Cover art for The Spider and the Fly by The Rolling Stones

The Spider and the Fly

The Spider and the Fly Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Sitting, thinking, sinking, drinking
Wondering what I'd do when I'm through tonight
Smoking, moping, maybe just hoping
Some little girl will pass on by
Don't want to be alone but I love my girl at home
I remember what she said

[Verse 2]
She said, My, my, my don't tell lies
Keep fidelity in your head
My my my, don't tell lies
When you're done you should go to bed
Don't say "Hi", like a spider to a fly
Jump right ahead and you're dead

[Verse 3]
Sit up, fed up, low down go round
Down to the bar at the place I'm at
Sitting drinking, superficially thinking
About the rinsed-out blonde on my left
Then I said, "Hi", like a spider to a fly
Remembering what my little girl said

[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 4]
She was common, flirty, she looked about thirty
I would have run away but I was on my own
She told me later she's a machine operator
She said she liked the way I held the microphone
I said. "My, my", like a spider to a fly
Jump right ahead in my web

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did The Rolling Stones say about "The Spider and the Fly"?
Genius Answer

In a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger explains the instrumentality of the song:

It’s a Jimmy Reed blues with British pop-group words, which is an interesting combination: a song somewhat stuck in a time warp.

Credits
Rhythm Guitar
Lead Guitarist
Harmonica
Recorded At
RCA
Release Date
July 30, 1965
Tags
Comments