Slipknot’s “Orphan” Lyrics Meaning

The song “Orphan” by the band Slipknot seems to be based on two major themes. First and foremost is the idea of the singer feeling disenfranchised and subsequently dangerous. From who exactly he is alienated from is not specified, though it reads as if he considers himself somewhat of an outcast from society.

The primary reason for this seems to be his dealing with a considerable amount of “pain” which he feels the average man has not endured. And due to his lack of ability to fit in, he refers to himself as “the orphan”. Moreover he describes the orphan as “the one who kills”. However, this is apparently in the symbolic sense, since he goes on to say “the one who killed your world”, a statement which does not have any clear meaning. Overall it seems as if the sentiment Corey Taylor (the song’s narrator) wants and succeeds in putting forth is that he is a menacing individual.

Narrator is bragging

Secondly is that this song partially based on braggadocio. Put differently, the singer and his homeys pride themselves on being bad boys. So when he talks about for instance being a “monster” he does not mean so in a negative way, at least not to himself. Rather he perceives this as more or less ideal behavior – or at least the one that the world deserves. That is to say that, as he has done in other songs also, Corey presents the idea, albeit sparingly, that it was his interaction with and abuse by others which caused him to evolve into such an entity. And another major factor is apparently his just not being keen on the notion of fitting in.

Conclusion

So in summation, the singer not only perceives himself as an outcast but also someone who is deadly.  However, he is not a physical killer but rather a person whose actions can make a target question the world around him. In other words, his deadliness is metaphorical, pointing to the idea of Slipknot possessing the ability to make certain people extremely uncomfortable.

Creation of “Orphan”

Slipknot composed this menacing track themselves. And regarding its studio production, it was done by the band alongside Greg Fidelman. According to Jim Root (Slipknot’s rhythm/lead guitarist), the song was initially just an ordinary demo from his “garage”. He initially didn’t have so much confidence in it. However, he and the rest of the band developed it into what it is today.

 Release Date of “Orphan”

“Orphan” along with the album it finds itself on was released on the 9th day of August 2019. The album in question is titled We Are Not Your Kind and it is sixth studio album of the band’s career. “Orphan” is the 11th track on this album.

It should be noted that apart from the three official singles this album produced, “Orphan” is also one of the prominent songs on the record.

Official singles from We Are Not Your Kind

• “Birth of the Cruel”
• “Solway Firth”
• “Unsainted”

FYI: “Unsainted” was released as the album’s first/lead single.