Solway Firth

First of all concerning the title of this Slipknot song, the Solway Firth is actually a water body along the coasts of England and Scotland. Indeed a firth is a word from that part of the world used to refer to certain coastal waters. However, this is not what Slipknot seems to be referring to specifically. Rather it has been theorized that the title of the track rather alludes to a famous photograph called the Solway Firth Spaceman. This photo’s claim to fame was based on the its photographer presenting it as one where a ‘spaceman’ miraculously appeared out of nowhere in the background. Of course this claim was eventually proven to be false. But it is the fraudulent nature of that assertion which Slipknot seems to be focusing on. That is to say that the main theme of this track is the singer feeling compelled to present himself as someone he is not. In other words, it seems as if he is addressing someone who wants him to “show (his) whole story” and display “a real smile”. However, the singer is not in such a mood. Indeed it appears as if he is dealing with some sort of depression. And overall he does not seem inclined to share details of his personal life. In all, this song is highly-symbolic in its presentation. Slipknot also brings up the subject of “killers” and refer to some quite-gory imagery. However, considering the analysis above, this may actually be a reference to the media or people who invade the band’s privacy. But who and what they are referring to in particular may just take a while to fully come to light. It is also possible it may never!

The band has mentioned in interviews that the Solway Firth in question is NOT referring to the body of water between England and Scotland, but rather the Solway Firth Spaceman photograph. The main point is that the story of how the spaceman came to appear in the Solway Firth Spaceman image was a lie (fraud). This led into Corey explaining that the song is about being the person everyone else wants you to be rather than being yourself. They don't need anyone to understand why they are the way they are or show them how to be someone they're not. They simply want to be themselves in a 'take it or leave it' type manner.

It's been speculated that the band is referring to the media and others wanting them to be something other than themselves, but, to date, the band has not confirmed nor denied this idea.

this song is awesome. i love it <3

It's a song about a rocky end to a very long, difficult, and chaotic relationship. I recently got out of one that was over 10 years just a month before this song came out. This song has helped me through that deppresion.

While I was learning to live You taught me how to die I guess I got what I wanted Another needle in the back through purified scarification It wasn't somebody else You fucking did it to me You want a real smile? I haven't smiled in years

// Never related so much to a part of a song

While I was learning to live You taught me how to die I guess I got what I wanted Another needle in the back through purified scarification It wasn't somebody else You fucking did it to me You want a real smile? I haven't smiled in years

// Never related so much to a part of a song

While I was learning to live You taught me how to die I guess I got what I wanted Another needle in the back through purified scarification It wasn't somebody else You fucking did it to me You want a real smile? I haven't smiled in years

// Never related so much to a part of a song

The way i can relate to this song is through anxiety and depression. I can only explain my associations through quotings.

"Today, up on this hill I'm counting all the killers They sway as they swarm A look of gluttons in their eyes They mutter as the body loses warmth They pick your bones like locks inside a tomb And take great care to not take care of you"

• It is about all the anxiety, and the depression factors that are tearing you apart

"While I was learning to live we all were living a lie I guess you got what you wanted So I will settle for a slaughterhouse soaked in blood and betrayal It's always somebody else somebody else was me You want the real smile? Or the one I used to practice not to feel like a failure?"

• While I was trying to recover, find solutions, become happier, I couldn't achieve it and that person was not me. I had no personality. So basically: "While I was learning to live" and "It's always somebody else, somebody else was me", "we all were living a lie" are translated as: While i was trying to be happier and while i was suffocating in my mental pain i was both times lying to myself and due to them I lost my personality, i became a nobody. "So I will settle for a slaughterhouse soaked in blood and betrayal" I don't care anymore i will just kill myself, i settle for death and a lost hope in life and in happiness

"I don't need you to do it for me I don't need you to understand I don't need you to hide it from me I just want to feel like any other man I won't show you the whole story I won't show you the aftermath I won't show you my allegory Don't look away"

• "I don't ..." parts: He is griefing in pain, he doesn't need the depression to help him commit suicide, he will do it himself, he knows his situation, he just can't cope with it anymore. He just wants to be a simple man nothing more. "I won't ..." parts: He is tired of explaining his problems to other people, he won't accept any help, because nothing can help him and he KNOWS it. "Don't look away": do it already, that is kill yourself

"I'm not ahead of my time I just drew the first breath If I'm alive tomorrow I will alleviate the pressure by cutting you out of me I found my bottom line dead on the front lines I know I'll never go home So set fire to your ships and past regrets and be free"

• Every day is a new day of suffering and if he is able to overcome the mental pain for just a moment he will "alleviate the pressure" but he knows it will come back, so throw away all your past good memories because they are nothing anymore compared to the future and set yourself free

"While I was learning to live You taught me how to die I guess I got what I wanted Another needle in the back through purified scarification It wasn't somebody else You fucking did it to me You want a real smile? I haven't smiled in years"

• As he was trying to relearn to become happy again, happy as a child, he just got dragged further down in life. In the end, he stopped fighting and accepted his new personality, this 'darkness', and this is what he can associate his personality to now, so he knows who he is now and the only real smile is the one before ending his life.