Come Little Rabbit

Album: video only (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was performed by Akmal Shaikh, who according to the campaigning organization Reprieve, co-wrote it with a man named Carlos. Shaikh was not a songwriter or musician but a small businessman who ran a mini-cab firm in London.

    In 2003, he upped roots, left his wife and five children, and moved to Poland where he met Carlos, who is said to have to promised him a music career in China. If Shaikh truly believed this, it gives credence to the claims of his family that he was suffering from some sort of mental impairment. As does his belief that his rendition of this song could have helped bring about world peace.

    Whatever his musical aspirations, it was none too bright to venture into China with a suitcase full of heroin. In September 2007, he was arrested in transit, found to be in possession of four kilograms of the white stuff, and sentenced to death in October 2008. After a series of legal appeals and representations from the British Government, he died by lethal injection on December 29, 2009, becoming the first British citizen to be executed in China for half a century.

    Shaikh's recording of "Come Little Rabbit" was released on YouTube by Reprieve. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England
  • The song itself is a call for peace, with Shaikh calling a rabbit forth to pray. Some of the lyrics are in Arabic, translating to "one world, one people, one God."

Comments: 5

  • Anon from AmericaAll he ever wanted was peace. May Akmal Shaik Rest In It.
  • Sussy Baka from IraqRest In peace brother.
  • Anonymous from AmericaSad ordeal. As a fellow desi, what makes it especially sad is the fact that carlos or whoever gave him the drugs to traffic got away scot free. Also he isn't speaking in arabic, rather urdu.
  • A Lonesome Cat from The AmericasI second Stellar Wolf's opinion on the description. The song may not be the greatest, nobody would deny that, but you can tell that a lot of love and care was put into it, and the story behind it just adds an entire new layer of tragedy. It and Akmal's story deserve more recognition.
  • Stellar Wolf from Somewhere In EuropeThe song may not be the best of the best, but hearing this guy's story and how he was tricked by Carlos, using his mental impairement against him, is very sad. What makes it worse is that this song, who was about bringing world peace, led him to his demise... the description judges this song too harshly
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.