Song Lyric Sunday #21

Jim Adams’ prompt for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday Challenge is Alligator/Crocodile/Lizard/Snake/Turtle. What immediately springs to mind is a song sung by The Doors, largely because it has snake in the title – Crawling King Snake!

The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. The band took its name from the title of Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception, itself a reference to a quote by William Blake. They were among the more controversial and influential rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison’s lyrics and voice coupled with his erratic stage persona.

After signing with Elektra Records, the Doors with Morrison released six albums in five years, some of which are considered among the greatest of all time, including The Doors (1967), Strange Days (1967), and L.A. Woman (1971). The track I’ve chosen featured on L.A. Woman, their sixth studio album and the last to feature Morrison (during his lifetime) who died three months after the album’s release.

Critics unanimously hailed L.A. Woman one of the Doors’ best albums, citing Morrison’s vocal performance, and the band’s stripped-down return to their blues rock roots.

They were the first American band to accumulate eight consecutive gold LPs and have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.  Magazine Rolling Stone ranked them 41st on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. In 1993, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Crawling King Snake is a blues song that has been recorded by numerous blues and other artists. It is believed to have originated as a Delta blues in the 1920s. It was first recorded by Big Joe Williams in 1941. John Lee Hooker began performing his version of the song early in his career and became one of his most successful singles, reaching number six on the Billboard R&B chart in 1949. Hooker recorded several subsequent versions of the song and it became a concert staple for dozens of blues-rock bands.

Sadly, I didn’t spot Jim Morrison’s final resting place when I strolled around the Père Lachaise cemetary in Paris last year.

Lyrics: Crawling King Snake

Well, I’m the crawlin’ king snake
And I rule my den
I’m the crawlin’ king snake
And I rule my den
Yeah, don’t mess ’round with my mate
Gonna use her for myself
Caught me crawlin’, baby, window
Grass is very high
Keep on crawlin’ ’til the day I die
Crawlin’ king snake
And I rule my den
You better give me what I want
Gonna crawl no more
Caught me crawlin’, baby
Crawlin’ ’round your door
Seein’ everything I want
I’m gonna crawl on your floor
Let’s crawl
And I rule my den
Come on, give me what I want
Ain’t gonna crawl no more
I have crawled a while
Come on, crawl
Come on, crawl
Get on out there on your hands and knees, baby
Crawl all over me
Just like the spider on the wall
Ooh, we gon’ crawl, one more
Well, I’m the crawlin’ king snake
And I rule my den
Call me the crawlin’ king snake
And I rule my den
Yeah, don’t mess ’round with my mate
Gonna use her for myself

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Bernard Besman / John Lee Hooker
Crawling King Snake lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management

Challenge Rules

• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not. If it does not fit, then please explain why you chose this song.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to Jim’s post or place your link in his comments section.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Most of all, have fun and enjoy the music.