Knife Party

Album: White Pony (2000)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song was inspired by a strange party on the Deftones's tour bus, where a everyone had a knife from drummer Abe Cunningham's blade collection and was dancing around the bus with them. Vocalist Chino Moreno then created an imaginary scenario from it about a secret knife society. "I made up this fake scenario of some kind of underworld society of knives, people who just get off on these erotic fantasies," he explained. "Or something like that. An Eyes Wide Shut kind of thing."
  • The record company wanted this to White Pony's first single, but Moreno battled them as he thought it was a "little too weird." He added: "It's a seductive song with a lot of violent imagery. People don't tend to like sex mixed with violence."
  • The mid-section features additional vocals from a girl called Rodleen Getsic, who worked next door to the band's studio.

Comments: 29

  • Jasmine Delarosa from TexasTowards the end you can hear a girl throat singing it’s such a nice touch
  • Degameth from TurkeyTowards the end, along with those brilliant screams, the female singer vaguely sings some lyrics. Can anybody catch those?
  • Josh from Canada I like to pretend its about lovers hooking up and falling for each other.
  • Vardamir from IstanbulCould argue about song's meaning for infinite hours but one thing's for sure: screaming female vocal through ending always make me wanna cry somehow.
  • Lucas from Herndon Can The womb, anemic, we. Eternal life. The soul at purest body. Life.
  • Lucas from Herndon Can So the song is symbolically and metaphorically describing the act of birth and how similar it is to the act of war between the same sex to win the woman. The baby, at the end, is supposed to signify a woman screaming from birth and the baby saying,, I COULD FLOAT HERE FOREVER. as if the baby is singing to the room. The knife party, the scalpel, pain. The beauty in pain. There. Gosh. Lol
  • Mel from Mooloolaba, AustraliaI thought this song was about self harming. the knife genuinely meant a knife, and the feeling you get from cutting. The feeling of floating, is the feeling of the blood. But that's my opinion.
  • Shilo from Knoxville, TnLike the former heroin addict above said, a "chrome knife" is not a syringe. Stop making stuff up. The song is obviously about people who get together and cut each other or themselves because they find it erotic and get a sort of high from it. "Kiss me" and "lay down" probably refers to making out and/or doing sexual things while they are cutting. Anemic means having less than the normal number of red blood cells...so, if you're getting cut, you're gonna have less blood. "See inside my bones" seems like it would refer to a deep cut, exaggerating the deepness to the point where it's a cut all the way to the bone or even into the bone. I think of the "queen" as maybe the most beautiful or most coveted female of this group, so the "king" would be the male who gets with her. Or maybe she's the "leader" of the group, if there is a leader. People find all sorts of things erotic, and blood-play is definitely one of them. Especially since there's a certain "high" people get just from the act of being cut.
  • Nameisdary from Los Angeles, CaI used to think that this song was about 2 lovers that despite their love, make some sort of appointment to kill each other. Way off I know, but I found the vocals near the end of the song extremely disturbing in such a beautiful way.No one like Moreno.
  • Michael from Houston, TxDid anyone ever take time to relize that maybe the song is about cutting yourself. I think if you are on drugs, you will do just about anything. No doubt in my mind that they are artistic. But I think the significance of everything in the song doesn't have to be a metaphore. Give them the benifit of the doubt that they are making a song about cutting themselves. Given the sadness of the song, and the girl screening at the end. Its a party of people cutting themselves, it appeals to cutters, and if you cut yourself, you would love this song, because it is simple a song about cutting yourself, whether there were drugs at this party, Im sure of it, but I assure you, that this song is not a joke, its a real song about cutters. Great song though.
  • Buckwheat from San Diego, CaI always thought the song was about people who like to cut themselves with knives or razors, as a form of release, and temporary euphoria. But I don't know for sure, so I won't say that. One thing I know, is that I shot heroin for 20 years, and I never saw a syringe referred to as a "chrome knife" . That is totally asinine.
  • Jonathan from Dallas, Tx"Knife Party," was inspired by a bizarre drunken party on the band's tour bus. Moreno says that drummer Abe Cunningham collects knives--"like stilettos and butterfly knives"--and distributed them to band members one night. "Abe busted out all his knives and everybody on the bus had a knife and was dancing. It was the stupidest thing, and everybody was laughing about how silly the whole thing was," says Moreno. The knife party became a band joke, and months later, Moreno decided to use it in a song. "I made up this fake scenario of some kind of underworld society of knives, people who just get off on these erotic fantasies," he says. "Or something like that. An 'Eyes Wide Shut' kind of thing."
  • Steve from Bumfuc, Egyptwe can talk all day about what this song means, but i'm more interested in who sing the solo at the end of the song. i don't think that persons voice is computer inhanced. that person can hit some ungodly notes. dose anyone know who that person is?
  • Psycho Bob from A.v., Camany a songs that deftones have made have a lot to do with the issue of love...."im the new king, ill take the queen" i believe that knife party is about sex and how it can be used as a weapon "go get your knife(and come in), go get your knife(and lay down), go get your knife(now kiss me)". the term "we're all anemic" describes how when were are hurt in this way we bleed far too much draining us of blood...our livelihood...meaning that when we get intimate and we then get hurt...its one of humanity's worst kinds of pain just short of losing some one in death...at the moment that we are being stabbed with the "knife" (sex)...we feel like we can "float forever"...in "here" (the moment) everyone is a victim to this...we all want to feel these things and at this moment you really dont care about the past or the future...just about floating in the here and now...enjoying what you want to last forever...but afterwards the damage is done...and we bleed out part of our souls...i think chino recognized this and he got to the point were since everyone is a victim...that must mean everyone is the assailant...so...GO GET YOUR KNIFE, GO GET YOUR KNIFE, NOW KISS ME!
  • Kyle from Lee's Summit, MoThere is No way Chino would waste time to write a song about marijuana, take a little time out of his day to smoke it, thats a different story, but there is NO WAY it's about weed. Heroin, makes you float there forever, White Pony like he said is Cocaine, Had he written the song about cocaine, it would have been at alot faster of a pace, because thats what cocaine does to you, heroine sloooowwwwws you down, like knife party.
  • Aaron from Hollister, CaMy favorite Deftones track of all time by far! Chino's drug is Ganja. And Alessandro that is a hard thing to say "best band in the last 10 years" I think Deftones can be argued though. Chino loves his track meaning controversy. But why do we make such a big deal about being messed up, all artist are I say it as a STEREOtype, that is amazingly consistent all the way back to the beginning of art and drugs. But who REALLY knows?
  • James from Ottawa, CanadaAlso, the deftones arent too high class for pot. In another issue i have, the interview begins with stephen carpenter "rolling a monumental spliff from one of the largest bags of pot I have ever seen". After wordlessly passing the dutch around, the interview begins.
  • James from Ottawa, CanadaActually, this song was written (and you can quote me on this, in an issue of guitar world i have with an interview with Deftones) when Stephen Carpenter was reviewing his rather large knife collection on the tourbus. The song meaning may be about a heroin lounge, but the original idea was pioneered in the tourbus. Ill get back to you all and post what issue and page number of Guitar World Magazine this was in.
  • Jenny from Wisconsin Dells, WiDEFTONES ARE AWESOME AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY ARE A LITTLE SCREWED UP(R'NT WE ALL) GO TO A SHOW OR LISTEN TO A CD YOU WILL SEE BEING SCREWED UP DOESN'T REALLY MATTER YOU STILL CAN ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS AND GREAT MUSIC
  • Alessandro John from Milan, ItalyThey're probably messed up but if it helps writing such songs they should never stop taking drugs. Unbelievably great. Best band of the last 10 years
  • David from Barcelona, SpainKnife party is about heroine. The symptomatic descrived in the song doesn't fit with cocaine, cocaine is more agressive and the song is hard but sweet at the same time. I agree that a 'knife sharp and chrome' is a syringe.
    The song's tempo is amazing and describes the sensation of heroine perfectly, the atmosphere is kinnda oniric, as they say like 'floating'.
    Despite the meaning of the song, this is one of the better songs I've ever heard.
  • Tim from Pgh, PaKev, look at all of the other bands/artists whose mear existence is that of drugs. You mean to tell me that the Deftones cannot create a song or two about it without being accused of being screwed up? Not to mention all of the heavy metal bands who use religion as a means of attracting attention to themselves (which is worse, in my opinion). The whole reason as to why the 'Tones got off the ground in the first place was because they were artistic. Besides, the situation has been scientifically proven that due to the vastness of the human subconscience, every person has hopes and dreams (as well as sexual fantasies) that is so far beyond our comprehension, that not having one seems rather unfeasible.

    And no, Digital Bath is not screwed up (if you can step out of the skin you live within).
  • Al from Nz, New Zealandits about coke, not spotting weed of the stove, i dont think such a high profile band would write a song about getting stoned off weed whilst putting so much emotion into it... i was at a knife party the other day - it doesen't mean i was sharpening any knives.
  • Kevin from Independence, MoTim your an idiot if u think the deftones arnt messed up. You mean to tell me that digital bath isnt a screwed up song, and the meaning behind it isnt worse. God your dumb.
  • Aneth from Mercedes , TxFirst you must be able to except all possablities of this song meaning. "I" think this song is about a love. the lyrics i think are deeper than what people give it cridit for. in the into he's discribing probably something bad happening to them that effected him to maybe cut himself. As the song progresses he gets deeper by explaing how he feels when he is with "her". I guess the way i look at it is i kinda scewed. but i twisted words to mean... i guess what it means to me if that makes anykind of sence.
  • Tim from Pittsburgh, PaThey are not messed up. Artistic.
  • Sam from Philadelphia, Paa knife party is also when you smoke weed by vaporizing it between two red hot butter knives. but since the guys in the deftones are such messed up freaks anyway, it is probably about heroin and coke
  • Tim from Pittsburgh, PaThis song is my favorite off of the White Pony.
  • Kat from San Antonio, TxThis song is so freakin awesome.I cant think of any other song to just kick back to.
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