By … Read Full Bio ↴Second wave goth is a style of gothic rock started in the 1980s.
By 1985, the post-punk era was giving way to new musical styles, and many of the first generation gothic groups disbanded or changed their style. The Sisters of Mercy's debut album First and Last and Always (1985) cracked the British top ten, which showed the important influence that this 'first generation' goth band was having on the second generation. Vocalist Andrew Eldritch's voice earned him the moniker "the Godfather of Goth", and the bands' use of a drum machine (along with fellow Leeds residents March Violets) was innovative for the goth scene. The Three Johns and Red Lorry Yellow Lorry (also Leeds-based bands) used drum machines as well, which became much more common during the second generation (drum machines continued to be common in goth music in the 2000s).
During the second wave of goth, the term and the style became noticed in mainstream British publications like The Face and the NME. Goth fans developed fanzines, and goth clubs began to spring up in imitation of London's Batcave. The 1983 vampire-genre film "The Hunger", starring David Bowie, featured an appearance by Bauhaus, which helped to cement the relationship between glam, horror, goth and mainstream. 4AD recording artists such as Clan of Xymox (who had a mainstream hit with "Imagination"), Dead Can Dance, and the Cocteau Twins got US college radio airplay, and 'first generation' acts such as Siouxsie and the Banshees became the goth scene's de facto spokespeople to the mainstream press. Others, such as Southern Death Cult and Death Cult evolved (see The Cult).
Snake Dance
The March Violets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take me to the fires to burn
Save your passion and your kinship
Take me to the flames the flames
The flames the flames
Pay my price in pearls of wisdom
Tell me stories of my fame
Scented oil on troubled water
Take my love in vain
Break the heart break the heart
Break the heart of my very soul
Cast it on the desert sand
This dance catches fire with me
Take my body clean of blame
I am the heat inside the flame
Take my body clean of shame
I am the heat inside the flame
I am the heat I am the heat
Play my song the serpent whispered
Golden skin and eyes of flame
Painted heart and painted nails
She ran her fingers down the scales
Just back from the snake dance baby
I love you when you shed your skin
Just back from the snake dance baby
Open the door lets go in
Just back from the snake dance baby
I love you when you burn me up
Just back from the snake dance baby
This dance catches fire with me
Snake dance
The song "Snake Dance" by The March Violets tells a story of passion and danger, embodied by Cleopatra, who leads the singer to the fires to burn. Cleopatra is a symbolic figure, representing both seduction and power, the ultimate temptress who is both alluring and destructive. The chorus, "Break the heart of my very soul," further emphasizes the intensity of this feeling and how it has consumed the singer. The lyrics also touch upon the theme of sacrifice, with Cleopatra calling upon the singer to pay the price in pearls of wisdom and take her love in vain. The snake dance is a ritualistic dance that represents the shedding of one's skin, a metaphor for rebirth, renewal and transformation.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my hand said Cleopatra
Cleopatra represents the singer’s desire for an exotic and passionate relationship, and this line shows their willingness to follow this person anywhere.
Take me to the fires to burn
The singer is asking to be taken to a place of intensity and danger, where they can experience excitement and risk.
Save your passion and your kinship
The singer is not interested in a traditional relationship or emotional connection, but rather wants only the rush of intense experience.
Take me to the flames the flames
The repetition of ‘flames’ emphasizes the artist’s desire for the thrill of dangerous experiences and suggests that they may be addicted to these feelings.
Pay my price in pearls of wisdom
The artist is asking for enlightenment, knowledge or experience in exchange for their time and energy.
Tell me stories of my fame
The singer is seeking validation or affirmation of their worth or importance.
Scented oil on troubled water
This line refers to the practice of putting fragrant oils on water to calm waves and suggests a desire for peace or tranquility.
Take my love in vain
The artist is giving their affection and devotion, but there is a sense it may not be appreciated or reciprocated, and that they may be willingly participating in this dynamic.
Break the heart break the heart
This line could be interpreted both as a plea to the other person to open themselves up emotionally, or as a willingness to be hurt and broken by others.
Break the heart of my very soul
The artist is willing to risk total emotional devastation for the sake of intense experience and connection with another person.
Cast it on the desert sand
The heartbreak and pain will be left behind, forgotten or abandoned like something worthless.
This dance catches fire with me
The song and the experience of passion and emotional intensity ‘catches fire’ with the artist, consuming them and taking over their emotions.
Take my body clean of blame
The singer is willing to give their physical self totally to another person, without any blame or guilt attached.
I am the heat inside the flame
The singer is confident and empowered by their own passion, and is becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Take my body clean of shame
The singer wants to be free of the guilt or embarrassment that can come with intimate experiences.
Play my song the serpent whispered
The idea of a serpent (a symbol of danger and temptation) whispering suggests the artist is drawn to things that are dangerous and exotic.
Golden skin and eyes of flame
The person the artist is singing about is described as having an exotic and intense appearance.
Painted heart and painted nails
These images suggest someone who presents an image (of beauty or passion) that may not be entirely real or authentic.
She ran her fingers down the scales
The ‘scales’ might refer to both the scales of a snake or the scales of a balance, implying someone who is in control or has a power dynamic in the relationship.
Just back from the snake dance baby
The artist is using the image of a snake dance (which is often provocative and dangerous) to describe their own emotional state or experience.
I love you when you shed your skin
The artist seems to love the transformative or evolving nature of the person they are singing about, and is drawn to the idea of shedding or leaving behind old selves and experiences.
Open the door lets go in
The artist is urging the other person to engage in some kind of dangerous or exciting experience.
I love you when you burn me up
This line suggests that the singer is willing to be hurt or consumed in the name of passion, and that they are attracted to the genuinely intense or dangerous aspects of emotion and connection.
Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@davidechessa1572
«Take my hand said Cleopatra
Take me to the fires to burn
Save your passion and your kinship
Take me to the flames the flames
The flames the flames
Pay my price in pearls of wisdom
Tell me stories of my fame
Scented oil on troubled water
Take my love in vain
Break the heart break the heart
Break the heart of my very soul
Cast it on the desert sand
This dance catches fire with me
Take my body clean of blame
I am the heat inside the flame
Take my body clean of shame
I am the heat inside the flame
I am the heat I am the heat
Play my song the serpent whispered
Golden skin and eyes of flame
Painted heart and painted nails
She ran her fingers down the scales
Just back from the snake dance baby
I love you when you shed your skin
Just back from the snake dance baby
Open the door lets go in
Just back from the snake dance baby
I love you when you burn me up
Just back from the snake dance baby
This dance catches fire with me
Snake dance»
@thebarbaryghostsf
This still packs the floor in Goth parties.
@miwdiva
It is always sooo great!! I wish I could hear this more often in my city.
@user-hq1fj3zo4d
I'm so happy to hear that. Hopefully one day I get to attend a goth party some day
@kaydentsgillam7195
@☽ 𝘎 𝘳 𝘦 𝘺 . same
@willdrakes7445
That’s because it’s a fucking tune!
@thebarbaryghostsf
@Will Drakes It sure is.
@davidechessa1572
«Take my hand said Cleopatra
Take me to the fires to burn
Save your passion and your kinship
Take me to the flames the flames
The flames the flames
Pay my price in pearls of wisdom
Tell me stories of my fame
Scented oil on troubled water
Take my love in vain
Break the heart break the heart
Break the heart of my very soul
Cast it on the desert sand
This dance catches fire with me
Take my body clean of blame
I am the heat inside the flame
Take my body clean of shame
I am the heat inside the flame
I am the heat I am the heat
Play my song the serpent whispered
Golden skin and eyes of flame
Painted heart and painted nails
She ran her fingers down the scales
Just back from the snake dance baby
I love you when you shed your skin
Just back from the snake dance baby
Open the door lets go in
Just back from the snake dance baby
I love you when you burn me up
Just back from the snake dance baby
This dance catches fire with me
Snake dance»
@ga6972
I was never a goth...but this has always been a quality tune
@theophaniamadrason3838
that constitutes as being goth, I think ; ) Its about the tunes. :D
@dlperk5035
@Theophania Madrason Sometimes, mainly about appreciating a certain artistic way of life, an aesthetic, of which the tunes play no small part.