"The Copperhead of 1864" (1864)
Words by John Holland. 
Music By James Gowdy Clark, 1830-1897

New York: Horace Waters, 481 Broadway
Plate Number: 1042
[Source: 087/094@Levy]

1. There is a snake that haunts the grass, 
Despised by all men, white and red. 
Trod ’neath the hoofs of ox and ass— 
The glist’ning, venemous copperhead. 
Through out three seasons of the year, 
The ratlesnake himself hath fled; 
But when the extra months appear. 
His sutler is the copperhead—

CHORUS 1
Oh! The twisting, wriggling copperhead; 
The glist’ning venemous copperhead; 
The man of sense  can fix the tense 
In which to kill the copperhead.

2. ’Tis said that every creeping thing 
Has got some useful task ahead; 
But yet the bards have fail’d to sing. 
One virture is the copper head. 
The ancient snake in Eden’s bowers 
From flow’ry paths our parents led; 
Experience in this age of ours 
Comes down upupon the copperhead—

CHORUS 2
Oh! The wallowing,  sponging copperhead; 
The hissing, spitting copperhead 
From Union hands it eats its bread, 
And bites for thanks the copperhead.

3. But, glory be to Israel’s God! 
The Union bird its wings has spread, 
Whose beak and claws shall rid the sod 
Of ev’ry crawling copperhead. 
The ratlesnale and copperhead 
Shall ne’er coil up fair Freedom’s bed; 
The Union pole pokes ev’ry hole 
That can contain a copperhead.

CHORUS 3
Oh! Alas, alas, the copperhead! 
The Union stone has smashed its head! 
We’ll stuff its skin for men to grin 
At what was once a copperhead!