As the Worm Turns by Faith No More

Album: We Care a Lot (1985)

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

A track from the first Faith No More album, "As the Worm Turns" has lyrics by lead singer Chuck Mosley, who was their frontman for their first two albums. Here, he addresses someone who his down in the dumps because he doesn't have a job, offering some encouragement:

Time is on your side, you're young
Don't waste your time today

In his Songfacts interview, Mosley said the song is "social commentary on being responsible for your own situation."
The band is from San Francisco, and this song is a good example of the punk sound coming out of that area at the time. It was more of a hippie sound as opposed to the more hardcore grooves that were coming from Los Angeles.
The title, which doesn't appear in the lyric, is a play on "As the World Turns," the name of a long-running soap opera.

Comments: 1

Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganIt should be noted that this song was recorded in the studio at least twice: Once with Chuck Mosley on vocals that appears on the We Care A Lot album, and one with Mike Patton on vocals that was one of the outtakes for the Angel Dust sessions.

I think the reference to the soap opera can be interpreted to represent how some people make their situation out to be more dramatic than it really is. Though I've also heard that the phrase, "As the worm turns" was also an idiom to mean that someone's luck was about to change from bad to good.

I love the synth riff, it's one that I learned when I was in the beginning stages of playing the keys, it's simple but requires proper fingering technique to execute right and without your fingers cramping up.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Oh Happy DayThe Edwin Hawkins Singers

"Oh Happy Day" was recorded in a church and sold to raise money for the choir. It's the only genuine gospel song to become a pop hit.

One Tree HillU2

The TV show One Tree Hill got it's name from a song of the same name on U2's Joshua Tree album.

MacArthur ParkRichard Harris

Richard Harris, who played Professor Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies, had a hit in 1968 with "MacArthur Park."

Fool In The RainLed Zeppelin

In Led Zeppelin's "Fool In The Rain," the guy goes into a funk when he thinks he's been stood up, but is elated when he realizes he's been standing on the wrong corner, and it's all a terrible mess.