Balltongue
by Korn

Album: Korn (1994)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is rumored to be about oral sex, but it isn't. It is about a man who had to work with the band on a T-Shirt design. He either had a pierced tongue or a wart on his tongue and he gave the band a really hard time.
  • During the chorus, lead singer Jon Davis shouts a lot of unintelligible things. He claims it is just gibberish, but many fans believe there are actual words being said. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Nick - Paramus, NJ, for above 2

Comments: 18

  • Matthew Bagley from Phoenix, AzI've always loved this song. Whether they're high on drugs or completely sober, KoЯn will always have some killer f**king songs just like this one.
  • Ory from Frederick Md Jeff Creath?/ (Carebear) Donnington '96 3rd Video.
  • Ma from MarylandThey explain what the song was about in this interview: http://www.metalinjection.net/shocking-revelations/korns-reveal-they-were-high-on-meth-most-of-the-time-while-recording-their-debut-album

    The quote: "Recording "Ball Tongue" high on meth:

    Head: We tricked Ross into taking us on a drug run, and then we ended up tracking the vocals for "Ball Tongue" high on drugs. When Ross found out, that he drove us on a drug run without knowing it, he got pretty upset with us.

    Davis: Went to my dealer and got a big ol' fat rock of meth, chopped that s--t up and I did vocals. "Ball Tongue" was about our close friend and kind of manager, from Huntington. That was his nickname because when he was tweaking, he'd just sort of seize up and his tongue was like a ball. All that crazy, scatting s--t, that was all from me probably being up too long [laughs]."
  • Zero from Nowhere, NjThe main riff IS similar to one part of "Angel Of Disease" but I doubt the members of KoRn were actually listening to Morbid Angel's "Covenant" album (which came out just a year before) and said, "Hey lets use that riff in one of our songs!"
  • Ian from Chilli, Oh@ Ed: That is the guitar
  • Karl from Ingatestone, United KingdomThis is a very good Korn song because i believe that that's a fire extinguisher Jonathan Davis is hitting at the end, out of his angst-ridden frustration. i have recently got the album this song off and i cant work out why he does this
  • Tyler from Fall River, MaHead was saying that this song was about when they would get so f--ked on speed , They would get some little ball at the tip of thier tongue.
  • George from Philadelphia, Pathe jibberish is called scatting by the way
  • Ed from York, Pawho was making that wierd "whining" noise during the 1st and 2nd verse?
  • Nick from Paramus, NjIt is said that the guitar riff is a rip-off of the one from Morbid Angel's "Angel of Disease".
  • Nate from Santa Cruz, CaThese "Davis-isms" that you speak of are nothing more than well orchistrated primal screams. I found this out way back in the day, I hit 3 shows on his 'Issues' tour, none of the sounds lined up with the concert before, and sounded nothing like what was on the cd.
  • Neil from London, EnglandI always got the impression from the 'jibberish', or 'Davis-ism's' as they seem to be called here, to be symbolic of being so angry that you cannot actually form words. I always imagined that there were words underneath them, but they were so distorted that you were no supposed to know what they meant. I have read the korn do not actually publis their lyrics and and you see on-line of something have been intpretated by a 3rd party.
  • Kevin from Indepence, MoWTF is a "davis-ism"? the following is the true meaning of the song, "The meaning of ball tongue is simple. Some thought it had to do with oral sex, but infact its about a guy we had to work with on a t-shirt. He either had a pierced tongue or a wart or something on his tongue and he was a dick to us" - Jonathan Davis
  • Danielle from NorthumberlandDavis-isms.... hehe. True, true... I believe the best song for that would be in the middle of Seed. If you aint heard it... godsakes LISTEN!!!
  • Felicia from Collins, Nyi found somewhere that these were the lyrics for the so called jibberish

    There you are alone
    With no hope of ever having something to be proud of
    Something earned without begging
    Yes, I know you're a person, a person, a person close to me
    Who do you think you are? What more do you want from me?!
    Ball Tongue!
    -You got the dykes off, I think they'll mind me
    Ball Tongue!
    -The rag I'm on, we are justified
    Ball Tongue!
    -Congrats you just f--ked up my make-up and s--t
    Ball Tongue!
    -What have you done for me?!

    Why are you at home buried in your own self pity?
    Why do you insist on living the life clean out of me?
    Yes, I know you're the person, the person that took time with me
    Does it give you the right to expect your life revolves around me?!
    Ball Tongue!
    -You have come to take from your buddy
    Ball Tongue!
    -You have never been so funky
    Ball Tongue!
    -The higgle got sick of me
    Ball Tongue!
    -Ahh, the dick is fine for the day
    Ball Tongue!
    -Your brother took it from me
    Ball Tongue!
    -Unidetified enemy
    Ball Tongue!
    -Come f--king back to save us and gave up
    Ball Tongue!
    -They've come to deliver me


    You were my brother, Where does our friendship end? [repeated]

    I'm not going to give in

    How can you f--k'n doubt me, but not again [repeated]

    Ball Tongue!
    -They've driven right by my friends
    Ball Tongue!
    -They've taken the take above me
    Ball Tongue!
    -You're a psycho monkey
    Ball Tongue!
    -They've come to enslave me
    Ball Tongue!
    -They've jacken themselves onto me
    Ball Tongue!
    -Your f--k'n gangster signs
    Ball Tongue!
    -They've come not to save them, but they take
    Ball Tongue!
    -F--k'n death to f--k'n me

    You're psychopaths [repeated]

    Ball Tongue!
    -Berome's dead at the technodrome
    Ball Tongue!
    -You're right, he's dead, tear gas dropped, but who was it?
    Ball Tongue!
    -It dosen't of the rhythm of the damn monger
    Ball Tongue!
    -Can I die?! Can I die?!
    Ball Tongue!
    -And then, the man kept kick'n me
    Ball Tongue!
    -He gets him on, they're cool
    Ball Tongue!
    -He wasn't dead, and then they knocked him on the head
    Ball Tongue!
    -No more, he's rid of you. You're a Dyke!
    ~~felicia,springville ,ny~~
  • Luke from Manchester, EnglandThe gibberish is just gibberish... They're Davis-isms, used in a lot of Korn songs:


    Twist, Ball Tongue and Freak On A Leash to name three
  • Nick from Paramus, NjA picture of Balltongue(the person) can be found in the "skrapbook" that comes with their "Take a Look in the Mirror" CD.
  • Kevin from Webster, Mawhoever found that the "jibberish": were words, is crazy. I don't know how, but they are actual words. Holy crap, I never noticed them.
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