Sulfur

Hm kind of necro'ing this but I just recently found this song and looked up the lyrics. Seems Slipknot has greatly matured over the years... many of their songs have layered meanings to them. That's definitely impressive.

I get the feeling that this song is about someone embracing either Atheism, or just a less mainstream view of religion.

"My Guilt and My Shame always sell me short - always feel the same"

• As stated by some above, at this point in the song the singer seems to have an idea that is causing guilt/shame (two concepts often associated with Christianity...and many religions tbh)

"And My Face and My Soul always wear me thin - always under control"

• Here it seems the singer is keeping his ideas masked away from society at large, he also appears to take a jab at his former viewpoint (likely Christianity, but I could be mistaken..it could easily be something else) that his "Soul is always under control" likely by society at large, or by a "pope"-like figure.

"But the longest hours you�ll have in your life Are the ones you sit through to know if you�re right So I�ll wait, but I pray that I�m wrong Because I think I know what�s going on"

• Here it seems as if some "major" incident happened to the singer...and made him seriously doubt the existence of God (or God as he knew it)... it also sounds like he's not overly thrilled with his gut feelings now... and he'll "pray" (ironic, love the use of it here), that he's wrong.

"So Let Me Get This Straight� the only will is my own I do whatever I want and stay alone All my decisions make it untouchable and tainted I�m gonna suffer for the rest of my life But I will always find a way to survive I�m not a failure, but I know what it�s like I can take it or leave it� or die"

• I won't elaborate as my post is already getting quite long... but essentially he takes a very "Darwinian" approach here... the only will is his own, there is no god, he can do whatever he wants...but life is about "struggling to survive". He states it quite plainly at the end of this statement... he take take "it", leave "it".... or die. Very minimalist (naturalist if you will), and very akin to the themes of Darwin (or at least to the themes attached to Darwin... Evolution itself does not disprove the existence of God, only of Genesis and other creation tales being literal).

"STAY - You don�t always know where you stand �Til you know that you won�t run away There�s something inside me that feels Like Breathing in Sulfur�"

• I agree with what was stated above, he's basically saying that sometimes you don't realize where you stand until enough is enough and you stand your ground. I think the "breathing in sulfur" line refers to his comeback to Christians (or at least Abrahamic faiths) who will shun him... essentially "I'd rather burn in hell than believe something I don't"

"My Life is undone - and I�m a sinner to most but a sage to some And my Gods are Untrue - I�m probably wrong, but I�m better than you And the longest hours I�ve had in my life Were the ones I went through to know I was right So I�m safe, but I�m a little outside I�m gonna laugh when I�m buried alive"

• Clearly states here that he's a "sinner" to most... aka to those who believe in Christianity, but a sage to some.... those who have left Christianity (or such faiths) and embrace a more naturalistic view. He says his "Gods" are untrue, that his views could very well be wrong (and likely are) but he's not causing any damage in this world with his views....unlike some other hardliners. He then throws the question onto others.... telling them that their time will come when they face the sad truths in this world and can not reconcile the complete 1) goodness, 2) power, 3)all-knowing natures of God.

• He says he'll laugh when he's buried alive... I am still not entirely sure what this means.... likely some reference to the "Day of Judgement"... but I'm not entirely certain. Thoughts?

Anwyays... amazing song...with adeptly deep lyrics. Anyone else agree? Or have another take?