DBT Track of the Week #54 - Box of Spiders

[Smitty]

From oneofthesedays.org:
(not complete, but fairly close; probably gets more accurate each year, as there's more records of setlists)

Times played:
2002 - 2
2003 - 3
2004 - 1
2005 - 11
2006 - 4
2007 - 5
2008 - 1
2009 - 1
2010 - 7
2011 - 26

definitely a resurgeance this year, IMO probably due to it fitting the mood & theme of GGB - and it looks cool being played in front of the church motif...

[Smitty]

Pre-DBT, Lot Lizards version

[Kudzu Guillotine]

The image I wanted to post appears too large when posted here, to see it, click here.

[Tequila Cowboy]

I restate my love for this song. I haven't been able to get it out of my head for a week, play it every time I pick up a guitar and have even been singing it in the shower. For sure in my top ten Patterson tunes.

[beantownbubba]

Note to self: Stay out of TC's shower.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Note to self: Stay out of TC's shower.

Umm yes, please do.

[Cole Younger]

I've been lucky enough to catch this one twice. It seems like they have played it a good bit in the last year.

My first time seeing it, with the audience singing "Gran gran keeps a box of spiders..." along with Patterson was one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of at a concert.

Some of the lyrics are a little puzzling to me.

Clearly this is not a story from Patterson's own life with the mention of the outhouse etc.

But I wonder who the "General" in the song is.

I also wonder what the inspiration for the song was. I have known of old, hard, Southern women just like the gran gran in the song and one of the things that I've heard said of them was that they were "too mean to die".

My dad has described one of his aunts that I never met just that way and from the stories, it was spot on.

Anybody know anything about the meaning of the lyrics or the inspiration for them. I'm particularly interested in the "General".

[Kudzu Guillotine]

In the liner notes to the early albums "The General" referred to Sara Kelly Jones. I believe she was the band's manager at one time. I'm not sure if she's the same General referred to in "Box of Spiders".

[mwh]

In the liner notes to the early albums "The General" referred to Sara Kelly Jones. I believe she was the band's manager at one time. I'm not sure if she's the same General referred to in "Box of Spiders".

It's not the same person. This song is about his great grandparents. The link in the first post on the first page has a pretty good back story by Patterson before the song.

[Smitty]

The song is autobiographical, as Patterson has told the story behind it many times.
Shit, I'm alot younger than Patterson and I remember folks with outhouses.

[Smitty]

[GuitarManUpstairs]

The song is autobiographical, as Patterson has told the story behind it many times.
Shit, I'm alot younger than Patterson and I remember folks with outhouses.

Yeah, We didn't get electricity on our farm until about 1950. indoor plumbing was probably about the same time but i do know both my mother and uncle both remember well using the outhouse.

[GuitarManUpstairs]

BTW - I never met her but judging by the stories I've heard and her look I had a GranGran too.... her name was...get this...Narcissus Emaline Hyde Gentry (1851-1930)

[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

[ramonz]

I tend to lean a bit more towards the DBT rockers (probably 55/45), but Box of Spiders is one of my all-time favorites. Love everything about it. Fantastic piece of story-telling.

[Cole Younger]

I'm from the middle of nowhere in South GA and never had the outhouse experience so I wrongly didn't think this story was about Patterson's own life. Both of my parents knew what having to use an outhouse was like. I also forget that Patterson is in his mid to late forties.

[RolanK]

I'm from the middle of nowhere in South GA and never had the outhouse experience so I wrongly didn't think this story was about Patterson's own life. Both of my parents knew what having to use an outhouse was like. I also forget that Patterson is in his mid to late forties.

Is this whats gonna define the generation divide? Whether you have had first hand experience with an outhouse or not? I have rural outhouse experience but I am not gonna say my age

[Cole Younger]

I'm from the middle of nowhere in South GA and never had the outhouse experience so I wrongly didn't think this story was about Patterson's own life. Both of my parents knew what having to use an outhouse was like. I also forget that Patterson is in his mid to late forties.

Is this whats gonna define the generation divide? Whether you have had first hand experience with an outhouse or not? I have rural outhouse experience but I am not gonna say my age

That didn't seem unreasonable, so...sure.

[Iowan]

My fiance's grandmother was using an outhouse in Northeast Iowa in the 90's.

[GW in IA]

I remember using my grandparents outhouse in northern IA, when we had a cable box at home. They also had a little well pump that fed the sink probably around '80 or so.

Edit: We aren't making Iowa look too good here are we?

[RolanK]

I remember using my grandparents outhouse in northern IA, when we had a cable box at home. They also had a little well pump that fed the sink probably around '80 or so.

Edit: We aren't making Iowa look too good here are we?

Iowa, the outhouse state?

[Iowan]

I remember using my grandparents outhouse in northern IA, when we had a cable box at home. They also had a little well pump that fed the sink probably around '80 or so.

Edit: We aren't making Iowa look too good here are we?

Iowa, the outhouse state?

That has more zip than "Flyover country".

[Iowan]

I remember using my grandparents outhouse in northern IA, when we had a cable box at home. They also had a little well pump that fed the sink probably around '80 or so.

Edit: We aren't making Iowa look too good here are we?

We gotta keep the stereotypes intact! My first rule in life is to set the expectations low, and then blow people away when they're exceeded.

[beantownbubba]

I remember using my grandparents outhouse in northern IA, when we had a cable box at home. They also had a little well pump that fed the sink probably around '80 or so.

Edit: We aren't making Iowa look too good here are we?

We gotta keep the stereotypes intact! My first rule in life is to set the expectations low, and then blow people away when they're exceeded.

Advice: Never start a sentence w/ "I'm just a poor ole country lawyer..." At this point it means expectations will be set very, very high and quite warily to boot.

And what's zip got to do w/ anything? He's from Ohio.

[Iowan]

I remember using my grandparents outhouse in northern IA, when we had a cable box at home. They also had a little well pump that fed the sink probably around '80 or so.

Edit: We aren't making Iowa look too good here are we?

We gotta keep the stereotypes intact! My first rule in life is to set the expectations low, and then blow people away when they're exceeded.

Advice: Never start a sentence w/ "I'm just a poor ole country lawyer..." At this point it means expectations will be set very, very high and quite warily to boot.

And what's zip got to do w/ anything? He's from Ohio.

That's flyover country too.

[Tyler]

So I guess this would give Patterson nightmares?