Snake Dance

In 1971 I saw an action film called ‘Billy Jack’ where writer-director Tom Laughlin plays a half-Navajo, ex-Green Beret veteran, who saves wild horses from being slaughtered for dog food, while he helps protect a desert “freedom school” for runaways. During the film Billy Jack goes through a Navajo ‘snake dance’ initiation rite of manhood, where he enters a ceremonial dance ring with a large rattlesnake. The rattlesnake’s job is to bite the dancer, and the dancer’s job is to survive the bite and become a warrior. It doesn’t always work out well for the young dancer. As a 25-year-old myself, I was amazed that everyone involved agreed to play the roles they were assigned. The dancer and the snake are stuck in the ring together, … acting out their parts in their very real relationship. SNAKE DANCE Dancing in a snake dance A-Asus2-E7sus4-A Where the dancer twirls and spins Dsus2-A And the guilty serpent strikes Dsus2 And neither partner wins Dsus2-A, A V1: I asked her how she’d been A She said, “You’ve been our best friend, Dsus2-A And I don’t know where to begin, E2-G6-A Cho: I don’t love him anymore Dsus2-A I’ve had it up to here, I’ve seen it all before C#7-F#m He won’t let me help him E He hollers if I try F#7sus4/E And I know I must be crazy B-B7sus4, Emodal But I can’t say ‘Good-bye’“ Emodal-A, A V2: She cried and poured my tea A She said “What can I do? Dsus2-A You see, I’m his guiding light F#m-F#m7 When I help him talk things through Bm-E, Esus4-E But he holds me up on high A Where he guards me jealously D-Bm, Bm7 While he gets it on with one-night stands E-F#m He can’t make love with me! Esus4-E Cho: I don’t love him anymore Dsus2-Afig I’ve had it up to here, I’ve seen it all before C#7-F#m He scares me when he’s angry E He burns me with his eyes, F#7sus4/E(044200) And if I say ‘I’m leaving’ B(799800)-B7sus4(797900), E-modal(079900) It kills me when he cries.” E-modal-A, A V3: I hugged her in the silence A “It’ll all work out,” I lied Dsus2-A I was hardly out her door F#m-F#m7 When I had to stop and cry Bm-E, Esus4-E They were dancing in a snake dance A To a tune I used to know D-Bm, Bm7 My heart was aching now E-F#m Though it happened long ago Esus4-E Cho: They were dancing in a snake dance D That would have to run it’s time A And it hurt to see them dancing C#7 In a dance so much like mine F#m, F#m7 Where the serpent strikes E When he hears his dancer’s cries F#7sus4/E And he feels twice the pain B-B7sus4, Emodal When his dancer finally dies! Emodal Yes, he strikes ‘cause he’s afraid E Of love that’s true, F#7sus4/E And both of them are poisoned B-B7sus4-Emodal When the dance is through. Emodal-A Dancing in a snake dance A-Asus2-E7sus4/A-A Where the dancers twirl and spin, Dsus2-A And the guilty serpent strikes Dsus2 And neither partner wins! Dsus2 (005030/004030)4x-(002200) Written by Peter Alsop, ©1979, Moose School Music (BMI) On ‘Draw The Line’ and ‘Songs On Recovery & Addiction’ Big ‘Thanks’ to Janis Liebhart, Jim McVay and Matt Cartsonis www.peteralsop.com Eight years later, when I wrote this song, I saw echoes of this powerful ‘snake dance’ analogy everywhere I went. On the road, I’d visit a variety of friends as I criss-crossed the country. During my stays I would hear separate private painful stories from each partner! So many couples struggle with their own version of a ‘snake dance’. I listened, and although I felt I might have some valuable advice, I didn’t ‘take sides’, as they were figuring out how to proceed with their own lives, … together or apart. When we don’t know how or where to go for help, we strike out physically, or verbally. Often one or both of us find someone else to soothe us, as we try to escape this painful and toxic dance, where neither dancer knows how to retreat. And the man who sings this song, the best friend of the woman who confides to him about the painful trap her relationship has become for her, has his own wounds that get triggered. Having been through a ‘snake dance’ himself, his pain is very present and real, and yet he knows that ‘placing blame’ only continues the dance. ILLUSTRATION BY TERRI ASHER The question I heard most frequently from women who heard this song was, “How did you learn these things?” And I would say, “from watching men, and listening to women.” Sometimes we have to finish our dance. Once we’ve lived through the pain of what got us here, we need to look honestly at how we got into this ‘snake dance’ in the first place. Once we understand the entanglements, we can avoid the missteps we took in the past, ... so we don’t repeat them in the future. Each of us take ‘missteps’ as we find our way through our personal lives. By understanding them, we learn to take better steps that improve all areas of our lives. By learning how to love ourselves better and care for others, we gain the skills we need to surround ourselves with people who know how to love us back. Written by Peter Alsop, ©1979, Moose School Music (BMI) On ‘Draw The Line’ and ‘Songs On Recovery & Addiction’ Glad you stopped by. Please share this post with anyone who might find it useful! Thanks for reading Peter Alsop’s Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it or Re-stack it! 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