That jolly ditty, written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934, has been recorded by artists from Bing Crosby to Justin Bieber and continues to garner considerable airplay.
"There are more younger people in it now than what it was when I got married 21 years ago, " Mr. Coots said, estimating that there are some 20 snake-handling churches in his area of Kentucky alone.