"Crawling King Snake" is The Doors' electrifying interpretation of the classic blues standard, featured on their 1971 album L.A. Woman. Originally written and recorded by John Lee Hooker in 1949, the song draws on even older blues traditions, with its theme of sexual conquest rendered through serpentine metaphor. The Doors' version is cast in a 12-bar blues form in E at approximately 79 BPM, transforming Hooker's acoustic Delta original into a heavy, amplified blues-rock showcase. Robby Krieger delivers a full-chorus electric guitar solo that channels the raw, primal energy of the blues tradition while incorporating his own distinctly fluid phrasing. Ray Manzarek follows with an electric piano solo, also spanning a full chorus, his left hand walking bass lines while his right hand explores melodic territory above, demonstrating the dual-keyboard technique that made him indispensable in a band without a dedicated bassist. Jim Morrison's vocal performance is steeped in blues authenticity, his baritone growling and moaning through the verses with a carnal intensity that made the song a concert favorite. The track exemplifies the return to blues fundamentals that defined the L.A. Woman sessions, with the band stripping away the more experimental and orchestral elements of their middle-period albums in favor of direct, visceral blues expression recorded live in their rehearsal space.
