All Out Life

Album: non-album single (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "All Out Life" is a ferocious thrash-heavy rallying cry where Corey Taylor pleads to the listener not to treat the past with disdain. Rather than constantly looking for the next big thing, the Slipknot frontman is saying there's plenty of old music that should still be celebrated.

    Old does not mean dead, new does not mean best
    No hard feelings, I'm tired of being right about everything I've said
    Yours does not mean mine, kill does not mean die
    We are not your kind
    No excuses, I challenge you to all out f---g life


    Corey Taylor said: "It's not the date on the music - it's the staying power."
  • Speaking to Beats 1 host Zane Lowe about the lyrical inspiration for the song, Taylor explained it's "about this toxic idea that unless something came out 10 minutes ago, it's not any good, and that bothers me."

    The Slipknot frontman went on to state that though he's a fan of new music, there's plenty of older material that he still listens to. He hopes this song will encourage people to get together and say: "You know what? Let's not talk about old. Let's not talk about new. Let's talk about what is. Let's talk about what's good, what's real, and get behind that and start embracing things that matter because there's history there and not just because it's the next best thing."
  • Stylistically, the song's explosion of twisted heavy guitar riffs, punishing percussion and unrelenting pace harks back to Iowa, the masked metal rockers' heaviest album to date.
  • The single's "we are not your kind" chant eventually became the title of Slipknot's sixth studio album. Corey Taylor explained to Kerrang:

    "I didn't think it would be anything more than a great chant at a concert. It was one of the things in my head that I could hear 50,000 people screaming at the top of their lungs, pumping fists. It wasn't so much that I thought it was benign or anything - it was definitely something that I thought, 'This could be something really cool' - but it took on a life of its own, and that's when I really started thinking about the phrase; about how it could be perceived."
  • The We Are Not Your Kind record was titled after this song despite it not being featured on the album. Taylor explained: "It was just such a catchy song that it made sense to release it. But now, in context with the story that we're telling on (the album) we weren't sure if we were going to put it on there."

Comments: 2

  • Plague from Ur Momlove the song and i agree that we shouldn't care about new or old music but music that we love
  • Will from Athens,alNow the intro to NXT, slipknot coudos to you
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Zakk Wylde

Zakk WyldeSongwriter Interviews

When he was playing Ozzfest with Black Label Society, a kid told Zakk he was the best Ozzy guitarist - Zakk had to correct him.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.