The Negative One

"The Negative One"
General Information
Artist	Slipknot
Release Date	August 1st, 2014
Recorded	March 1st – July 28th, 2014
Genre	Thrash Metal Nu Metal
Length	5:27
Audio	Official Audio
Label	Roadrunner Records
Writer(s)	Corey Taylor, Jim Root
Producer(s)	Slipknot, Greg Fidelman
Mixer(s)	Joe Barresi
Album(s)	.5: The Gray Chapter
.5: The Gray Chapter Chronology
← Previous	"Be Prepared for Hell"
Next →	"If Rain Is What You Want"
Singles Chronology
← Previous	"Snuff"
Next →	"The Devil In I"
Music Video

"The Negative One" is the thirteenth track on .5: The Gray Chapter, as well as the album's first single.

Background

"This is the third song that really deals with the inner turmoil. And I know there's a misconception out there that it's about Joey, and it's just not. And I know people are very adamant in their opinion about it, and it's just not. It’s about trying to make sense of the whole ordeal, and the thing that I realized while writing these lyrics was that Paul's death made me see what I was taking for granted, and that I was spending a lot of energy on selfish needs. I had the choice between the negative me, or who I wanted to be. And I guess if one good thing came from a tragedy like this, it's that I was able to put everything in perspective and realize that I took this band and this life for granted."

—Corey Taylor

Track Listing

Digital Download
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Negative One"	5:26

UK Promotional Single
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Negative One" (Album Version)	5:27
2.	"The Negative One" (Clean Version)	5:26
Total length:		10:53

Lyrics

[Intro]
Fuck!

[Verse 1]
Fire and caffeine, a lot of nicotine
I'm going to burn, so I better tell you everything
The competition, the superstition
Nevermind 'cause you're never going to give in
It's a crisis, just how you like it
The same drama in a different disguise
I'm bound to walk with a target on my back
At least I'm ready for another attack

[Chorus]
The lord of lies, the morning star
You had to be set free
Opposing sides, your choices are
The negative one and me
Yeah

[Verse 2]
Svengali, why are we the enemies?
I never follow, and I never make apologies
Your dementias are gonna get ya
Because your walls can't support each other
Settle for the cynical, you're so political
You're getting ready 'cause the first move is critical
Reciprocity, somebody's listening
What did we learn from our time in captivity?

[Chorus]
The lord of lies, the morning star
You had to be set free
Opposing sides, your choices are
The negative one and me
The negative one and me
I hope you live to see the day
When your world goes up in flames
And as you die, you see my face
You're the only one to blame
Yeah
Fuck

[Bridge]
The prescient, the nascent, the quotient
They all will fall
The cystic, symbolic, condition
Systemic
Egregious, replete with these lesions
Contaminate
Succumb to the selfish creation
Your failure

[Verse 3]
No accountability, divisibility
I point a finger, but it's always looking back at me
The centipede's pulling on the mechanism
Unearthing scars of the cataclysm
When the innocent begin to circumvent
The color fades, but the picture is vibrant
What do you believe? Does it matter now?
Turn away, the killer is disavowed

[Chorus]
The lord of lies, the morning star
You had to be set free
Opposing sides, your choices are
The negative one and me
The negative one and me
I hope you live to see the day
When your world goes up in flames
And as you die, you see my face
You're the only one to blame
The lord of lies, the morning star
You had to be set free
Opposing sides, your choices are
The negative one
The negative one
The negative one
The negative one and me
The negative one and me
The negative one and me
Yeah

External Links

To be added

Release History

Region	Date	Format(s)	Edition	Label(s)