12 Utterly Terrifying Songs About Snakes | Playlist

1. Rina Sawayama, “Snakeskin”

SAWAYAMA • Dirty Hit • 2020

“You’re slithering, slithering, slithering into my heart, yeah / You’re changing my, changing my, changing my, changing my mind, yeah.” Japanese-British artist Rina Sawayama dropped a stellar debut album in 2020 with SAWAYAMA. Following one of the album’s best songs, “Chosen Family”, is a tall task, particularly given the fact the song gives thanks to her ‘chosen Family’ (the LGBTQ+ community ).  No worries though as “Snakeskin” is a surefire gem.

It begins with the gorgeous, dramatic intro, where Sawayama sings, “Looking for forgiveness / I ran into your madness / Shutting off my brain just to spite my heart.” Her voice is enigmatic and stunning, as a melismatic passage is a driving force in accelerating the pace, transforming the “Snakeskin” into a more driving, rhythmic direction.  The production is sleek AF, providing Rina with a marvelous canvas to paint upon, including samples of Neobuo Uematsu (“Fanfare” (Final Fantasy VII)”) and  Ludwig Van Beethoven (Sonata No. 8 Pathetique – 1^st Movement). As aforementioned, Sawayama brilliantly captures the snake and snakeskin lyrically. There’s ample repetition throughout, intended to give the listener the full effect of how and what she feels emotionally.  Rina concludes SAWAYAMA with a surefire bang.

2. The Black Keys, “Crawling Kingsnake”

Delta Kream • Nonesuch • 2021

Grammy-winning rock collective The Black Keys ( Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney), introduce the blues to a new audience on their fine, 2021 Mississippi blues cover album, Delta Kream.  The result is a new-old album of sorts – one that ends up being both enjoyable and ultimately, quite successful. Auerbach and Carney recorded Delta Kream live in the studio with friends Eric Deaton (electric bass) and Kenny Brown (electric guitar).  Among the highlights is the slithering “Crawling Kingsnake.”

“Crawling Kingsnake” written by John Lee Hooker and Bernard Besman, is an epic way to commence Delta Kream.  The record features killer guitar riffs, soloing, and a prominent, anchoring bassline.  Furthermore, Patrick Carney provides superb drumming, as always.  As for Dan Auerbach, he delivers sensational vocals which are nuanced, expressive and perfectly tailored to the blues/blues-rock style.  While “Crawling Kingsnake” runs long in its main, extended form, a shorter, radio-friendly edit concludes Delta Kream.

3. Gunna, “3 Headed Snake”

Ft. Young Thug

Drip or Drown 2 • Young Stoner Life / 300 Entertainment • 2020

“Aimin’ at a date, aimin’ at a Wraith, aimin’ at a gate, mmh.” Um, sure, okay… Gunna and Young Thug together on the same track? That screams interesting listening experience.  The song at hand, “3 Headed Snake,” appears on Gunna’s 2020 album, Drip or Drown 2.  Ultimately, the song has nothing to do with that terrifying creature known as a snake.  That said, Thugga describes what said “3 headed snake” looks like: “Shit, me, Gunna, and Wheezy, that’s a three-headed snake.” In other words, totally metaphorical.  The symbolism dates back years and years and years. Ages, y’all!

While the symbolism itself is intriguing, Gunna and Young Thug are much more basic.  Thugga spends the whole first verse concerned with his penis (“You could use my nut to cleanse your face”).  Gunna is no better honestly, segueing from Thug’s final live to assert, “Bitch, drink my nut like E&J.” Mercy! The next two verses are more collaborative but no more ‘refined’ you might say.  It’s all drip and sex over the course of four minutes. Do with that what you want.  

4. Miguel, “Python”

“Python” •  RCA •  2018

On his 2018 single “Python” (written specifically for the Ascension tour), Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter Miguel delivers a funky groove that gives off throwback vibes all the day long.  Lyrically, Miguel references the python sexually. On the first verse he sings: “I’ve been searching for somewhere safe and warm / Devour you like my prey ‘til you’re quivering / Don’t be afraid.” A bit far-fetched, but Miguel and sex usually work well together so…

On the second verse he delivers similar lyrics: “I’ve been searching for somewhere safe to explore / Devouring you like my prey till you’re shivering / Don’t be afraid.” Umm… If there was any doubt, the chorus confirms the SEXUAL aspect. That said, it’s kind of hard to see a python letting anything else reign over it, as Miguel suggests… just saying.

“Demonstrate, yeah, let’s drop it
Yeah, I need a cave to hide in
Educate, I'm with the logic
I’m feeling swell (swell)…
Summer rain on me, yeah
I’ll let you reign over me, me
Summer reign over me
Ooh baby, reign over me, yeah.”

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5. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “Leviathan”

Ghosteen • Ghosteen Ltd. • 2019

“We talked it round and round again / Then drove the car down to the sea, the sea / We sat in the cark park for an hour or two / I love my baby and my baby loves me, loves me.” Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds shined brightly on Ghosteen, one of the most gorgeous, haunting, and intriguing albums of 2019.  One of many elite songs worth noting is the chilling, enigmatic “Leviathan.”

A leviathan, of course, is a sea serpent .  This monstrous sea creature referenced is referenced in The Bible. As you might expect, the Biblical connotation is negative. Interestingly, while Cave mentions the sea on “Leviathan,” he never names the serpent itself explicitly.

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6. Trippie Redd, “Snake Skin”

! • TenThousand Projects • 2019

If nothing else, give Trippie Redd credit for being prolific.  The melodic rapper is constantly releasing new material, something prevalent within the younger rap community in particular these days.  Getting into the slithering, snake action of 12 Utterly Terrifying Songs About Snakes, Redd unleashes “Snake Skin.”  Just so you can keep track, “Snake Skin” appears as the second track on his 2019 project, uniquely titled !. Do with that what you will!  

So, how much does “Snake Skin” really have to do with snakes? Little, of course.  That’s obvious early on when Redd melodically raps, “Ahh / Bitch so bad with the snakeskin, ayy / Foreign do the dash, you now I’m racin’.”  Basically, “Snake Skin” is another rap record built on drip and sex. That’s honestly about the size of it.  Trippie Redd does offer up an anti-suicide message on the chorus… I think…

“Foreign suicide, wrist suicide
Neck suicide, car suicide
Doors suicide, don’t commit no suicide
Say no to suicide, suicide, suicide
Suicide watch (Watch), huh
These niggas gon’ kill theyself, they see me stuntin’ (Stuntin’), huh.”

Woo… I think…

7. St. Vincent, “Rattlesnake”

St. Vincent • Seven Four Entertainment / Republic • 2014

Grammy-winner St. Vincent (Annie Clark) delivers a unique, ear-catching experience at the onset of St. Vincent (2014) with “Rattlesnake.” The mix of distorted guitars, drums, and synths definitely highlight. The groove itself is utterly electrifying with a degree of pop sensibility – in an alternative sense.

Lyrically, “Rattlesnake” is all ‘bread and butter’ with lyrics like, “I see the snake holes dotted in the sand / As if the Seurat painted the Rio Grande / Am I the only one in the only world?”  If that’s too ‘abstract’, perhaps repetitive lyrics like “Running, running, running, rattle behind me…” are more fun and lighthearted.  Of course, there’s nothing really fun and lighthearted about a slithering, poisonous, utterly evil reptile!

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8. G-Eazy, “Leviathan”

Ft. Sam Martin

The Beautiful & Damned • RCA •  2017

“I play no games ‘ve got many names / Wanna swim in the fire, don’t take all day,” Sam Martin sings on the chorus of “Leviathan.” “Leviathan” ranks among the elite cuts from The Beautiful & Damned, the third studio album by G-Eazy. It actually appears on the second disc.

Martin, who begins the record with the marvelous chorus, later adds: “Lucifer, Leviathan / He is I, girl, and II am him.” The record is a bop from the jump.  As rock-solid as the flow and rhymes are by G-Eazy (“It’s a monster, it’s not safe here / Run for the hills, but not these hills”), arguably, Martin, as well as the sensational production ( Michael Keenan), steals this slithering show.

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9. J. Cole, “Land of the Snakes”

Born Sinner • Roc Nation • 2013

“Lord, know some hoes from the past like / ‘Damn Cole, wish I knew that you would be rich’.” “Land of the Snakes” is a highlight from Born Sinner, the sophomore album by Grammy-winning rapper, J. Cole.  The record examines his past as well as his ‘sinful’ endeavors.  He ‘cockily’ proclaims “My kicks hard, my whip hard / I came out the womb with my dick hard” on the second verse.  Now that is some surefire hardness right there!

On the chorus, Cole eschews church for a hook-up:

“She said ‘You bout to miss church’ while she riding me
I like my sundaes with a cherry on top
Make that ass drop.”

That is some sacrilege for sure, though there are plenty who would/do opt for good sex over the good word. It exemplifies the metaphor of the land of the snakes. If that’s not bad enough, Cole details a one-night stand, but at least admits to being regretful of his actions.  Again, one-night-stands are common occurrences, but they’re never really a good idea in the long run.

10. Eric Church, “The Snake”

Desperate Man • EMI Nashville •  2018

“Lie by lie, cheat by cheat / Venom in smiling teeth / They just run those forked tongues / And the whole world’s burning down.” Following a three-year hiatus, Grammy-nominated country artist  Eric Church returned with his sixth studio album,  Desperate Man in Autumn 2018. “The Snake” commences Desperate Man enigmatically, with Church portraying an entertaining, though troubling conversation between a rattlesnake and a copperhead.  Neither makes an ideal pet obviously… both are utterly sinful, which is reflected through the lyrics.

“Copperhead laughed, said, ‘Kiss my ass!’
You can bark but there ain’t much bite
You rattle that tail, but it’s fear I smell
I think you’re shaking out of fright...
Rattle snake said to the copperhead
‘Y’know we were the original sin
And I bet you my rattle against your copper
That the bitch takes the apple again.”

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11. Bastille, “Snakes”

Wild World • Virgin • 2016

“Ooh, I’m not ready!” Well, we’re ready Dan Smith, so, get yourself together man! “Snakes” marks an energetic moment from Wild World, the sophomore album by alternative collective Bastille.  Notably, this slithering record bears harmonic similarities to one of the top tier songs from Wild World, “Good Grief”.  Even so, “Snakes” makes a name for its own self, no cap!

Following up on the opening lyric, what exactly isn’t the Bastille front man ready for? Those snakes, which is understandable! “Snakes are biting at my heels,” he sings on the first verse, continuing, “The worries that refuse to let us go.” Hmm, seems like there aren’t real snakes but rather metaphorical ones.  We’ll take it.  On the first pre-chorus, Smith goes on to say, “Drink to escape their bites / Show me distraction / Even for just one night.” Expressive lyricism, and it doesn’t stop there, as Smith ratchets up the snake references on the chorus, asserting, “‘Cause it’s easier to bury / My head in the sand sometimes,” as well as, “But I pray for the ground to swallow me whole.” Worth noting, Smith handles most of the vocal duties, but Kyle Simmons ‘helps a brother out’ to release this appealing, slithering gem.  

12. Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”

The Pinkprint • Cash Money • 2014

“Oh my gosh, look at her butt!” Sex, and ample doses of it are a big part of Nicki Minaj’s persona – FACTS!  “Anaconda” , an absolutely filthy song, is the crème de la crème of the her 2014 album, The Pinkprint.  “My anaconda don’t, my anaconda don’t / My anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hun!”

“Anaconda,” which samples the Sir-Mix-a-Lot classic “Baby Got Back”, explores animalistic tendencies in regard to sex. “Anaconda” is one of the horniest records you’ll ever hear. Minaj not only discusses her own ASSets and private parts, but she also discusses his ‘size’ and how the sex goes down… graphically.

“This dude named Michael used to ride motorcycles
Dick bigger than a tower, I ain’t talking about Eiffel’s
Real country-ass nigga, let me play with his rifle
Pussy put his ass to sleep, now he calling me Nyquil...
He can tell I ain’t missing no meals
Come through and fuck him in my automobile
Let him eat it with his grills and he tellin’ me to chill...”

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