DBT Track of the Week #54 - Box of Spiders

[mwh]

I won't pretend to know the backstory for all of the songs in the DBT catalog, but I've always figured that Box of Spiders would have to be on the short list for weirdest song inspiration. Some of the clips I've seen on youtube show Patterson telling a great introduction about his grandpa taking his great-grandpa, the general (who never actually served in the military) to the whorehouse & bootlegger when he was about 8 years old.



This is apparently Patterson's revenge song for all the mean things his great grandmother did to him.

Anyway, I chose this song because it has one of my favorite verses:

My great-grandmothers bout ninety-seven
and she is sure when she gets to heaven,
old St. Peter's gonna throw his arms around her and say
"I've waited so long for us to meet."

I don't know how many of you believe in heaven, but I love the picture that Patterson paints here. She gets to heaven and is welcomed in like she has arrived at a party with old friends. I really like this a lot better than the pictures of white robes and harp music that we always see in movies.

Love this song.

Gran Gran keeps a box of spiders.
She says they're on me when I sleep.
Waiting in the out-house for me.
underneath the seat.

My great-grandmothers bout ninety-seven
and she is sure when she gets to heaven,
old St. Peter's gonna throw his arms around her and say
"I've waited so long for us to meet."
She put the General in a box
and buried him behind the Stoney Point Church of Christ,
when I was three.

(and she says) "When the lord comes to take me,
I'll die with a smile on, cause He's taking all my pains and fears."
She said The Generals last words were
"It's hotter than hell in here."

Gran Gran keeps a box of spiders,
or so she told me as a child,
and I would hold it in for hours.
Too mean to die. Too mean to die. Too mean.

[Smitty]

"When the lord comes to take me,
I'll die with a smile on, cause He's taking all my pains and fears."

This is transcendental live - like in DD&N (The South Will Rise Again), there's a little less irony singing your lungs out in a sweaty rock club.

[Iowan]

The first time I heard this live was 3 days after my great grandmother died at age 97. I had chills, and you can hear me on the boot of the show yell "HOLY SHIT". I was pretty floored to say the least between the A) rarity of the song in the Rock Show (at that point in time) and B) the timeliness it had for my own life.

Now its borderline "standard" at the Rock Show, but its always awesome.

[cortez the killer]

I think the spiders respresent amphetamines.

[dime in the gutter]

I think the spiders respresent amphetamines.

hmmm. i like that.

[njMark]

Thanks for doing this track, I always thought it wasn't actually about a box of spiders but I couldn't figure it out.

[Smitty]

Thanks for doing this track, I always thought it wasn't actually about a box of spiders but I couldn't figure it out.

It really is about spiders.

Here's an mp3 of the story (from the second TDU show at Georgia Theatre; must hear):
Box of Spiders

[Penny Lane]

He told the whole long story at the Ramble last summer, it was awesome.

[njMark]

Oh, sometimes I over think things I guess, but there a quite a few DBT songs I'm not 100% about.

[Clams]

I'm trying to drum up some business, so I'm putting this in a couple of different threads. Apologies if you've seen it elsewhere today....

Artist of the Week Public Service Announcement

Artist of the week is covered through June and early July, but it's wide open from mid-July on. If anyone wants to write one of these threads, please send me a PM and I'll get you on the schedule. The rules for writing one of these threads are... actually, there are no rules. Feel free to write about any artist, record, tour, show, etc. It can be as long/short/detailed as you want. Your only job is to basically get the conversation started. So if there's an artist out there about whom you feel passionately or want to spread the word, now's your chance... Thanks!

btw - the same goes for DBT song of the week.... send me a PM and I can get you on the schedule as early as mid-June (lots of good tracks left - roughly half of each record pre-The Fine Print is still on the list along with almost everything from Fine Print forward).

[Zip City]

I have no idea why they keep pairing this song up with Cartoon Gold. The songs have little to do with each other

[Tequila Cowboy]

I have no idea why they keep pairing this song up with Cartoon Gold. The songs have little to do with each other

They can keep the same instruments, acoustic guitars and pedal steel. Kind of a mud show acoustic slow down. I love the pairing.

[RevMatt]

I love this song. Songs about our grandparents and great grandparents are supposed to be sentimental. But dangit, some of them were unhappy, miserable people. Others were outright sadistic. Imagine a woman telling one of her grandchildren that she keeps a box of spiders and they crawl around at night just to keep the kid from wandering around the house at bedtime. Crazy.

Last summer at The Ramble Patterson introduced this song. His father was in the room that night, so I figured that had something to do with him breaking out the song. Maybe she came from Dad's side of the family? When he introduced the song he said, "Well, I got back at her." I figured that is because he put both her and The General in hell. Yeah, we all imagine we deserve a lovely reunion with our family at the pearly gates.

This song reminds me of the episode in The Sopranos where the entire family is in Tony's living room after his mother died. Janice wants everyone to share nice memories about Livia. But after a minute or two everyone starts saying what they really think about her.

[Zip City]

I have no idea why they keep pairing this song up with Cartoon Gold. The songs have little to do with each other

They can keep the same instruments, acoustic guitars and pedal steel. Kind of a mud show acoustic slow down. I love the pairing.

So long as that's the case, how about a nightly Love Like This/Living Bubba two-fer?

[Sterling Big Mouth]

Great song. It still bugs me that I had to choose it in what I called the Sophie's Choice thread we did a while back. I repent.

I've been thinking "It's hotter than hell in here" would be a good line for the "Location:" spot on my profile. One of these days . . .

[dime in the gutter]

love all the chicken pickin' and grinnin' with the guitar and banjo on the lp version.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

One of Patterson's finest moments and also one of the many reasons the first two records reign supreme over anything they've done since.

[Iowan]

One of Patterson's finest moments and also one of the many reasons the first two records reign supreme over anything they've done since.

It's "Box of Spiders" not "can of worms".

[Zip City]

One of Patterson's finest moments and also one of the many reasons the first two records reign supreme over anything they've done since.

I wouldn't out it in Patterson's top 50

[mwh]

One of Patterson's finest moments and also one of the many reasons the first two records reign supreme over anything they've done since.

Pizza Deliverance is my favorite too. I've said something like this before on here I think, but i'd put Bulldozers, Uncle Frank, One of these Days, Tales Facing Up, Spiders, & GG Allin up against the top six off of any other album

[Tequila Cowboy]

One of Patterson's finest moments and also one of the many reasons the first two records reign supreme over anything they've done since.

I wouldn't out it in Patterson's top 50

Oh come on! Not in the top 50?? A bit harsh. Definitely in my top ten. Inventive song with some great lyrics.

[Zip City]

One of Patterson's finest moments and also one of the many reasons the first two records reign supreme over anything they've done since.

I wouldn't out it in Patterson's top 50

Oh come on! Not in the top 50?? A bit harsh. Definitely in my top ten. Inventive song with some great lyrics.

I stand by it. Patterson has 10 better songs on SRO alone.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

One of Patterson's finest moments and also one of the many reasons the first two records reign supreme over anything they've done since.

Pizza Deliverance is my favorite too. I've said something like this before on here I think, but i'd put Bulldozers, Uncle Frank, One of these Days, Tales Facing Up, Spiders, & GG Allin up against the top six off of any other album

I'm also a huge fan of "Margo & Harold", probably my favorite song by Patterson.

[Smitty]

One of Patterson's finest moments and also one of the many reasons the first two records reign supreme over anything they've done since.

Pizza Deliverance is my favorite too. I've said something like this before on here I think, but i'd put Bulldozers, Uncle Frank, One of these Days, Tales Facing Up, Spiders, & GG Allin up against the top six off of any other album

I'm also a huge fan of "Margo & Harold", probably my favorite song by Patterson.

It's near the top for me, too. Really dig the 9/28/07 TDU version. Cocainnnnnnnnnnnnnnne!

[beantownbubba]

I have to admit i've never gotten the love for this one. Great character sketch/moment in time in the twisted but right Hood tradition, but as a song? Doesn't do anything for me.

[dime in the gutter]

tells a shit ton of story with just a few twistedly brilliant lines.

what is the official story/history from the pd tunes? weren't these written before the songs for gangstabilly but recorded after? something about they were all set to do the pd tracks, but at the last minute decided to record newer material for gangstabilly.

i might be making that up.

uuuunderneath the seat

[Zip City]

I have to admit i've never gotten the love for this one. Great character sketch/moment in time in the twisted but right Hood tradition, but as a song? Doesn't do anything for me.

Well put, I agree

[Smitty]

tells a shit ton of story with just a few twistedly brilliant lines.

what is the official story/history from the pd tunes? weren't these written before the songs for gangstabilly but recorded after? something about they were all set to do the pd tracks, but at the last minute decided to record newer material for gangstabilly.

i might be making that up.

uuuunderneath the seat

I think they actually recorded Pizza Deliverance first, but decided to record the newer songs (GB) and ended up releasing it first.

[GuitarManUpstairs]

I'm also a huge fan of "Margo & Harold", probably my favorite song by Patterson.

It's near the top for me, too. Really dig the 9/28/07 TDU version. Cocainnnnnnnnnnnnnnne!

I like this version with the backstory...cracks me up.

http://www.archive.org/details/phood2009-11-04

[OkieinTexas]

Is it just me, or does Patterson seem like he really loves performing this one? Does this go on and off the set list or is it just brought out every now and again? Really floored me at Cain's in Tulsa last June...