After the release of the album, the band was accused of copyright infringem… Read Full Bio ↴After the release of the album, the band was accused of copyright infringement regarding the concept of the song "Purity". Taylor was inspired by a story he had read about a girl named Purity Knight who was kidnapped and buried alive. Although Taylor insisted that he believed the story was non-fiction, the author claimed it was fictional and objected to its concept for use in the song. Slipknot were then forced to remove "Purity" and its short sample-filled prelude "Frail Limb Nursery" from the album. As a result, the band released slightly remastered standard and digipak versions of the album in December 1999, replacing both tracks with "Me Inside". The band however still play the song during live performances and it is included in the band's second DVD Disasterpieces (the studio version appears here as well) as well as the live album 9.0: Live.

"Can you imagine a girl being buried in a box and have all this lecherous bullshit drip down on her from this guy? It just hurts your head."
Corey Taylor on the story which inspired the song "Purity"

Purity
Slipknot Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Maze, psychopathic daze, I create this waste
Back away from tangents on the verge of drastic
Ways, can't escape this place, I deny your face
Sweat gets in my eyes I think I'm slowly dying

Put me in a homemade cellar
Put me in a hole for shelter
Someone hear me please all I see is hate

I can hardly breathe and I can hardly take it

Hands on my face overbearing I can't get out

Lost, ran at my own cost, hearing laughter, scoffed
Learning from the rush, detached from such and such
Bleak, all around me, weak, listening, incomplete
I am not a dog, but I'm the one your dogging

I am in a buried kennel
I have never felt so final
Someone find me please, losing all reserve
I am fucking gone, I think I'm fucking dying

You all stare, but you'll never see
There is something inside me
There is something in you I despise

Cut me, show me, enter, I am
Willing and able and never any danger to myself
Knowledge in my pain, knowledge in my pain
Or was my tolerance a phase?
Empathy, out of my way
I can't die

You will see
Purity

Overall Meaning

The song "Purity" by Slipknot tells a story of feeling trapped and buried alive in a world of hate and intolerance. The lyrics describe a sense of hopelessness and desperation, as the singer begs for someone to hear them and find them. The imagery of being buried alive is used to represent the suffocating feeling of not being able to escape from one's misery.

The lyric "You all stare, but you'll never see, there is something inside of me" speaks to the idea that people often judge and criticize others without truly understanding what they are going through. The singer feels isolated and misunderstood, and there is a sense of anger towards those who refuse to see the pain inside of them.

The refrain of "Purity" repeats the word itself, which can be interpreted as a reference to a desire for clarity or a sense of purpose amidst the chaos. Despite the darkness of the lyrics, there is a sense of strength and resilience in the way the singer refuses to give up.

Overall, "Purity" is a powerful and intense song that conveys a sense of raw emotion and vulnerability.

Line by Line Meaning

Maze, psychopathic daze, I create this waste
I am lost and have gone insane, but I am responsible for the waste I make

Back away from tangents on the verge of drastic
Stay away from me as I am about to do something disastrous and unpredictable

Ways, can't escape this place, I deny your face
I cannot find a way out of my suffering and I refuse to acknowledge your existence

Sweat gets in my eyes I think I'm slowly dying
I am in so much pain that I feel like I am slowly dying and my physical body is suffering

Put me in a homemade cellar
Imprison me in a homemade cellar for my own safety

Put me in a hole for shelter
Bury me in a hole to protect me from myself and the world

Someone hear me please all I see is hate
I am desperate for someone to listen to me because all I see around me is hatred

I can hardly breathe and I can hardly take it
My suffering is so intense that I am struggling to breathe and hold on any longer

Hands on my face overbearing I can't get out
I feel like I am suffocating under the weight of my own thoughts and cannot escape them

Lost, ran at my own cost, hearing laughter, scoffed
I am lost and alone, having paid a personal cost for my actions, and hearing the laughter and mockery of others

Learning from the rush, detached from such and such
I have learned from my mistakes but am now disconnected from others and their social norms

Bleak, all around me, weak, listening, incomplete
All I see and feel is darkness and weakness, and I am listening to other's voices but still feel incomplete

I am not a dog, but I'm the one your dogging
I am not an animal, but I feel like people are treating me like one by constantly harassing me and making me feel inferior

I am in a buried kennel
I am confined like an animal in a buried kennel

I have never felt so final
I feel like this is the end and there is no way out

Someone find me please, losing all reserve
I am losing my last bit of hope and composure and need someone to find me and help me

I am fucking gone, I think I'm fucking dying
I am completely lost and feel like I am on the verge of death

You all stare, but you'll never see
I am being watched and judged, but nobody can truly understand what I am going through

There is something inside me
There is something within me that is causing all of this pain and suffering

There is something in you I despise
There is something in the people around me that I hate and cannot stand

Cut me, show me, enter, I am
I am willing to endure pain and torture to understand myself and find a way out

Willing and able and never any danger to myself
I am confident in my ability to endure pain and suffering and not pose a threat to myself

Knowledge in my pain, knowledge in my pain
I am learning and gaining insights from my own suffering and struggles

Or was my tolerance a phase?
I am questioning whether my ability to endure has run its course and cannot sustain my pain any longer

Empathy, out of my way, I can't die
I am begging for empathy and compassion from others, but at the same time, I fear death and wish to survive

You will see purity.
In the end, I will find inner peace and purity after enduring all of this pain and suffering

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Christopher Fehn, Corey Taylor, Craig A Jones, Michael Shawn Crahan, Mickael Thomson, Nathan J Jordison, Paul D Gray, Sidney Wilson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS