The Snake
Al Wilson
Lyrics currently unavailable…
12 facts about this song
Genre Classification"The Snake" is classified as a Soul song, seamlessly combining Rhythm & Blues with Gospel music.
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Release DateThe song was released in the summer of 1968.
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Album Information"The Snake" is from Al Wilson's album "Searching for the Dolphins", which was produced and released by Soul City Records.
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Chart SuccessUpon its release, the song reached number 27 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Later, in UK, it peaked at number 41 in 1975 but achieved an impressive second peak at number 4, when it was re-released in 1987.
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Song ComposerThe song was written by civil rights activist Oscar Brown, who had a successful career in music, theatre, and television.
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Song LengthThe official running time of "The Snake" is 3:30 minutes.
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Popular Culture"The Snake" gained notable media attention when it was recited by Donald Trump during his 2016 Presidential campaign as an allegory for immigration issues.
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Cover VersionsThe song has been covered by various artists, including the popular British band, The Jam, and included in their album "Direction, Reaction, Creation".
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Lyrics InterpretationThe lyrics of the song are based on Aesop's fable "The Farmer and the Viper", which tells of a farmer who takes an injured snake into his home only for it to fatally bite him after it has recovered.
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SamplingThe song's distinctive spoken-word intro has been sampled in numerous other tracks across genres, including hip-hop and dance music. For instance, Laura Lee's 1972 song "Wedlock Is a Padlock" used a sample from the intro.
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Re-ReleaseAfter the song's success in the late 1980s, Al Wilson's original version of "The Snake" was re-released in 2009 on the album "The Snake: The Best Of Al Wilson".
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RecognitionIn 2019, it was inducted into the Hall of Fame Singles by Grammy.
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Citation
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"The Snake Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 Jun 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/3718077/Al+Wilson/The+Snake>.
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