Birth of Serpents

[Verse 1]
Let the camera pull back
'Til the fullness of the frame is clear and plain
Peer into the screen until you see it all
Like a vision in a crystal ball
Let it all fill with smoke
Is this somebody's idea of a joke?

[Verse 2]
Let the fixer work until the silver's washed away
And take the picture from the tray
Look hard at what you see and then remember you and me
And let the truth spring free
Like a jack-in-the-box
Like a hundred-thousand cuckoo clocks

[Chorus 1]
From the Oregon corners to the Iowa corn
To the rooms with the heat lamps where the snakes get born

[Verse 3]
Crawl through the tunnel and follow
Follow the light northwest
See that young man who dwells inside
His body like an uninvited guest
See the tunnel twist
Clutch your birthright in your fist

[Bridge]
Let the camera do its dirty work down there in the dark
Sink low, arise high, bring back some blurry pictures
To remember all your darker moments by
Permanent bruises on our knees
Never forget what it felt like to live in rooms like these

[Chorus 2]
From the California coastline to the Iowa corn
To the rooms with the heat lamps where the snakes get born