Slipknot: The Virus of Life Meaning

The Virus of Life Lyrics

I can see you but you can't see me
I could touch you and you wouldn't even feel me
Wait a second and you'll settle down
I'm just waiting, 'til you really let your guard down?
Your relaxed, your sublime, your amazing
You don't even know...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   leviathandeth

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   Aug 6th 2009 !⃝

   This is one of Slipknot's darkest songs. It puts you in view of the person stalking a woman. He is completely obsessed with her daily life. As the song progresses, you witness his disturbed obsession with this woman grow more perverse and intense. The stalker's thoughts and fantasies start to frighten him, he knows he is out of control but can't stop himself, until he finally can't hold it back any longer. Insinuating he is going to rape, torture, and kill her so he can have her to himself forever.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Apr 23rd 2011 !⃝

   I've listened to this song over and over. One my favorite by slipknot. I know it's just my opinion but I think this song goes beyond death, and stalking, and rape. It's my opinion that this song is about something most people can't even imagine to know about. I think the song is about that voice inside of us, the voice that tells us to do bad things, the voice that makes rage come out from hidind. The voice of eveil. It's always waiting to come to surface, it's always watching, and waiting for the right time to take over. Some are even consumed by it. It's kinda hard to explain, but I know what I'm talking about. The virus is rage, it's inside all of us and it's something people choose to ignore. Take my words into account the next time you listen to the song. Maybe it'll make sense to you too.

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   Roach

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   Sep 15th 2010 !⃝

   Hi everyone!
   I think to the end of this album everything kinda grows together.
   My interpretation is the following:
   In Vermillion the protagonist falls in love with a woman he can not have, because she does not love him. So he waits for her at her home and assails her. He keeps her caged and wants to force her to love him.
   But she won't because you can not force anyone to do or do not love and so he gets depressed and does not know what to do now. That's Vermillion Pt2.
   In The Nameless he realizes that things won't turn out alright and he gets angry, wants to hurt her and thinks that she deserves it because she doesn't love him.
   Virus Of Life is the climax of that story. In that song the posession is taking over and he maybe rapes and kills her.
   The last song, Danger - Keep Away sounds like a last goodbye to her and at times I believe he's killing himself too. That's the end of the story and the end of the album.
4. anonymous

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   Oct 18th 2021 !⃝

   The interpretation of it being about stalking, sex or rape, etc, does really fit with the lyrics. "I can see you but you can't see me" "I'm trying to stay calm, I'm impatient and it's really hard to breathe". The uncontrollable thoughts of lust or whatever you want to call it. The compulsion to "have her". Thats one interpretation.
   
   But I would interpret it as being about depression. Depression doesn't always present itself but when it does it can be all consuming. All of the opening lines to me nail that feeling of how it creeps up on you and how it consumes you... "I can see you but you can't see me, I could touch you and you wouldn't even feel me, Wait a second and you'll settle down, I'm just waiting, 'til you really let your guard down, You're relaxed, you're sublime, you're amazing, You don't even know the danger you're facing, If I'm quiet, I'll slide up behind you, And if you hear me I'll enjoy trying to find you".
   
   Depression is the virus of life.
   
   
5. anonymous

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   Apr 8th 2021 !⃝

   I actually have two interpretations from this.
   
   Interpretation 1:
   From what I had picked up from this song mostly, is the sheer fact that the protagonist was maybe taken over by his obsession/possessiveness of the person he loves. In The Nameless you can tell he's pissed off and getting impatient with his lover, as she's most likely refusing to love him. Maybe he even thinks she's lying which brings this verse to attention; "Confession (I won't tell you twice)". At this point he's engulfed with some kind of pent up rage he had from her, simply not admitting to something that isn't even true. He's just hurting her now maybe thinking she deserves it, because she isn't in love with him. So all these different emotions he had building up may have caused the snap in, The Virus of Life. The lyrics are mostly self explanatory if you think deep enough about them. I think the protagonist finally spiraled out of control in this. Fully corrupted by the desire to have his lover not only in one way but in a sexual way as well, which may have driven to him raping her. In the sense of murder, the vibe of the song itself just gives off a murderer vibe. The lyrics kind of hint to death too, It could be a "If I can't have you nobody can", type thing which would make sense because of his possessiveness.
   
   Interpretation 2:
   Only listening to this song alone and not any of the other songs it ties into like; Vermilion, Vermilion PT.2, The Nameless, and Danger-Keep Away, this song could have been a cry for help or something more, due to mental disorders or illnesses. Think about it as your in the shoes of whoever may be slowly getting consumed by a certain mental illness/disorder they have or multiple, and the vocals of this song is the voice inside of your head or the demon of that illness/disorder slowly creeping up on you ready to consume you at any moment, like the protagonist. I know this may have been a lot to read but I had a lot to say (and I still have more to say but I don't want to bore the people who may be reading this out ). By the way, hello to the maggots listening in 2021.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. kooljohn176

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   Apr 12th 2020 !⃝

   SLIPKNOT'S ''The Virus Of life'' song could also be about the ''aftermath cost'' to anybody's mind. With which it was or is contagiously programmed in the artificial social construction theory of reality, where the mind was/is influenced to think and believe it's life made unreal to love ''possessively'' with hunger and need to survive in it's desires and drives at any cost.
7. anonymous

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   Sep 29th 2017 !⃝

   It makes a lot of sense for this song to be about stalking, raping, and killing a woman. But on the other hand I think it would also make a lot of sense if it was about mental disorders. One example of this is "I'm going to empty you and fill you in with me". Although this could obviously be relating to sex through a mans point of view, it could also be about how mental disorders emotionally empty you and morph your persona, and end up consuming you. And when it says "The crisis, the knife", this obviously could be about killing the woman with a knife, but it could also be about debating on whether to self-harm (with the knife of course). This song is actually quite open to interpretation although some of the real meanings to the lyrics are right in front of your face. But these two interpretations are the ones that make the most sense to me. So I just let my mood decide what I relate the song to at that specific time. Also I can't believe i'm only just contributing to this when it's nearly 2018
8. anonymous

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   Apr 14th 2017 !⃝

   My interpretation is this.
   
   Murder. Ever wander through the world and just think what is this person. Or people. "Good" or "bad". You would almost not feel anything but pleasure in acting against them. They may be innocent but it does not fucking matter. Fuck them. I think this song is almost what your mind is telling you when you are accelerating into a frenzy. It almost taps into our primal instinct. What got us this far in evolution in the first place. Kill and let them see you do it.
9. anonymous

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   Aug 1st 2016 !⃝

   This song personally for me puts into words what meth induced phycosis feels like cause theres a very demonic thing that goes along with meth induced phycosis "ive been with you all day" is the demonic spirit following you all day. "Bring me to my knees i am your disease" is the demonic spirit telling you to slam that meth bring him to his knees with that powerful high and the disease is ur addiction i was a junkie possesed by the evil spirits who followed me and told me to use "i wanna suck your soul" is literaly what happenes when ur a dope fien. This song is still scary to me in my recovery because it reminds me of the demons i saw and the voices i heard and how i felt like i was being hunted yet no one was ever there it was evil spirits hunting me and following me.
10. anonymous

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    Jan 17th 2013 !⃝

    from what I actually heard someone say,the song is about back when he and his ex girlfriend before they were together,and he use to stalk her,in some weird way!! it was something like that!!
11. anonymous

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    Jul 13th 2012 !⃝

    To me there is a few interpretations
    
    1.Sex (the most obvious one)
    2.Drugs (fits in with Slipknot)
    3.Celebrities on TV (fist in with Through The Glass)
    4.Death (fits in with the epicness of the song)
    
    I personally interpreted this song with drugs because when your high your mind can fucking STRETCH.
12. Natasha123

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    Mar 5th 2012 !⃝

    At first I thought this song was about rape/stalking also, but the more I listened to it I began to believe the song may be about mental illness', the sense of the victim being trapped and lines such as "I'm there with you all day" really cemented this idea in my mind. Just my interpretation.
13. anonymous

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    Jan 22nd 2012 !⃝

    The message is that everyone needs to hate chinks and ban together and take care of the virus of life show no mercy no remorse.
14. anonymous

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    Nov 13th 2011 !⃝

    H1N1
15. anonymous

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    Jun 9th 2011 !⃝

    I think its about rape
16. anonymous

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    Mar 14th 2011 !⃝

    The virus of life is love.
17. anonymous

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    Jun 9th 2009 !⃝

    Im really going with the first guy about rape ''No mercy, no remorse
    Let nature take its course'' but just the beginning I think the rest is about how people only equal shit and violence only destroying everything almost like a second people=shit
    ''This is the virus
    The virus of life''
18. anonymous

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    Jun 2nd 2009 !⃝

    I reckon this song is about the fuckers of society and how they smother and disease us because we will not join them in perfect foolishness. They are the viruses of our lives and forever will be until someone else takes their place.

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