Everything Ends

Slipknot lead singer Corey Taylor had a tumultuous and traumatic upbringing, moving frequently with his mom, and with his father nowhere to be found. He got into drugs and at one point was sexually abused by an older boy. He even attempted suicide, which is what he's screaming about here. "It's about the last time I tried to commit suicide, and more to the point, the first day I figured out what life was all about," he explained. "It's about the last day in a life I don't want to remember and about the first day in a life that I am living right now."

When asked why he wanted to kill himself, Taylor said: "Why does any 17-year-old guy want to kill themselves? A chick of course! I thought she was the be and end all of everything and when you are that age, those emotions won't let you f---ing consider reality. I was in a really, really painful place. I put 31 slashes on my arm and I took a bottle of pills and a friend found me and took me to hospital. Luckily the cuts weren't too deep but I still have the scars. They pumped my stomach, which was a completely f---ing horrific experience, one that I don't wish on anyone. They make you drink this stuff which tastes like maple syrup, which is why I can't eat pancakes for the rest of my life, that induces you to vomit uncontrollably. You then spew up everything you have eaten for the past week and then they give you this sh*t which tastes like liquid charcoal to calm your stomach down again."

The song is part of Slipknot's 2001 album, Iowa, the title a reference to their home state. The early version of the song was known as "The Misfit Riff," with Taylor singing it melodically. Their producer, Ross Robinson, convinced him to scream it for more impact.