Lyrically, Corey Taylor described the track as a representation of "the war inside yourself". It’s a song about resisting defeatism and the internal struggle to not give in to one’s own negativity. By "stepping inside" to see the devil within, the band acknowledges their shared pain and anger before finally putting their past incarnations to rest to start a new chapter.

(the DJ) literally eats his own hands—the tools most vital to his craft.

rips his own face apart, reflecting themes of isolation.

The video also served as the official (though at first anonymous) debut of new members (drums) and Alessandro Venturella (bass). They appear as wheelchair-bound patients who are eventually cornered and stabbed by the original members—a violent "baptism" into the fold. Fans famously identified Venturella early on by matching his hand tattoos seen in the video. The Meaning Behind the Noise