A popular song from 1912.
Words and music by Chris Smith and Elmer Bowman.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
Down in the swampiest part of Tennessee
Every night all the snakes give a jambouree
That is where all the twists ad twirls are shown
Every snake had a movement of it’s own
Talk about your monkey dances
Talk about your baboon prances
Rave about Salome all you please
(All you please, you can rave all you please)
Talk about your turkey trottin’
Soon that dance will be forgotten
‘Cause the snakes have one that they can do
With ease (they do with ease)
CHORUS
It’s a dance that’s full of ginger
Beats the reel from old Virginia
The Rattle snake rattled and shook his hip
And cracked his tail like a buggy whip
The garter snake wiggled and wobbled
Like a worm while the big black snake
Did a twistin’ squirm
The Boa constructor got particular
Did a motion perpendicular
to the sneaky, creepy, shaky, snaky Rag
It’s called the snake
Verse 2
There was a dozen of snakes just twirlin’ ’round
There was all kinds of snakes on the muddy ground
When the copperhead snake who had posed as a cop
Told the snake band to play and not to stop
Let me try this snaky motion
While I’ve got this shaky notion
All I want’s a girlie by my side
(By my side, like a bride by my side)
Yonder comes Miss Lady Rattle
‘Spects there’s goin’ to be a battle
‘Cause with her this night I’m goin’ to glide
And slide (to glide and slide)