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Sever the Snake

by Samm Bennett - Polarity Records

/

about

The title of this song was inspired by my viewing, at the Museum of Modern Art annex in SoHo, New York City, a painting by the great Paul Klee, entitled The Severing of the Snake. The image stayed with me for years, and finally came out as this song. Joining me on this one is guitarist Ken Shima, who I worked with for a while here in Tokyo, in a duo band we called Medicine Bone.

lyrics

Sever the Snake

you could waltz halfway across Texas
turn your pedal steel upside down
sucker punch a fat policeman
over in the rich part of town
take your grandmother to the disco
let her show you how to shimmy and shake
won't none of it mean a goddamn thing
until you sever the snake

my sister used to work for the FBI
she was J Edgar Hoover's right hand man
then she transferred over to the CIA
she used to show me all the secret plans
we coulda brought down the government
woulda been a piece of cake
but she said Samm don't you know you'd be better off
to just go sever the snake

the cleaning lady came and dirtied up the house again
the little hand fell off the clock
the doctor came and took back all my medicine
that came as quite a shock
then this morning my woman took my banjo
she threw it into the lake
i guess the only thing left for me to do
is go ahead and sever the snake

i've seen you walking your dog after midnight
heard you thinking out loud
and honey i love that stuff that you spray in your hair
you really stand out from the crowd
so won't you come down south with me baby
if you don't you know my heart's just gonna break
you and me could make sweet music
together while we sever the snake

credits

released April 17, 2020
Samm Bennett: vocal, 1-string bass (aka Diddley Bow), percussion
Ken Shima: guitar
Recorded at Polarity Studio, Tokyo, Japan
All Words and Music Copyright Samm Bennett - All Rights Reserved

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Samm Bennett - Polarity Records Tokyo, Japan

Singer and songwriter, player of unusual string instruments such as 3-string and 1-string guitar, plus jaw harps, mouthbow, electronics and junk, plus all manner of drums and percussion.

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