Purity by Slipknot

Album: Slipknot (1999)

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Songfacts®:

This song is based on a story Slipknot lead singer Corey Taylor discovered on a website called Crime Scene about Adrianne Purity Knight, a 20-year-old college student who was stalked by a former boyfriend who buried her in a homemade wooden coffin where she died. According to the story, she was confined during the day in a small box no bigger than a coffin for six years, and became conditioned with Stockholm Syndrome, which occurs when a person finally gives themselves willingly to their captor and believes they are in love with them, or at least understands and accepts their captivity without resistance.

It was only after the song was released that Taylor found out the story wasn't true. The website he was reading posts fictional murder-mysteries that readers can try to solve. By this time he had talked about how the story inspired the song, which led to a lawsuit. The song ended up being pulled from the album.
"Purity" was included on Slipknot's 1999 self-titled album, their first on a major label. The album established them as innovators in hardcore and paved the way for their success in the 2000s.
After this song led to legal action, Corey Taylor explained that the title came from the website but the story was inspired by the "woman in a box" films The Collector and Boxing Helena. The Collector inspired another song in the album, "Prosthetics."

Comments: 24

Willie from ArgentinaThe song was based on the fictional Purity Knight case, which in turn was based on the Colleen Stan story.
Kodi from Berlin, GermanyI honestly don't know what to believe.. its a 50/50, i keep alot of people say its true.. some say its wrong, but i wanna think its true. And its really sad what happened to Adrianne Purity Knight! It really sucks what happened to her.. especially her getting raped (i'm pretty sure). And getting buried alive? Are you kidding me. Well yeah theres a sh*t ton of HORRIBLE people in the world who have done worse then what had happened to Purity Knight but like that's really f--ked up. I mean maybe this hole thing is real, and this song being about what happened? And also i am IN LOVE with this song! I am really hooked, its my #1 favorite song! I got to meet everyone in SLIPKNOT before, i went to their concert and when it was over, i went up to them and talked with them. Mick, Joey (r.i.p), Sid, Paul (r.i.p) are my favorite band members (even though joey and paul have passed). I love slipknot! "You all stare, but you'll never see,There's something inside me!" STAY (sic) MAGGOTZ!!
Uknown from UsaThis is not okay. Why are people like this? Slipknot treats people better than anyone else.
Alejandro from GermanyI dont think it's that important whether the story is fake or not, but the fact that stuff like this is happening in this world in each and every second
Frog Stomp They made a documentary about this girl “ the girl in the box” based on a true story people! More kind a made for TV movie on lifetime
Shane from Melbourne, Australiathe song has changed my mind, the way i think about things. I know the internet says its fake and all that. but like Corey Taylor, I STILL BELIEVE IT!! just the thought of a human doing that to another human is (sic)kening. I know so much about this person/song and the band. From what i know, she was a very nice person, college student, having a good life. Then some ex boyfriend just makes up his mind to end anothers life by torturing another human. PEOPLE = s--t
This just makes me angry,sad and confused. Angry how someone can do that, sad because, well f--k, do i have to point out the obviouse? and confused because once again i dont see what the stalker gets out of torturing a nice girl. From the moment i heard the song "Purity" by Slipknot, i loved it. I first didn't really get it, then i researched up the song whilst on the slipknot web page. And i didnt know what to feel. So my opinion is, Purity was a real girl, who was tortured and
burried alive!! R.I.P.. and also PEOPLE = s--t. stay (sic) maggotz!!
John from Forestville, NyPurity Knight is a fictional character on a website that trains CSI students. Corey came across it and was inspired, thinking it was a true story. Yes, it the song Despise was used as a basis, but the story was incorporated into it to make the song Purity. Frail Limb Nursery is the intro to Purity and it is just clips from the audio evidence used on the website for the Purity Knight case. The owner of the website sued the band so they had to pull the songs from the album re-release it. However it was just recently allowed to be on the aniversary edition of the first album.
Steve from Telford, United KingdomThey had to rerelease the album with new songs obviously because they where being taken to court. who knows if its true or not, can you believe everything you hear nowadays. i know i cant.

atleast we have great musicians making great songs.
Maggot666 from Niagarafalls, Onthis story was not real cory thought is was but then the ppl that made the story put a law suite against them it was released on the self title album as despise
Kelsie from Pittsfield, MaThis song was thought to be on a real girl!! It is not a true case!!! I repeat it is not a real case!!
Here is the web-site where The fake case of Purity Knight is.
http://www.crimescene.com/purity.archive/index.html

I myself found this site before the song Purity came out. I looked at the whole thing and thought it was a real case. But when the song Purity came out, and Slipknot had a law suite against the song , I went back to the site and found that when I went to the main page of the web-site, it said that this site is used for Forensic Student's ...
And yes their is some truth to the story just not that one!! Their was a girl who was buried alive in the back of someone's farm.
Krow from Carcer, Qcso u r telling me this was a fake story? but but but what about the "This is based on a true story about a woman who was abducted by a man and his wife. She was tortured, degraded, and confined during the day in a small box no bigger than a coffin for 6 years. The woman became conditioned with "Stockholm Syndrome." This condition sometimes occurs when a person finally gives themselves willing to their captor and believes they are in love with them, or at least understands and accepts their captivity without resistance. (thanks, James - Dartmouth, Canada)" part at the begaining?
Jackson from NottinghamIt's true about the purity knight
story being fiction. Corey thought it
was real at the time, i think he still does...
but from how the case was made i can see why it's believable. And it's scary cause
sh@t like that does happen.
Jerimias from Nuuk, GreenlandI f*cking love this song! Especially the live version! It has got such a great beginning and great lyrics!
Unknown from Sunderland, EnglandThe song wasn't in original self-titled album release because of copyright as this was the only song Jim worked on on the album, the others were done by former guitarist. Awesome song btw. Stay (sic)
Justin from Franklin, VaThis is a great song, this song sucked me in ever since i first heard it. It is one of my favorite Slipknot songs. I hated when they took some of the lyrics from this song and used it for Deposition because the instrumental on this song went with the lyrics better than the deposition instrumental did.
Kevin from Belleville, IlWhat do you mean they never put it out? It was on their original release of the self-tittled album.
Also could be found on their digipak release. BOth releases are hard to find anymore though. Best way to reconize it is.. On the selftitled cover says slipknot across the front, its purity free, but if it doesnt say slipknot across it, it will ahve the track purity on it, and means it was made the first year of teh albums release.
Wendy from Ft. Worth, TxThe first time I heard this song I was hooked. The story behind it is really something to sit and think about.
Mike from Lisbon, NdThe purity thing never really happened thats why they couldnt put it out becuz of copyrights and stuff. Corey Taylor still believes there is some truth to the story however
JosÃ? from Reidsville, Nc"you all stare.." was just a part of Despise that they decided to leave in purity
Jill from Columbus, OhI love this song. My interpretation of it has always been about like people not accepting you, not liking you and not seeing the true you..."You all stare, but you'll never see..." Those lines really hit me hard, I love this song just for the perfect chorus. I think this is my fav. Slipknot song.
Rachel from Raleigh, NcI love their Disasterpiece DVD! This is a great song!
William from Ocean Springs, MsSlipknot performed this on their disasterpiece DVD. It was one of their best in my opinion. I think this is their best song.
Zachary from North Adams, MaThis song was actually originally a demo that Slipknot put together called Despise. It was put on the Digipack of the self-titled album.
Jeff from Dayton, OhThe story wasnt true. Its on a website that you can sign up for to figure out crimes, like a "who dun it" kind of thing. Thats why the album was rereleased with the song Me Inside replacing Frail Limb Nursury (spelling?) and Purity