The Snake, The Crow

A Story

"The Snake, the Crow" by Ziffler

I had been working on something not quite my style and reached a stopping point when the song was no longer telling me how to finish it. Then on a melancholic Saturday, I was inspired to start writing a new song, a sadder song. I'm pleased to say I was successful.

Sometimes it works out that a song turns out exactly like the song I intended to write. This is not to say that I had the complete song in my head when I started. In fact, I had nothing specific in mind other than a mood I wanted to capture. This is that mood.

The main elements of the song all came together quite easily and there was very little decision making about how the song should progress - it just happened. This is definitely the way I like my songs to be written! Of course, the lyrics - now that's another story.

THE SNAKE, THE CROW

Try as she might, she cannot see
She cannot find her way out of the woods
She asks the snake
She asks the bear
She asks the crow for help

[the crow] 
I am the snake
I am the crow

Said the bear, "turn away my dear,
I've no time for your grief and worries"

Wait, there is no wood for a fire
There are no blankets for night
Find a way to make it through this

I'm right
I fight
I fly away

Said the snake, "won't you stay?
Walk in circles 'til you tire
And stay with me
Follow me, deeper still
And embrace the darkened forest"

"Please, please" said the fallen girl
To the crow
"Won't you please help?"
Crow, with a silent reply
Simply flew
Above the trees

I lead the way
Just rise up
Rise up
From your view

Rise above the trees
Fly far from here
----

I spent the better part of a day writing lyrics. They were written in the first person and were about reacting to adversity. It was good therapy (as songs often are) but at the end of the day, the words just didn't reflect the mood of the music. So the next day I started from scratch. I decided to stick with the theme of adversity, but instead of a first person therapy session, I turned it into a story. I had in mind a forest, a girl, and a crow. I added a snake and a bear to represent two ways of approaching adversity, with the crow being the final (and best) way. Those crows are pretty smart birds.

Once I had the main scope of the story, the words came fairly easily. And I managed to keep some of the words from the first draft ("there is no wood for the fire...") which fit nicely into the story.

The sort of tinny vocal that shows up throughout the song, as sort of a call-and-response to the main vocals, had been there since my first pre-lyric draft of the song. I love this part and think it really makes the song what it is. I needed to write words for this part (well, I guess I didn't need to considering you can't really understand the words) and I decided to give this part to the crow. Especially since it almost sounds like a crow's call. True, the first line is "I am the snake", but this is a very subtle way of saying that all of these parts - the snake, the bear, and the crow - are just different parts of the single inner-dialog of the protagonist (the girl).

I did notice an error in the lyrics, however. The first verse introduces the animals; the snake, the bear, and the crow, but the verses are in a different order. I probably should have changed the introduction so the animals are in the order in which they appear in the verses, but I felt it was fine as is. Or maybe I was just too lazy to change it.

I hope you enjoy the song, it's one of my favorites.

Uncle Ziffler