Black Snakes (song)

Lyrics

A room that's dark and sealed up tight A room without vestigial light A room so dark your senses drown A room without an up and down Is full of snakes, dull, warm and black Black snakes with the senses that you lack Black snakes in black you just can't see You can't describe identity

You know they hide and coil around In the shadow tangled mound Luminous numbers on them seem To break the spell of this bad dream But then, what's really hard to take The news that makes your logic quake But no-one knows if they don't fake Happening numbers on one snake

One may have two or perhaps four On long ones maybe twelve or more You Can't see the snakes at all You want to climb the unseen wall

You can see the numbers glow But how many snakes? You just can't know Count the snakes and feel secure In knowing that your judgement's sure Make this dream your social work Count the black creatures in the murk Count black snakes and feel secure That you know what's good and what's poor

Chronology

• Black Snakes
• Black Snakes II

Live recordings

Show
October 9, 1982
October 14, 1982	played twice
October 1982	video
January 11, 1995
August 2, 1995
August 6, 2006
October 15, 2006
December 13, 2006