54 Songs About Snakes: From Charm to Danger, Serpentine Melodies

There was a snake in our house the other day. Of course, we freaked out, but in the end, it turned out to be harmless and easy enough to relocate. But it got me thinking a lot about snakes.

They’re usually given a bum rap, but for the most part, they keep to themselves and can even be useful for pest control. And lots of them are, in fact, even pretty!

I started thinking about snakes a lot…

Reading up on them, and eventually listening to songs about them. Yes, there are lots of songs about snakes out there, and some are pretty cool. So, here’s the result of my latest serpentine obsession – whether you love them or hate them, these are some pretty groovy snake songs.

54 Most Popular Songs About Snakes of All Time

1

Crawling King Snake – Big Joe Williams

Our first snaky song is a song so old that nobody knows who wrote it. “Crawling King Snake” is an old Delta Blues song that was first recorded in 1941 by singer-guitarist Big Joe Williams.

Legendary blues guitarist John Lee Hooker was also singing the song around this time, though he didn’t record it until 1949. Then the Doors did a very Doors-ish cover on their famed 1971 album, L.A. Woman. Most recently, the Black Keys put their cover out on Delta Kream in 2021.

This is a song about a king snake crawling through doors and windows and across the floor. At least, that’s what the words say. But it’s a pretty thinly veiled allusion to sex and sexual conquest.

We’re going to see a lot of this comparison…

But this song truly has a slow, winding rhythm and lyrical repetition that makes it feel all twisty and snakelike.

2

Baby Snakes – Frank Zappa

Sheik Yerbouti is hands down my favorite album name ever, and it’s also one of Zappa’s most memorable. It’s mostly a compilation of live recordings from 1977 and 78 and was released in 1979 with the track “Baby Snakes” on it.

As you’d expect from Zappa, this is a super-weird song. I mean, first off, look at the title, but also the sounds here are odd and hilarious. The “baby snakes” chorus in a high-pitched chipmunks style voice is quite cute and makes baby snakes seem adorable. Until you listen to the lyrics, that is.

“Baby Snakes – Late at night is when they come out – Baby Snakes – Sure you know what I’m talkin’ about – Pink ‘n’ wet – They make the best kind of pet.” Yep, that kind of thing once again.

3

The Snake and The Bookworm – Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard was a hunky heartthrob in the 50s and 60s. He was an early rock-and-roller, but while he was originally marketed as rebellious, it quickly became clear that he was better positioned in the teeny-bopper market. And the song “The Snake and The Bookworm” makes that point perfectly.

This is a cutsie-wootsie Rock and Roll song about teenage love, or at least an attempt at it. He references the snake who slithers “across the grasses like a snake,” while the girl in the story is the studious bookworm.

Well, as you would expect, “The snake caught bookworm one fine day – Yeah and he wouldn’t let her get away.” Why are all these serpent and snake songs so sneakily about sex?

4

Attacked By Snakes – The Aquabats

The Aquabats, like Frank Zappa, are some of the weirdest artists out there. Well, I guess writing songs about snakes is kind of a weird activity.

On their second album, The Fury of the Aquabats, this band included a wacky song called “Attacked By Snakes.” And for once, this seems to be about what it says it is.

Just look at the lyrics…

“From my perilous fate – I see no escape as serpents lay siege – To my country estate.” Finally, it’s really about snakes.

Well, at least, it seems to be about a horrible dream of being attacked by enough snakes to fill the Great Lakes. This song has a sort of tango/lounge wacky sound to it, and I’m sold on it.

5

Snakes – Pixies

Alt-Rock legends, Pixies, took a huge long break from recording as their band broke up, got back together, and tried to move towards a new sound. In 2014, they put out a record called EP2 (creative!), and on it was the track “Snakes.”

This is another ominous song about snakes attacking or taking over. The lyrics were written by Black Francis, and the song was jammed out by the band.

Vicious guitarist Joey Santiago lays down some dark, twisted, and very scary lead parts and solos, and the rattles in the percussion section add to the snaky feel. I’m pretty sure this is what being chased out of town by a gang of rattlesnakes sounds like.

6

The Serpent – Genesis

Remember Genesis, the English Prog Rock band that later turned Pop and also introduced us to Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel? While this band has lasted for decades and moved through lots of different styles, “The Serpent” comes from their first album, From Genesis to Revelation, put out in 1969.

They were into trippy Acid Rock and Prog back then, and this song shows it. It’s nicely composed with lots of different parts and a very full orchestral-like sound.

But it is actually about snakes…

Or, rather, a particular snake. As you can see from the album title, there is a big biblical influence here. And the serpent in question is none other than the devil in disguise way back in the Garden of Eden.

“Creator made the serpent wise – Evil in his tempting eyes,” sings Peter Gabriel, and we get a feeling of being thrown back to some primordial time in humanity’s long-lost past.

7

Snakes and Lovers – Spandau Ballet

If you don’t know Spandau Ballet, they were huge in the UK in the 80s but didn’t make it too big over the pond. This song has got their classic sound, a sort of Pop-Synth fun rhythmic Rock that drives the sound forward well.

What’s it about?

Well, it is a song that compares snakes and lovers with lines like, “Snakes and lovers – Holding on in the night – are you sleeping tight?”

There’s something about snakes sneaking around that is like the temptations of love and lust. It’s a pretty cool song that you can interpret however you like, but there are definitely snakes in there.

8

Union of the Snake – Duran Duran

Since we’re talking about 80s Synth-Pop-Rock, why not bring up Duran Duran? “Union of the Snake” was released in 1983 on the band’s third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

This song has a slow, Pop-infused groove and a lot of those early 80s electronic instruments that Duran Duran was famous for.

It’s also one of the rare tracks they’ve explained…

According to the band, this song is about the dark side of human nature and how it’s increasing its influence in our world. “The union of the snake is on the climb.”

But, they’ve also suggested this is a reference to the subconscious breaking through the conscious mind, and a reference to Tantra.

9

Snakebite – Alice Cooper

While you might know it as the name of a beer cocktail (lager mixed with cider), “Snakebite” is also an Alice Cooper song and the name of the character described in the song, too.

Cooper, known for his heavy music and theatrical stage show, plays up the dark and frightening side of snakes in this track, which features some rocking riffs and a sing-along chorus.

Cooper calls himself Snakebite in this song…

Telling us he’s going to give you a bite and drag you under. The idea is that this character is so compelling that you can’t get away from him. And it’s a reference to some sort of animal attraction to bad boys.

“You got my venom running thru ya – Ain’t gonna let you run off wild” – sounds like an intense obsession, doesn’t it?

10

Inject the Venom – AC/DC

The Aussies might call them Acca-Dacca. But we know this hard-rocking band as AC/DC, and they have been in the spotlight for decades.

They had a massive hit with the 1980 album, Back in Black and followed that up with For Those About to Rock in 1981. That album included “Inject the Venom,” one of the most aggressive songs about snakes I’ve ever heard.

The lyrics tell the story…

“Come choose your victim – Take him by surprise – Go in hard and get him – Right between the eyes and – Inject the venom.” This song is about getting even with your enemies and showing no mercy, just like a venomous snake.

This violent sentiment is echoed by the hard battering beat of this track and a slower, darker guitar sound than we’re used to from this band. This track rocks hard.

11

Get on the Snake – Soundgarden

Soundgarden got lumped in with the Grunge scene in the 90s, but I always thought they were a lot more than that. Dark lyrics, weird time signatures, heavy chugging guitars, and wailing vocals defined this legendary Seattle band.

They still had that hard edge when they recorded Louder Than Love in 1989. There are some great tracks here, including “Get On the Snake.”

This song does your head in a bit…

That is because it’s written in 9/4 time which is pretty confusing to follow. And the guitars play in a minor key to add darkness and an unsettled feeling.

Then, with Chris Cornell’s intense voice singing, “Get on the snake where the metal river bleeds – Get on the snake where you never will believe,” you get some deep dark imagery. The song is heavy, hard, dark, and a pretty cool serpentine experience.

12

The Snakepit – The Cure

In 1987, English Goth-ish Rock band The Cure had their biggest success to date with their album, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. One track that stood out on this certified platinum album was “The Snakepit.”

If we’re talking about dark and disorienting songs, this fits the bill…

The guitars swoop and swirl, and other strange distorted sounds fly in the background over a hypnotic beat. Singer Robert Smith sings some strange lyrics with a huge amount of echo and reverb on his vocal track. This adds to the whole strange mood of the track.

Especially when he sings the chorus again and again, “And I’m writing, I’m writhing, I’m writhing in the snakepit.” You get this sense of being “a mile underground” in a world that is completely foreign and mystifying.

13

The Serpent Is Rising – Styx

That’s a dozen songs talking about snakes, but I’ll throw in one more because I like the look of you. This last one comes from the American Rock band Styx from their third album back in 1973. Both the album and the song are called “The Serpent Is Rising.”

The song we’re concerned about has a progressive sound that’s very King Crimson-esque. There’s also something trippy and Acid-Rock inspired here.

The music is big and baroque…

And the lyrics are mysterious and poetic in this song of snakes. Lines like, “The Serpent is rising – Uncoiling in your spine – Bringing you light – From the depths of your mind” could be referencing anything.

From an ayahuasca visit to the great eternal serpent to the snake eating its own tail representing the wheel of time. Anyway, you interpret it; this song is intense and surprisingly beautiful. Much like snakes themselves.

14

Black Snake Moan – Blind Lemon Jefferson

15

Snake Dance – The March Violets

16

Poison Snake – The Flaming Lips

17

Snakecharmer – Rage Against the Machine

18

Snake Farm – Ray Wylie Hubbard

19

Snakes of Hawaii – Mishka

20

Red Snake – The Doors

21

Snake in the Grass – Midnight Oil

22

Texas Bull Snake – Townes Van Zandt

23

Black Snake Diamond Role – Thurston Moore

24

Snake Oil – The Black Keys

25

Snake Road – Jay Unga

26

Copperhead Road – Steve Earle

27

Snake Charmer – Benny Goodman

28

Snakebit – Mary Gauthier

29

Roadhouse Blues (live) – The Doors

30

Snake Eyes – Trouble

31

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow – Alan Hawkshaw

32

Snake Charmers – Matthew Sweet

33

Green Snake – Victor Wainwright & The Train

34

Blues Jumped the Rabbit – The Harlem Hamfats

35

Rattlesnake Shake – Fleetwood Mac

36

Snake Doctor Blues – Jelly Roll Morton

37

Snake Oil and Holy Water – Parks, Squares and Alleys

38

Bluegrass Snake Eyes – Keith Whitley

39

King Snake – Buddy Guy

40

Snake Mountain Blues – Townes Van Zandt

41

Snake River Blues – The Jayhawks

42

The Snake Woman – The Fuzztones

43

Snakebite Whiskey – Jace Everett

44

Snake Eyes and Sissies – Marilyn Manson

45

Snake Oil and Gasoline – The Black Crowes

46

Snake Charmer – Rage

47

Copperhead Snake – Agnes Obel

48

Siren Song – Bat For Lashes

49

Snake-Eyes – The Earthmen

50

Diamondback Snake – The Brian Jonestown Massacre

51

Medicine Snake – Deer Tick

52

Sea Snake – Skinny Puppy

53

Black Mamba – The Academy Is…

54

Snake Charmer and Reptile – Deftones

Searching for More Animalistic Songs?

Well, have a look at our detailed articles on the Top Songs About Wolves, the Top Songs with Animals in the Title, the Best Songs About Cats, the Best Songs About Monsters, and the Top Songs About The Moon for more incredible song selections.

Best Songs about Snakes – Final Thoughts

There are a lot more snaky songs out there than you might expect. Snakes get used literally in some, but in most, the snake is used as a metaphor for anything from sin to sex to violence. I guess that’s the way we mostly see snakes. But, sometimes, these elegant creatures are seen as beautiful, too.

Snakes have played a part in human life ever since its beginnings. We’ve been afraid of them, we’ve hunted and killed them, we’ve blamed them for our wrongs, and we’ve kept them as pets.

While you might love them or hate them, there’s no denying that snakes are some of the most fascinating animals on the face of the earth (and the easiest to make out of plasticine, too!). So enjoy these songs about and in tribute to the slithery serpents.

Until next time, happy lisssssstening.