The snake hissed and laughed, “Lovely lady, what do you expect? If I pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite is poisonous." Once a snake, always a snake. What is the moral of the Snake story? That’s it?And if I pick you up, you promise you won’t bite me?”, The snake said, “Of course not. What did you do that for?” the lady exclaimed, as she threw the snake on to the ground. Even when we know from our previous experience with them that certain people are not going to be good or kind to us, or do not have our best interests at heart, we still choose to give them another chance. Looking down, she saw a snake. "If you put me inside your shirt," the snake said, "your body will make me warm and I won't freeze to death." It’s our nature. Tapper concluded by saying that Republican leaders who were concerned about Trump’s influence on the Georgia runoff elections — which will decide the balance of power in the U.S. … I don’t bite people, especially a lovely lady such as you. Oscar Brown Jr. adapted the fable in the form of a poem he called "The Snake"[11] and then in 1963 set it to music. … The lyrics, adapted in 1963 by songwriter Oscar Brown from Aesop’s Fable “The Farmer and the Viper,” describes a story about a woman’s rescue of a poisonous snake, which ends up returning the favor by biting her. Here is the same story. We can respect tha fact that a snake is a snake. The story is recorded in both Greek and Latin sources. Please. I’m not picking you up. We make choices like this all the time, knowing they are not good or right for us. I will treat you differently." The next time you have a negative gut feeling about someone, just keep walking. If you pick me up, I give you my word, I will not bite you.”. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Egotism or The Bosom-Serpent" (1843), the proverbial phrase as used in Milton's Samson Agonistes was given a new psychological twist. The boy was hesitant, but the rattlesnake promised not to bite him in exchange for the ride. In Hawthorne's story a husband separated from his wife, but still dwelling upon her, becomes inturned and mentally unstable. Please share in the comments below the snakes you have known, and been charmed by. “Now you knew darn well I was a snake before you brought me in "Please, take me in, oh tender woman Take me in, for heaven's sake Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake, sighed the snake “Take me in tender woman “Come on in you pretty … [4] In the work of Cicero it appears as In sinu viperam habere (to have a snake in the breast) and in Erasmus' 16th century collection of proverbial phrases, the Adagia, as Colubrum in sinu fovere (to nourish a serpent in one's bosom). It’s an excuse. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Trump brought back one of this campaign trail favorites, a poem called "The Snake." You won’t bite me?” the lovely lady repeated. CHOICES: How In The World Do We Ever Choose? While it didn’t kill me like this lady in the story above, I gave snake like people far too many chances, and as a result I was the only one left hurting or frustrated in the end. You’re a snake. “Really? You are a rattlesnake. I’m a snake. You have my word.” the snake replied. Written at a time when many Russian families were employing French prisoners from Napoleon I's invasion of 1812 to educate their children, he expressed his distrust of the defeated enemy. "Oh, I know your kind," replied the farmer. You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in." As she dies, she asks the snake why. In the former, the farmer dies reproaching himself "for pitying a scoundrel," while in the version by Phaedrus the snake says that he bit his benefactor "to teach the lesson not to expect a reward from the wicked." This fable likely inspired the 20th-century fable The Scorpion and the Frog. Before she could move,the snake spoke to her. “Now you knew darn well I was a snake before you brought me in "Please, take me in, oh tender woman Take me in, for heaven's sake Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake, sighed the snake “Take me in tender woman “Come on in you pretty snake… Come on in, yeah, come on in you pretty snake… She clutched him to her bosom. You Knew I Was a Snake" A fable that is told with many variations: The Farmer and the Snake . “Lady,” the snake says, “you knew I was a snake when you picked me up.” Every new government outrage against all that is right and good elicits reactions of astonishment and outrage — and every time I hear those reactions, I think of The Fable of the Snake. I invite you to join me for what may be the most transformative journey of your life: discovering and revealing the THRIVING you. If you did not receive my response please let me know and I will resend. It's a scorpion, not a snake. I will treat you differently." When you stop and think about it for a moment, we cannot fault the snake for behaving just how it is: a snake. The lyrics, adapted in 1963 by songwriter Oscar Brown from Aesop’s Fable “The Farmer and the Viper,” describes a story about a woman’s rescue of a poisonous snake, which ends up returning the favor by biting her. The snake claims, “You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.” Hi Darleen, 94-5, An English version is on the Guttenberg site, Jumping from the frying pan into the fire, The Morall Fabillis of Esope the Phrygian, The Taill of how this forsaid Tod maid his Confessioun to Freir Wolf Waitskaith, The Taill of Schir Chanticleir and the Foxe, The Taill of the Uponlandis Mous and the Burges Mous, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Farmer_and_the_Viper&oldid=973894368, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 15th-20th century illustrations of "The countryman and the snake", This page was last edited on 19 August 2020, at 21:06. The story concerns a farmer who finds a viper freezing in the snow. Do you really think I am that stupid? “Lady,” the snake says, “you knew I was a snake when you picked me up.” Every new government outrage against all that is right and good elicits reactions of astonishment and outrage — and every time I hear those reactions, I think of The Fable of the Snake. Postscript: It's worth noting for context that "The Snake" was a 1963 song written by civil-rights activist Oscar Brown. You know your bite is poisonous and now I'm going to die” “Oh shut up, silly woman,” said the reptile with a grin “You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in ”Take me in, oh tender woman. Taking pity on it, he picks it up and places it within his coat. When these snakes show you who they really are, trust your gut about them the first time. "You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in." When shewas within sight of her destination, she heard a rustle at her feet. “Ouch! I once heard a great story about choices. That’s what snakes do. Forget it.”, “But I am not like every other snake. A snake is a snake. "Kriloff's Fables," translated into the original metres by C.Fillingham Coxwell, London 1920, pp. Take me in, sighed that vicious snake. "You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in "Take me in, tender woman Take me in, for heaven's sake Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake [Version II] On her way to work one morning Down the path along side the lake A tender hearted woman saw a poor half frozen snake What are your favorite “I knew you were a snake when I picked you up” stories? Odo of Cheriton's snake answers the farmer's demand for an explanation with a counter-question, "Did you not know that there is enmity and natural antipathy between your kind and mine? La Fontaine tells it thus as "Le villageois et le serpent" (VI.13). You are a rattlesnake. You know the nature of drugs once you start abusing (using), and that nature never changes. I know what snakes do. That’s what snakes do. Join The Thrive Tribe, Ask Me Anything March 1, 2018 1:00 PM PST/4:00 PM EST/, ABUNDANCE: Where Spiritual Programs Go Wrong. He gave me his word.” She picked up the snake and wrapped him in her cloak. You knew I was a snake when you picked me up.” At that, the snake slithered off into the bush leaving the lady to die by the side of the road. Please. The bite was deadly and the Farmer felt that he must die. The snake stopped, turned to her and said, “Please lovely lady, please pick me up.”, The woman looked at the snake and said, “No way. Your email address will not be published. (The fables in this category are listed in alphabetical order based on their title.) Snakes bite. [1] It has the moral that kindness to evil will be met by betrayal and is the source of the idiom "to nourish a viper in one's bosom". Take me in, for heaven's sake. A Brahmin priest, assured in the belief that a cobra has a godly nature and will never harm others if treated courteously, is nevertheless killed by the snake when trying to heal and feed it.[10]. The scorpion asks the frog for a ride across the river, frog is afraid the scorpion will sting him, scorpion promises not to, does anyway when they're halfway across the river, says "You knew it was in my nature" and they both die. Please, please pick me up?”, The woman looked dubiously at the snake, and replied, “You’re kidding right? It has the moral that kindness to evil will be met by betrayal and is the source of the idiom "to nourish a viper in one's bosom". What do you get from it? The moral of the song was clear to many in the crowd, but Donald Trump made sure that everyone got … Write to … We choose to deal with snakes, knowing it is their nature to bite us. "No, no," said the snake. In an interview, Welles mentioned that the fable is Russian in origin. Snake, why did you do that? LOVE: What Kind Of Intimacy Do We Really Crave? The snake simply replies “You knew what I was when you found me”. I know now that no matter how much I believed in these people, or gave them another chance, they were never going to be different than they really were, are now and most likely will continue to be in their future. This is not a story about a snake and a little boy, this is a story about humankind and drugs. In one of the fable's alternative versions, the farmer takes the snake home to revive it and is bitten there. CHOICES: You Knew I Was A Snake When You Picked Me Up, ABUNDANCE: Why Depression Is Full Of Opportunity, GUIDANCE: Please help me see this in a different way, HEALTH: How To Change What We Believe Is Possible, ABUNDANCE: Heart Chips and Free Cars: How Abundance Manifests In Hilarious Way, CHOICES: The Art Of Making The Right Decision For Us. And you know your bite is poisonous and now I'm gonna die" "Oh shut up, silly woman," said that reptile with a grin "You knew damn well I was a snake before you brought me in" That hurt! You know your bite is poisonous and now I'm going to die” “Oh shut up, silly woman,” said the reptile with a grin “You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in ”Take me in, oh tender woman. "You knew what I was when you picked me up," hissed the snake as he slithered away. The rattlesnake looked up at him and grinned, "You knew what I was when you picked me up." I am just cold and you have that beautiful warm cloak. The little girl sat down on a rock for a moment to rest and think things over. Take me in, for heaven's sake. It is recounted in a soliloquy by Gregory Arkadin (played by Orson Welles) and serves as a metaphor for the relationship between Arkadin and the protagonist Guy Van Stratten. The Farmer knew how deadly the Snake could be, and yet he picked it up and put it in his bosom to warm it back to life. One of the very earliest is in a poem by the 6th century BCE Greek poet Theognis of Megara, who refers to a friend who has betrayed him as the 'chill and wily snake that I cherished in my bosom'. Words transform lives. Take me in oh tender woman,“ sighed the snake The fable is not to be confused with The Snake and the Farmer, which looks back to a situation when friendship was possible between the two. Trump used that fable during the campaign to speak of Syrian refugees. That’s it?And if I pick you up, you promise you won’t bite me?”, The snake said, “Of course not. Original story: Thomas Mahler, the creative director behind the Ori series, has called out games such as the original Fable and Cyberpunk 2077, comparing them to "snake oil salesmen".