Jodie wears a hat although it hasn't rained for six days
she says a girl needs a gun these days
hey on account of those rattlesnakes
on account of those rattlesnakes
she looks like Eve Marie Saint in On the Waterfront
she reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance
She's less than sure if her heart has come to stay in San Jose
and her never-born child haunts her now
as she speeds down the freeway
as she tries her luck with the traffic police
out of boredom more than spite
she never finds no trouble, she tries too hard
she's oblivious despite herself
she looks like Eve Marie Saint in On the Waterfront
she says all she needs is therapy
all you need is, love is all you need
Jodie never sleeps 'cause there are always needles in the hay
she says that a girl needs a gun these days
hey on account of all the rattlesnakes
hey on account of the rattlesnakes
she looks like Eve Marie Saint in On the Waterfront
she reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance
her heart's like crazy paving
upside down and back to front
she says oh, it's so hard to love
when love was your great disappointment
ooh
account of those rattlesnakes
she says a girl needs a gun these days, hey
a girl needs a gun these days
hey on account of the rattlesnakes
hey on account of those rattlesnakes
* original version by Lloyd Cole & the Commotions
from Rattlesnakes
Tori Quotes
Tori used a "Rhodes delay back and forth to create the tail of the rattlesnake." [Ice - September 2001]
"Certain women walked after one listen straight through the door into my head, gave me their whole story and their voice. For others, I've had to wait longer. The woman on 'Rattlesnakes' took so long that we almost had to drop the song. But on a day I was sitting in the garden and I saw a branch with many curves. The shape reminded me of a rattlesnake. And then, all of a sudden, she took possession of me. This mysterious girl, whom I still didn't understand, but wanted to be with from the beginning. I was curious about her lust for life, what moved her. I could live into the pain she felt because of her unborn child... It may be weird, but at first I didn't feel much with this song. Maybe I didn't let it happen, I don't know. In any case, at once she appeared and she's still in that one special place in my heart... I like her really much and of all the girls she probably has the most in common with myself. But have you ever seen me wear a leather jacket with the Kiss logo on it? She's become a friend." [Oor - September 8, 2001]
"She's one of my favorites; she's an enigma to me in so many ways. I have cups of coffee with her sometimes, and we have really good chats. But she's very hard to penetrate. She has these dreamy eyes; she loves to drive into the desert." [AP - October 2001]
"She's from the Lloyd Cole song 'Rattlesnakes.' She's a showgirl, much older than the other women. She wants to be a stage actress, but things haven't been going well for her. She hangs around with a lot of girls who do porn, and she doesn't judge them; she just wants to love them. Her mentors are some of the old screen legends -- like Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest. She lives in a fantasy world, in stories." [Spin - October 2001]
Live Versions
"Rattlesnakes"
November 14, 2001 - Los Angeles, California The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
"Rattlesnakes"
July 25, 2023 - Saratoga, California
t o r i p h o r i a tori amos digital archive yessaid.com
