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The Switch and the Spur Lyrics
(One, two)
In the heat of the desert sun,
On the blistering trail
An appaloosa and,
A wanted man sprung from jail
Slow in motion and shadow-less
The switch and the spurs
Every living thing with a fatal sting
Bark and rattle this curse
The rider hallucinates
The snapping hooves on the sand
Spits a venom dream, recalls a stranger scream
And a broken hand
The saddle spotted with sweat and blood
The poison pumps through his veins
There's no stopping this, and now he's powerless
Still holding the reins
Any poor souls who trespass against us
Whether it be beast or man
Will suffer the bite or be stung dead on sight
By those who inhabit this land
For theirs is the power and this is their kingdom
As sure as the sun does burn
So enter this path, but heed these four words:
"You shall never return"
Any poor souls who trespass against us
Whether it be beast or man
Will suffer the bite or be stung dead on sight
By those who inhabit this land
For theirs is the power and this is their kingdom
As sure as the sun does burn
So enter this path, but heed these four words:
"You shall never return"
On the blistering trail
An appaloosa and,
A wanted man sprung from jail
The switch and the spurs
Every living thing with a fatal sting
Bark and rattle this curse
The snapping hooves on the sand
Spits a venom dream, recalls a stranger scream
And a broken hand
The poison pumps through his veins
There's no stopping this, and now he's powerless
Still holding the reins
Whether it be beast or man
Will suffer the bite or be stung dead on sight
By those who inhabit this land
As sure as the sun does burn
So enter this path, but heed these four words:
"You shall never return"
Whether it be beast or man
Will suffer the bite or be stung dead on sight
By those who inhabit this land
As sure as the sun does burn
So enter this path, but heed these four words:
"You shall never return"
Song Info
Submitted by
justfetus On Mar 22, 2008
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Note: An appaloosa is a breed of horse.
Scorpions and snakes roaming the desert... attacking anyone who comes.
Andrew Lloyd Weber move over...
"Any pour souls who trespass against us Whether it be beast or man Will suffer the bite or be stung dead on sight By those who inhabit this land
For there's is the power and this is the kingdom As sure as the sun does burn So enter this path, but heed these four words, You shall never return..."
Lyrical genius.
this song is awesome. dunno if it really means anything but its def. a cool story. especially the ending. gotta love jack white.
I think this is just the story of someone escaping from jail in the west thinking he can escape through the desert. His arrogance gets the best of him and he is bitten by a snake and dies. Great song, one of my favorites on the album
I belive that it has two distinct halves in it.
The first depicts the scene of a desperado freshly escaped from jail. He's managed to ride out into the baking desert, but on his way he was bittne by a snake and is slowly dying from the poison.
The second half is the permanent ultimatum for the desert itself, warning that it can never be conquered anyone, "whether it be man or beast."
Perhaps one of my favorites, this is a uniquely well-rounded song.
I dislike these lyrics. It's moving far too much into metal clichés. At least it's about an actual desert and not demons or some stupid shit. But the whole song's a bit self-indulgent.
lawl to JustFetus and artbeat.
i love this Western tone this song has! i think its like a victory song of the environment against mankind. its like the snakes and scorpions are a gang, and the escapees are on their turf, and the snakes and scorpions are like "aw hell nah, bitch!" and the bite em and the escapees die and its like, "HA!" from the scorpions and snakes.
lol.
Its pretty obvious.....
Its about the messiah (current life of Gods son) sprung back to life in this place (the dessert or other realm) to save mankind (Gods ambassador on earth) but strung out on dope and helpless to the procsess.... Or is he?.... If your in this reality do your best not to believe the HyPe!
I like how everyone is pointing out the obvious that the lyrics depict a guy in the desert. But this is The Raconteurs, their lyrics are never that simple. Whatever the true meaning is its still an amazing song.