Custer

Album: .5: The Gray Chapter (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • George Armstrong Custer was a Civil War hero and subsequently a ruthless Indian fighter. He is famous for the Battle of the Little Bighorn, commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, in which a force of 650 men led by Custer, suffered a severe defeat to around 2,500 Indian warriors.

    The death of Slipknot bassist Paul Gray and the controversial departure of drummer Joey Jordison meant many doubed whether the band could reach the same heights. This song finds Corey Taylor digging in his heels against all the scoffers. He told Kerrang!: "This is focusing that anger towards the outside world – the people who on one hand want to make us martyrs, but at the same time want to make us bastards."

    "And metaphorically," he added, "it's about charging into our last stand, and it's basically saying, 'You know what? Just when you think you've written our history, we're going to rewrite it again, and basically show you that we can take all the abuse that you put out there, and we're not going to lose a step, we're not going to lose an inch, we're not going to lose any ground – we're going to keep coming.'"
  • Here are some more fun facts about George Armstrong Custer from The Encyclopedia of Trivia:

    Custer was ranked 34th out of 34 in his West Point United States military Academy graduating class.

    In 1864 he was given command of General Phillip Sheridan's Third Cavalry Division as a Major General. The 23-year-old George Custer was the youngest US army officer ever to become a general. When the American Civil War ended he returned to his regular rank of captain.

    A redhead with a big moustache. Custer was nicknamed by the Sioux "Yellow Hair the Woman Killer" and "Long Hair."

    Custer's numerous beagles, wolfhounds and foxhounds shared his food tent and bed to the annoyance of his wife. His two favorite pets were Turk, a white bulldog and Byron, a greyhound.

    As George Custer and his 7th Cavalry left Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory for the Little Big Horn, the band played "The Girl I Left Behind Me."

    Custer's last stand was immortalized in Larry Verne's whimsical 1960 #1 hit "Mr. Custer."
  • The song's live music video was filmed during Slipknot's appearance in the 2014 fall at their Knotfest concert in San Bernardino, California.

Comments: 1

  • Peter from VaCUT CUT CUT ME UP AND f--k f--k f--k ME UP!!!!!!!!!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Randy Houser

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues

Justin Hayward of The Moody BluesSongwriter Interviews

Justin wrote the classic "Nights In White Satin," but his fondest musical memories are from a different decade.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."