“Nero Forte” by Slipknot
Slipknot’s “Nero Forte” is a song that is very-hardcore yet ambiguous at the same time. It is clear that the singer has beef with someone. However, it is up to the reader to ascertain what exactly his gripe is as well as who actually is the target of his ire.
That is to say that on top of the lyrics being symbolic, it can also be difficult to follow for those who are not familiar with this genre of music. However, there is an overall narrative which any listener should be able to grasp. It is based on the singer apparently suffering some type of abuse at the hands of another.
The nature of this mistreatment is not specified. But it would appear to be something along the lines of him feeling that said person(s) – in some way, shape or form – are deceiving and taking advantage of him. Moreover he seems to label these individuals as hypocrites, as in exerting control over others while their own affairs are out of order. Additionally via making such harsh statements, he seems to be privy to the potential of them retaliating or at least recognizes them as being willing to inflict severe cruelty.
So logically he is angry and relays such in this song. And the first verse in particular focuses on his angst, depicting the singer as a volatile and potentially-hostile person. And whereas he relays “Nero Forte” from a first-person perspective, the song in its entirety is not about him. Rather it is basically a tirade against those who are the source of his distress, with the first verse basically highlighting the type of person he has developed into due to dealing with them.
What is the meaning of “Nero Forte”?
As for the title of the song, “Nero”, though it has various applications, is mostly recognized as the name of a 1st Century Roman emperor. Nero gained notoriety for persecuting Christians. And a “forte” is something which a person is good at. So it is arguably that the people who this song is actually directed at is the Christian establishment, as in the dominant religion of Slipknot’s country (the United States).
Indeed Slipknot has been known to take similar dispositions, even if only in the name of entertainment, in the past. So it is not outrageous to conclude that perhaps “Nero Forte” is aimed at the religious establishment.
However while he may possibly have a beef with Christians, he is not referring to himself as “Nero”, as in someone who is out to persecute theme. Rather he is likening his tormentors to the titular emperor. This becomes apparent during the outro, which features the phrase “that’s what you do best“. This is another way of saying that the oppression which is delineated throughout the song is actually their “forte”. So basically, he views these individuals he is singing to as truly-vile people.
Conclusion
All in all, in its simplest form, “Nero Forte” is a song in which the singer is thoroughly frustrated. And the source of his anger appears to be some type of authority figures.
Who wrote “Nero Forte”?
Slipknot wrote this song. The band also collaborated with record producer and mixer Greg Fidelman to produce it.
When did Slipknot release “Nero Forte”?
On August 9, 2019, the band released their sixth studio album. This album is titled We Are Not Your Kind and “Nero Forte” is one of the songs on this album. Three official singles preceded this album. And they are:
He is talking about his fight with depression and depicting it in the song as a human. When I was depressed it felt to me like it was another human trying to take control, Idk
This guy Is 100% on point. But yes you can view it as such. Who ever depicted it lo like this I’d like to meet this guy. Very intelligent.
Nero Forte is “strong black”, and the song is about self-abuse, not an external “enemy”. “At the end of the day, thats what you do best” to me is the strongest statement in the song pointing this anger at yourself and how you can be your own worst enemy.
Thus song is cory Taylor taking about Mr. Cheeto himself, Donald Trump.
You [expletive] dumb—
Yup
huh
No ????
from what i have heard, he is talking abut his ex-wife and what she did to him but im not too sure
It’s about his ex-wife the chorus says
“A home like yours is upside down”
“A hope like yours won’t help us now”
And the last verse the first word of each line spells out
“ why did I not see your true face until it was to late”
I get ex vibes since song reminds me of my ex-wife
No matter what the actual intended meaning of the song is, I find that it fits perfectly with Narcissistic Abuse. “(Why) Why was it easy for you
“(Did) Did I deserve the abuse….”
I really like this tune!
That exactly what I thought, covert nd
Yep. This song struck me as a call-out to all the duplicitous, Narcissistic, manipulative assholes of the world. They are far too common.
Totally agree, not about a single person or incident
As a songwriter myself 4 years but one of the many unlucky people who just didn’t know the right people to get it out there I view this song as first of all kick [explicit] and best song on the album for sure everyone will view it whatever seems fitting for them because after all that’s what songs are supposed to be about and most of the time they lead towards love or addiction especially when it’s a metal song most of the time they’re not happy songs. LOL I feel like this song and not because of my life in particular is written about being in an abusive home and getting taken advantage of and ripped off from Life beating maybe even sexually abused and growing up such an angry individual that you can’t think of nothing else except the life you’ve LED Pryor and that you’ve gotten them out of your life your abusers that is but there is still a sense of compassion for your abusers even if it’s very little as if you want them to burn in hell to learn a lesson but when they have learned that lesson they should be free to go.
It’s about going through the divorce with his ex wife
It’s about corey’s ex wife and going through divorce
In my understanding this song is antichrist upside down which means upside down cross and home is baphomet actually i dont know also what im thinking and saying i dont know and im not sure if its related and have sense at all. Lol
That song depicts the frustration in life wherein the other party uses you up ’til you’re all burnt out and then leaves you; the bridge part is where all the realization hits hard where you see what the other party had done to you after all what you did for them.
P.S. This song helped me in my depressed phase, looking at myself like what did I do wrong and why did I accept such animality in my life.