Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, reptiles, baby dolls, and dueling swords, Cooper is considered by many music journalists and peers to be "The Godfather of Shock Rock". He has drawn equally from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock audiences.

Originating in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1964, "Alice Cooper" was originally a band with roots extending back to a band called the Earwigs, consisting of Furnier on lead vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton on lead guitar, and Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar and backing vocals. By 1966, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar joined the three and Neal Smith was added on drums in 1967. The five named the band "Alice Cooper", and Furnier eventually adopted it as his stage pseudonym. They released their 1969 debut studio album with limited chart success. Breaking out with the 1970 single "I'm Eighteen" and the third studio album Love It to Death, the band reached their commercial peak in 1973 with their sixth studio album, Billion Dollar Babies. After the band broke up, Furnier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper and began a solo career in 1975 with the concept album Welcome to My Nightmare. Over his career, Cooper has sold well over 50 million records.

Cooper has experimented with a number of musical styles, mainly hard rock, glam rock, heavy metal, and glam metal, but also new wave (1980–1983), art rock on DaDa (1983), and industrial rock on Brutal Planet (2000) and Dragontown (2001). He helped to shape the sound and look of heavy metal, and has been described as the artist who "first introduced horror imagery to rock 'n' roll, and whose stagecraft and showmanship have permanently transformed the genre". He is also known for his wit offstage, with The Rolling Stone Album Guide calling him the world's most "beloved heavy metal entertainer". Away from music, Cooper is a film actor, a golfing celebrity, a restaurateur, and, since 2004, a radio disc jockey (DJ) with his classic rock show Nights with Alice Cooper.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Cooper

Band studio albums
Pretties for You (1969)
Easy Action (1970)
Love It to Death (1971)
Killer (1971)
School's Out (1972)
Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
Muscle of Love (1973)

Solo studio albums
Welcome to My Nightmare (1975)
Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (1976)
Lace and Whiskey (1977)
From the Inside (1978)
Flush the Fashion (1980)
Special Forces (1981)
Zipper Catches Skin (1982)
DaDa (1983)
Constrictor (1986)
Raise Your Fist and Yell (1987)
Trash (1989)
Hey Stoopid (1991)
The Last Temptation (1994)
Brutal Planet (2000)
Dragontown (2001)
The Eyes of Alice Cooper (2003)
Dirty Diamonds (2005)
Along Came a Spider (2008)
Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011)
Paranormal (2017)
Detroit Stories (2021)
Road (2023)

I Am The Spider/Epilogue
Alice Cooper Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm your lover, I'm your brother
I'm your killer, I'm your friend
I'm your teacher, I'm your preacher
I'm the reaper in the end

I'm your healer, I'm your dealer
I'm your angel, let's pretend
I'm your jailer, I'm your failure

I'm the reaper in the end

Along came the spider
Crept up beside her
Spun his web deep inside her
My darkness will guide her

I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider

You're my sinner, you're my dinner
My little puppet, let's pretend
You're the cure to my affliction
My addiction to the end

Along came the spider
Crept up beside her
Spun his web deep inside her
My darkness will guide her

I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider

I was born to it
Not something to strive for
Not something to even admire, unless it was

It's done with the greatest of taste
Conviction and expertise
I am the spider

Along came the spider
Crept up beside her
Spun his web deep inside her
My darkness will guide her

I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider

Well, they found my diary today
They were appropriately appalled
At the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together

Women wrapped in silk
With one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk
Spider, brilliant

We've been in this cell
For twenty eight years, Steven
We couldn't have done all
Those horrible things

Yes, I know
I know what you always say
You trap, you kill, you eat
That's what a good spider does

You trap, you kill, you eat
You trap, you kill, you eat

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Alice Cooper's "I Am The Spider/Epilogue" are introspective and provocative, revealing the duality of human nature. The singer takes on multiple roles - lover, brother, killer, friend, teacher, preacher, healer, dealer, and jailer - suggesting that nothing is black and white, and everything has shades of gray. He describes himself as the "reaper in the end," indicating that everything eventually comes to an end, whether it's life, relationships, or emotions. The imagery of the spider is also utilized as a metaphor for the singer's power and influence over others. He acknowledges that he traps, kills, and eats, but reminds us that it's what a good spider does.

The refrain of "I am the spider" emphasizes the singer's control and dominance, while also indicating that he's self-aware of his actions. The line "my darkness will guide her" is especially chilling, suggesting that the singer is manipulative and enjoys the power dynamic of his relationships. The epilogue, spoken in a different voice, seems to be a confession from a pair of prisoners who have been incarcerated for twenty-eight years. They reference the eight victims and the spider imagery, suggesting that they may have committed the crimes described in the song. Whether they are the actual killers, or they've been influenced by people like the singer, is left up to interpretation. Overall, the lyrics to "I Am The Spider/Epilogue" are haunting and thought-provoking, exploring the complexities of human nature and the power dynamics in relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm your lover, I'm your brother
I am someone who plays multiple roles in your life - I love you and look out for you like a brother

I'm your killer, I'm your friend
I am also capable of doing harm to you, but am still willing to be your friend

I'm your teacher, I'm your preacher
I can guide you and impart knowledge like a teacher or religious preacher

I'm the reaper in the end
Ultimately, I will bring about your death and pass judgment on your soul

I'm your healer, I'm your dealer
I can both nurture you and provide for your needs or vices

I'm your angel, let's pretend
We can pretend I am something virtuous like an angel, but my true nature may be darker

I'm your jailer, I'm your failure
I can hold you captive or make you feel trapped and also have the potential to let you down or fail you

Along came the spider
A spider has come into the picture

Crept up beside her
The spider stealthily approached its target

Spun his web deep inside her
The spider has ensnared its victim with a web

My darkness will guide her
My malevolent influence will steer her actions

I am the spider
I am the one orchestrating the spider's actions

You're my sinner, you're my dinner
I am capable of inflicting harm on you, even to the point of consuming you

My little puppet, let's pretend
We can pretend you are a willing participant in your own torment, but in reality I am manipulating you

You're the cure to my affliction
You are the only thing that can satisfy my cravings or offer me relief from my inner turmoil

My addiction to the end
I will be addicted to you until the very end, even if it destroys us both

I was born to it
I was born with a natural inclination towards my twisted behaviors and desires

Not something to strive for
My actions should not be emulated or encouraged

Not something to even admire, unless it was
Unless one shares these aberrant tendencies, they should not regard them with admiration

It's done with the greatest of taste
My dark deeds are executed with precision and finesse

Conviction and expertise
I am highly skilled in carrying out my malevolent deeds

Well, they found my diary today
My personal writings featuring my malevolent actions and thoughts have been discovered

They were appropriately appalled
Those who found my diary were rightfully horrified by its contents

At the discovery of the eight victims
The truth of the atrocities I committed against eight individuals has come to light

Women wrapped in silk
I ensnared my victims in spider webs, symbolized by silk

With one leg missing
My victims were maimed and disfigured through my heinous acts

Eight legs, one body, silk
My victims were left tangled in webs, with only one leg visible among the twisted silk

Spider, brilliant
This act of malevolence is either emblematic of my character or admired by me

We've been in this cell
Someone who shares responsibility in my heinous acts is currently incarcerated with me

For twenty eight years, Steven
We have both been locked up for nearly three decades

We couldn't have done all
The two of us cannot bear responsibility for all the heinous acts that were committed

Those horrible things
Referring to the crimes we were accused and convicted of

Yes, I know
I am aware of this reality

You trap, you kill, you eat
This is the behavior of a spider, and I see myself as such - trapping and killing my prey, then consuming them

That's what a good spider does
This is how I justify my malevolent actions, as being in line with what is natural for a spider

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANNY SABER, ALICE COOPER, GREG HAMPTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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