Songfacts®:

• Scott Stapp's slow suicide after Creed became one of the most successful bands in America included arrests for suspected intoxication in 2006 and for domestic abuse the following year. This song finds him explaining that his self-destructive behavior was down to his own ego. "Who I Am," Stapp stated, "is the first composition in which I embody a character. That character is pure unadulterated ego. Unchecked, ego can take you down as quickly as the deadliest drug. When stardom came my way, I tripped out on ego. I OD'd on ego. And on this record I wanted to expose ego for what it is; I wanted to give ego a voice; I wanted ego to unleash its rage and express its need to possess my soul. In no uncertain terms, ego says, 'I came to destroy.' Pernicious raw ego stands as an enemy to peace of mind and is the counterpoint to much of this record's dramatic tension."