in the "Summer of Love", but I rapidly grew into that philosophy....and my motto was always "....psychedelic music is IN with tyme..."::):):)

[psychy]

If this nice blue planet will survive all the shit that people do, and we have the year 2525. It doesn't matter what
kind of media we have to use, the words of war & religion will be there to. Oh what a surprise ! Maybe we will
scratch the shit on rocks again. Because there isn't paper, we did use that on the toilets. The holy books of
war & religion are used on the toilets to, oh what a fun to do. Let the rocks roll for ever. Oh what a shame....

Right on man:):):)

[Anne Marie]

Wow, that one made me get tears in my eyes...yes, I do remember those days. And I miss the sounds and the smells and the sights and the feel of the Haight-Ashbury. It really was an incredible time. It was all so very REAL.