The Ole Red Snake

The Ole Red Snake by Everwild Collective

Backstory: On big ski days in the Wasatch, traffic up the canyons can get pretty backed up, resulting in a "Red Snake" – tail lights red all the way up the winding canyon, and even on Google Maps. This song is a reminder that life's all about the journey more than the destination. Step by step, winding upward – the Red Snake's lesson in patience and persistence.

Lyrics:

Alarm clock hollers at a quarter past five
Coffee tastes like hope, snow piled high
Skis in the rack, here’s to hopin’
Forecast says powder, but canyon roads ain’t open

Turn onto Wasatch, tail lights aglow
Welcome to the Red Snake, inchin’ real slow
Big and Little, Two-Fifteen, Fifteen, Parley’s hosed
Whole dang valley’s stuck on the same darn roads

Oh, the Red Snake’s coiled from end to end
Everyone’s late, but we’re all still friends
Grip the wheel, smile, breathe for heaven’s sake
Ain’t no rushin’ on the road of the old Red Snake

The old Red Snake
The old Red Snake
Ain’t no rushin’ on the old Red Snake

Left lane a-crawlin’, right lane plumb still
Bald tires ahead sayin’ “trust me, bro,” on the hill
Chains on crooked, gloves in my teeth
Refreshin’ UDOT like gospel belief
Lifties up there sippin’ hot tea
While I’m countin’ brake lights lined up in front of me

Oh, the Red Snake hisses, don’t you take the bait
You can’t outsmart it, you just gotta wait
Sun’s a-comin’ up, yeah, we’ll be okay
If we learn to laugh our way along the old Red Snake

The old Red Snake
The old Red Snake
We’ll be okay if we learn to laugh along the old Red Snake

True story now, I swear it’s legit
Two hours on Wasatch Boulevard, didn’t move an inch
Got DoorDash breakfast ordered to the car
Figured if we’re stuck right here, we’ll enjoy where we are

Oh, the Red Snake teaches in ways you don’t see
You can’t rush the traffic, so enjoy your company
If the mountain wants your patience, she’ll make you sit and wait
These are lessons we best learn on the old Red Snake

The old Red Snake
The old Red Snake
These are lessons we best learn on the old Red Snake

Alta folks a-preachin’, Snowbird folks’ll send
Peruvian’s still not open — don’t ask when
Brighton’s chillin’, Deer Valley’s pristine
Solitude’s packed — try Snowbasin for solitude, see?

Everyone wants first chair, first tracks, first place
But the mountain don’t care ’bout our hurried pace
She’ll give us the goods when the timing’s right
When we stop rushin’ past the view in sight

Oh, the Red Snake winds, but it ain’t your foe
It’s just slowin’ you down so you don’t forget to know:
Life ain’t lost in the long delay
If we learn how to live on the old Red Snake

White Pine’s tracked by ten, that’s the rule
Days Fork dreams fade fast if you sleep in like a fool
Cardiff’s got the crowds, Porter’s got the sharks
Mill D’s earnin’ endless turns, then hit Powder Park

So here’s to Big and Little, Parley’s, Wasatch too
May your snow be deep and your patience true
And if you don’t get the run you came up here to take
You still got one hell of a ride on the old Red Snake

The old Red Snake
The old Red Snake
We still got one hell of a ride on the old Red Snake

The old Red Snake
The old Red Snake
We still got one hell of a ride on the old Red Snake