Mad as Rabbits: Who is Paul Cates?

“You know that Paul Cates,
Bought himself a trumpet from the salvation army,
Well, but there ain’t no sunshine in his song,
We must reinvent love, reinvent love, reinvent love.”

Who is Paul Cates? Is he fictional, non-fictional? Why is he in this song? What does he have to do with the song?

Paul Cates is a real person. He is public education director for the Lesbian and Gay Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. Here are some of Paul Cate’s blogs. A large percent of them are related to LGBT rights, gay/lesbian marriage and adoption, and free speech. Obviously, he’s pro on the subject and clearly fights for it.

Now let’s move onto the line: Bought himself a trumpet from the salvation army.
Trumpet: Proclaim widely or loudly; the press trumpeted another defeat for the government.
Salvation Army: A widely known and supported organization designed to help the public.

Let’s put it together. A LGBT supporter. Something being procalimed loudly. Helping the public.

In an earlier tweet, someone asked Ryan on Twitter what this song was about. He said it was a love song. (He’s also said it many times live that it was.)

What it sounds like they’re trying to say is we need someone to start giving voice to gay rights for the good of the public.

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The line we must reinvent love comes from ‘Délire I: “Foolish Virgin”’, The Infernal Bridegroom.” by Arthur Rimbaud. (*Note that Arthur is gay.)

“‘I am a widow… - I was a widow… - yes, I was really serious once; I wasn’t born to become a skeleton! He was hardly more than a child. His mysterious delicacies had seduced me. I forgot all my human obligations to follow him. What a life! Real life is absent. We are not in the world. I go where he goes, I have to. And often he flies into a rage against me, me the poor soul. The Demon! He is a demon, you know, he is not a man. He says: ‘ I don’t like women: love must be reinvented, it’s obvious. All they can hope for is a secure position. Once that’s achieved, heart and beauty are put aside. Nothing left but cold disdain, the food of marriage nowadays. Or else I see women with the signs of happiness, women I could have made my friends, devoured instead by brutes with as much feeling as a log…” (Source)

Not only one (She’s a Handsome Woman), but two references that Ryan used in his lyrics. Now read back; in the line, love must be reinvented, he’s talking about same sex love.

We must reinvent love.

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Mad as Rabbits. A song about gay rights and support? I think so.

(Source)