On her way to work one morning,
down the path beside the lake,
a tender-hearted woman
found a poor, half-frozen snake.

His pretty colored skin
was all frosted up with dew.
"Oh dear!" she cried, "I'll take you in
and I'll take care of you".

"Take me in, oh tender woman,
Take me in, for heaven's sake,
take me in, tender woman",
sighed the poor, suffering snake.

She wrapped him up all cozy
in a curvature of silk,
and then laid him by the fireside
with some honey and some milk.

She hurried home from work that night
and as soon as she arrived,
found that pretty snake she'd taken in
had fully well revived.

She clutched him to her bosom,
"You're so beautiful", she cried,
"But if I hadn't brought you in,
by now you might have died".

Now she stroked his pretty skin,
she kissed and held him tight,
but instead of saying thanks, that snake
gave her a vicious bite!

"I saved you!", cried the woman
"And you've bit me, heaven's why?
You know your bite is poisonous
and now I'm going to die".

"Oh shut up you silly woman",
said the reptile with a grin.
"You knew damn well I was a snake
when you took me in."