These Snakes Get High

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a disorienting picture of pervasive, almost sentient "snakes" that seem to represent a corrupting or overwhelming influence. The initial imagery of snakes "goin' south" and "goin' all around" suggests a widespread, insidious movement, contrasted with the narrator's instinct to go "underground." This creates an immediate tension between an external, encroaching force and a desire for self-preservation or retreat. The central conflict appears to be the narrator's struggle to comprehend and evade these "snakes" that "get high." The repeated phrase "These snakes get high!" functions as an unsettling refrain, hinting at a state of altered perception or dangerous detachment. The narrator's attempts to understand, like trying to "figure out a snake" or "communicate," are met with the stark, almost absurd pronouncements that they "won't visit your grave" and that taking a bath with one is "stupid." This suggests a fundamental disconnect and a growing sense of unease. The most striking aspect of the craft is the surreal, almost nonsensical imagery used to describe the snakes' actions. They "build a fort" instead of going to the airport and are not a "good idea" unless one is "great." This deliberate absurdity amplifies the feeling of irrationality and the narrator's bewilderment. The lyrics don't offer a clear narrative, but rather a series of fragmented, unsettling observations that build a mood of paranoia and confusion. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their ability to evoke a visceral sense of being overwhelmed by something incomprehensible and potentially dangerous. The relentless repetition of "These snakes get high!" hammers home the alien nature of this force, leaving the listener with a lingering feeling of unease and a sense that something is fundamentally off-kilter in the world the narrator inhabits.