Slipknot’s “Birth of the Cruel” Lyrics Meaning

Slipknot’s “Birth of the Cruel” is centered on a transformation the singer has going through. It is premised on the idea of him having suffered some type of abuse in the past. Many people believe the foundation of this song is the well-publicized depression which Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor admitted he suffered from a couple of years back. However, the way “Birth of the Cruel” is worded seems as if the source of his angst is actually externally-based, due primarily to being mistreated by people.

But the singer is not lamenting this reality. Rather he perceives the abuse he endured as being what fashioned him into the “bitter, maladjusted and wise” person he (as well as his peers) are today. And as for the overall theme of this song, it is the first two of those three adjectives which really come to forefront. They ultimately put forth the idea that the mistreatment which has defined his life led to him developing into a “cruel” person. And what this basically means within the context of this song is that now, colloquially put, he doesn’t give a damn, specifically in terms of relating to his oppressors. Furthermore, he is wiser and stronger to boot. That is to say that he is celebrating the fact he has undergone these changes.

Who mistreated him?

Who it is exactly whom mistreated him is not specified, though in that regard he does allude to “a generation too uptight”. This certainly reads as if he may have beef with parental authority. Moreover this song uses a considerable degree, particularly in the intro, outro and bridge, of what can be interpreted as religious symbolism. And along those lines, what Taylor seems to be saying is that he rejects the idea of established religious authority.

So all things considered, it can be argued that the permeating sentiment in this song is one of rebellion. The singer has gone through his fair share of depressing events. And he feels retribution against those who are the source of such is called for. However, it does not seem as if it is going to occur naturally. So he is taking the initiative to bring about such a desired result, not necessarily directly but more by overtly manifesting his pent-up angst via his personality.

Quick Facts about “Birth of the Cruel”

• The title of this track was logically derived from a Miles Davis compilation LP which also came out in 2019. This LP was named after a project Davis recorded during the late 1950s entitled “Birth of the Cool”.
• “Birth of the Cruel” was released by Roadrunner Records on 5 August 2019. It was released as Slipknot’s third single from their critically acclaimed We Are Not Your Kind album. “Unsainted” and “Solway Firth” were also released as singles from this album.
• The entire band wrote this song, and they also produced it with additional input from Greg Fidelman.