Orphan Lyrics
I wept when I realized
There were no more demons left to conquer
An opportunity to show my feelings
With skin so thick you swear it was armor
A penitentiary that only lets the oxygen out
I wasn't ready for a version of the truth to get out
I’m getting desperate, I wouldn't wanna fester in another bad dream
[Pre-Chorus 1]
I am a man of extremes, I found the flesh and I'm liking it
I’ll put an end to all the fucking psychobabble
We eat the meat 'cause the meat had a soul
We take the lives 'cause to hurt makes us whole
[Chorus]
I am not the same
You never had a clue or knew my name
You wanna know the story? Take my pain
I am ready, the lie is heard
I am not the same
You never had intent to keep my blame
You really wanna know who the fuck I am?
I am the orphan
The one who killed your world
Keeping up appearances with acts of attrition
It doesn't matter 'cause I know you'll never listen, before
You knew it when you saw it, now you say you never knew it
It was all a big conspiracy
We came together when the hands of fate let go
Is there anybody left to fill this hole?
This shit will never wash off
Give yourself a medal, I swear, I fucking give up
We're nothing special, just an accidental tweak of the freak
An evolution of the kennel in the fetish you seek
There's still a part of me that’s dying in a dumpster
The one who rose is a motherfucking monster
[Pre-Chorus 2]
I’ve seen the future and it's simply burning
I wasn’t put here to be so discerning
You want the world to be dissatisfied
You don't care, so why the fuck should I?
Fuck, should I sell myself to stay alive?
[Chorus]
I am not the same
You never had a clue or knew my name
You wanna know the story? Take my pain
I am ready, the lie is heard
I am not the same
You never had intent to keep my blame
You really wanna know who the fuck I am?
I am the orphan
The one who kills
The one who killed your world
Everyone has something
Someone here has everything
Everyone has something
Someone here has everything
Everyone has something
Someone here has everything
Everyone has something
Someone here has everything
Everyone has something
Someone here has everything
Everyone has something
Someone here has everything
[Verse 3]
Tell me all about it, I love to hear it
The way I ruin everything I touch
I never thought I'd get to say I'm sorry
But then again I think you ask too much
Too white to be black, too black to be blue
Too sick to be me, too fucked to be you
I only wonder if I’ll live to see the end of the road
It always gets me nowhere
[Chorus]
I am not the same
You never had a clue or knew my name
You wanna know the story? Take my pain
I am ready, the lie is heard
I am not the same
You never had intent to keep my blame
You really wanna know who the fuck I am?
I am the orphan
The one who killed your world
Everyone has something
Someone here has everything
I am the orphan
The one who kills
Everyone has something
Someone here has everything
I am the orphan
The one who kills
Yeah
About
In this song, Corey Taylor talks about his traumatic past and the harshness of life at a very young age. He tells his story, takes stock, and exorcises his ultimate frustration and anger. The track’s themes and sound are similar to the band’s 2001 album Iowa.
Taylor’s lyrics include topics of canniblism and murder that can be seen as a fierce metaphor for feeling lost, questioning life, and reacting to one’s misfortunes when feeling down. Even if he’s doing better now, you can hear in some lyrics that the past is not completely dead and traumas will never fade.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
This is, again, a demo that came from my garage. It’s a metal banger. When we first started talking about this record, there was a point where I was pretty insecure about all these arrangements, and I didn’t think we had much to work with. You get those blocks, but that’s the beauty of collaborating with people. I watched the Freddie Mercury movie [2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody], and there’s the section where he’s separated from the band, and then he went back and was like, “The problem with the band is they did everything I wanted.” I can relate to that! I need people to bounce ideas off of; that helps me take things to other places.
- 1.Insert Coin
- 2.Unsainted
- 5.Nero Forte
- 8.Red Flag
- 9.What’s Next
- 10.Spiders
- 11.Orphan
- 12.My Pain
- 14.Solway Firth
