Burdon left also this band and run back to stardome in the mid-70s with The Eric Burdon Band producing heavy rocking songs. He went on forming short-living groups such as Eric Burdon's Fire Dept. in 1980, another Eric Burdon Band in 1981, especially for a motion picture-starring role in Comeback for which he made the soundtrack and a reunion band with The Animals in 1983 to get back to the Mainstream Charts. The 1980s saw Burdon in genres such as heavy metal, new wave, pop, reggae, disco, blues, rock and roll, punk, funk and rap. He also published his album "I Used To Be An Animal" as well as his autobiography with the same title. He went on touring in stadiums as well as in small clubs around the world.
In 1990 he formed the Eric Burdon & Robby Krieger Band who toured mainly in America. They recorded some demo tapes, but never released them. In 1991 he toured the world again as Eric Burdon & Brian Auger Band. They released a double-live album, "Access All Areas" in 1993, showing versions of Burdon's old hits in new musical outfits, once again as a blues, metal, reggae and fusion performer.
In 1994 they got disbanded, Burdon got introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he performed 1995 with Bon Jovi and created a new group of high-professional musicians, Eric Burdon's i Band. They disbanded in 1998 and he formed Eric Burdon & The New Animals. In 2003 they changed their name in Eric Burdon & The Animals, after some band changes. In 2004 the long awaited studio-album "My Secret Life" was released and brought him back into the mainstream charts and in late 2005 the live album "Athens Traffic Live" was released.
Burdon formed a new band-line-up, also touring as Eric Burdon & The Animals. In January 2006 he released "Soul of a Man", with good critics worldwide. He wanted to create an album who is dedicated to the blues and rnb. Since then he toured the world without a break, always looking for new material, performing with other famous musicians.
Recently, Burdon wrote a screenplay called "Twisted Oliver" and is working on a new studio album. He turned down tours with War and Linkin Park in the last year, but it seems that the new year is bringing many surprises.
Many of his bands also used elements of speed metal, thrash metal, grindcore and death metal.
He's definitely one of the most important people in music history, while recording the first #1 hit with a length more than four minutes, "House of the Rising Sun", the most popular anti-vietnam song "We Gotta Get out of this Place", the first song recorded in stereo, "Sky Pilot" and the first latin rap in pop music, "Spill the Wine". His self-written rock song "Year of the Guru" (1968) proves that he created the first rap rock-song. His political environment can be seen in his multi-racial project with the band War from late 1969 to early 1971. In 2008 he reunited with the band at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Without his experimental vocals, hip hop, rap, heavy metal, rock, pop and rnb would have a completely different face.
His singing style and music also influenced artists such as Joe Cocker, The Doors, Deep Purple, The Brute Chorus, Ted Nugent, Janis Joplin, The Sonics, Steppenwolf, Chester Bennington, Bruce Springsteen, The Black Crowes, Tom Petty, The White Stripes, Ryan Adams, John Mellencamp, The Compulsive Gamblers, The Vines, Julian Thome, The Hives, MC5 and many more.
In November 2008 the magazine Rolling Stone ranked him #57 on their list of the Best Singers of all Times.
Formations:
The Animals & Sonny Boy Williamson (December 30, 1963)
The Animals (1964 - September 1966, 1976, 1983/84)
Eric Burdon & The Animals (1967 - 1968)
Eric Burdon & War (1969 - 1971)
Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon (1971)
The Eric Burdon Band (1973 - 1975)
Eric Burdon's Fire Department (1980)
Eric Burdon, Robbie Krieger & Friends (1990)
Eric Burdon & Brian Auger Band (1991 - 1993)
Eric Burdon's I Band (1995 - 1998)
Eric Burdon & The New Animals (1999 - 2002)
Eric Burdon (1976 - ...)
Crawling King Snake
Eric Burdon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I rule my den
I'm the Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
Yeah, don't mess 'round with my mate
Gonna use her for myself
Caught me crawlin', baby, window
Keep on crawlin' till the day I die
Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
You better give me what I want
Gonna crawl no more
Caught me crawlin', baby
Crawlin' 'round your door
Seein' everything I want
I'm gonna crawl on your floor
Let's crawl
And I rule my den
C'mon, give me what I want
Ain't gonna crawl no more
Alright, crawl a while
C'mon crawl
C'mon crawl
Get on out there on your hands and knees, baby
Crawl all over me
Just like the spider on the wall
Ooo, we gonn' crawl, one more
Well, I'm the Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
Call me the Crawlin' King Snake
And I rule my den
Yeah, don't mess 'round with my mate
Gonna use her for myself
The lyrics of Eric Burdon's Crawling King Snake represent the power of the titular character, who refers to himself as the king of his den. The Crawling King Snake is revered as the ruler of his territory, and he won't let anyone mess with his mate who he intends to use for himself. The first verse announces the king's identity and power, and it's clear throughout the rest of the song that those who challenge him will not succeed. The character speaks of his ability to crawl through windows and high grass, even on the day of his death, indicating that he is both skillful and persistent.
The second half of the song seems to shift as the Crawling King Snake addresses his mate, crawling around her door and on her floor. The instructions for her to crawl on him like the spider on the wall adds to the seductive nature of the song, further emphasizing the power dynamic between the two characters. The refrain repeats throughout the song, cementing the king's power and adding to the hypnotic quality of the lyrics. Ultimately, this song is about asserting dominance and getting what one wants, without compromise.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm the Crawlin' King Snake
I am the dominant one in my home
And I rule my den
I have control over everything in my space
Yeah, don't mess 'round with my mate
Do not interfere with my partner
Gonna use her for myself
I will keep my mate for my own pleasure
Caught me crawlin', baby, window
You caught me sneaking around your home
Grass is very high
The surrounding vegetation is tall
Keep on crawlin' till the day I die
I will continuously move around on my hands and knees until my death
Crawlin' King Snake
The dominant snake that crawls on its belly
You better give me what I want
You will provide me with what I demand
Gonna crawl no more
I will stop crawling once I gain satisfaction
Crawlin' 'round your door
Moving around near your entrance
Seein' everything I want
Observing all that I desire
I'm gonna crawl on your floor
I will move on my belly across your flooring
Let's crawl
We will physically move on our hands and knees
C'mon, give me what I want
Provide me with my desired object
Ain't gonna crawl no more
I will stop sneaking around once I obtain satisfaction
Alright, crawl a while
Let's continue to move on our hands and knees for a little bit longer
C'mon crawl
Let's move on our hands and knees
Get on out there on your hands and knees, baby
You should join me and move on your belly too
Crawl all over me
Move on your belly on top of me
Just like the spider on the wall
The way we crawl is similar to how spiders move on walls
Ooo, we gonn' crawl, one more
Let's continue to move on our hands and knees for a little longer
Call me the Crawlin' King Snake
Refer to me as the dominant snake that crawls on its belly
And I rule my den
I am in complete control of everything in my space
Yeah, don't mess 'round with my mate
Do not interfere with my partner
Gonna use her for myself
I will keep my mate exclusively for my own pleasure
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind