Part 1A Little Boy Walked A Forest Path Where The Mountain Shadows FallAnd Coiled Beside The Dusty Trail Lay A Rattlesnake Old And SmallThe Serpent Raised His Weary Head His Voice Was Thin And LowLittle Boy Please Carry Me Where The Mountain Sunsets GlowThe Boy Stepped Back And Shook His Head, I Know The Kind You AreIf I Lift You In My Arms, Your Bite Will Leave Its ScarBut The Snake Spoke Soft And Trembling, I Am Old And Near My EndLet Me See The Sunset Once, I Will Not Harm You FriendPart 2The Boy Stood Long In Silence There While The Evening Shadows GrewThen He Took The Rattlesnake Though He Knew What Snakes Can DoHeld Him Close Against His Chest As He Climbed The Rocky WayTo The Mountains Quiet Summit At The Dying Of The DayThere They Watched The Red Sun Sinking Through The Pines And Purple SkyAnd The Old Snake Whispered Softly, "It Is Good Before I Die"When The Light Was Gone To Darkness And The Stars Began To GleamThe Boy Carried Him Back Down Through The Forest Cold And DimPart 3At The Boy's Small Home That EveningHe Gave The Snake A Place To StayAnd A Little Food And ShelterTill The Breaking Of The DayIn The Morning Came The QuestionFrom The Serpent Old And WornTake Me Home Into The WoodsWhere I Waited To Be BornPart 4So The Boy Once More Believed Him, Held Him Safely To His ChestCarried Him Into The Forest, To The Place He Loved The BestBut Before The Boy Could Lay Him On The Ground Beneath The TreesThe Rattlesnake Struck Swiftly Like A Whisper In The BreezeThe Boy Cried Out In SorrowAs The Venom Burned His BreathWhy Have You Done This To Me Now?You Surely Dealt My DeathThe Snake Looked Up And AnsweredWith A Cold And Knowing HissHe Knew What I Was, Little BoyWhen You First Picked Me Up Like This?Outro
