# Wait and Bleed

"Wait and Bleed" is a 1999 song by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released as their debut and lead single from their 1999 self-titled debut album. After being remixed to replace the screamed vocals in the verses with more melodic singing, it was released as the lead single from the album in July 1999, and peaked at number 34 on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in February 2000. It remains one of the band's most popular songs.

## Meaning and background

Joey Jordison recalled in an interview with Kerrang!: "I wrote the music for 'Wait and Bleed' on my own… I showed it to the guys at rehearsal, and then Corey wrote some lyrics really fast in our practice space… He took us to a new level immediately." "The song's about that switch in your head that can go at any moment," noted Corey Taylor. "You go from being a civilized human being to someone who can commit terrible acts. I've always been fascinated by the fact we represent ourselves as civilized when, at any moment, we can become animals."

## Release, awards, reception and use in popular culture

"Wait and Bleed" earned Slipknot a first Grammy nomination in 2001 for Best Metal Performance, though it lost to Deftones' "Elite". The song won the Best Single award at the 2000 Kerrang! Awards. The song enjoyed a degree of commercial success, reaching number 34 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 27 in the UK Singles Chart. It was also ranked number 36 on VH1's "40 Greatest Metal Songs" list. In 2020, Kerrang and Louder Sound ranked the song number four and number one, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Slipknot songs. This track, along with "Left Behind", "Pulse of the Maggots", and "Snuff", were released as downloadable songs in the Rock Band series. A remix version of "Wait and Bleed" by Terry Date was featured on the soundtrack for Scream 3.
   "It was just a basic song. We didn't know it was going to be that popular. The funny thing is the record label, especially new guys at the record label, were coming around when we started getting big, and they're like, 'Oh, the next record, you can write, like, three Wait And Bleeds.' And we're just like, 'You are an idiot.' Therefore, we don't do that. But obviously the band, believe it or not, we have so much control over what we do that we don't write anything for money, we don't write anything for popularity, we have to like it first. And it's just a song that we liked, and it just so happened that it got on the radio and got the attention that we didn't expect." – Chris Fehn

## Music videos

There are two videos for "Wait and Bleed". The first, directed by Thomas Mignone, features a live performance of the song, filmed during a performance on July 31, 1999, at the Ankeny Airfield in the band's hometown of Des Moines. The second, known as the "Claymation version", depicts all nine members as small, animated, doll-like creatures inside a laboratory inhabited by a man who is attempting to catch them. Eventually, the band cause the man to fall and be stung by dropping a jar of insects. As the band looks over the man, Chris Fehn's doll covers him in fuel and Shawn Crahan's doll sets him alight, killing him.
As of July 2024, the music video for "Wait and Bleed" has over 150 million views on YouTube.

## Track listing

All songs credited to Slipknot.

### CD single

* "Wait and Bleed" (Terry Date Mix) – 2:34
* "Spit It Out" (Overcaffeinated Hyper Version) – 2:28
* "(sic)" (Molt-Injected Mix) – 3:28
* Includes "Wait and Bleed" live music video
* "(sic)" (Molt-Injected Mix) is missing on Netherlands release

### EU promo single

* "Wait & Bleed" (Radio Mix) – 2:34
* "Spit It Out" (Overcaffeinated Hyper-Molt Mix) – 2:28
* "(sic)" (Spaceship Console Mix) – 3:28
* "Wait & Bleed" (Radio Mix) does not have the final "and it waits for you!" scream unlike Terry Date mix
* "(sic)" (Spaceship Console Mix) is no different from Molt-Injected mix

### US promo CD single

* "Wait and Bleed" (Radio Mix) – 2:30
* "Wait and Bleed" (LP Mix) – 2:27
* "Call-Out Hook" – 0:12

### UK promo CD single

* "Wait & Bleed" (Radio Mix) – 2:30

## Charts

Chart performance for "Wait and Bleed" :
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
| Australia (ARIA) | 46 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | 98 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 52 |
| Scotland (OCC) | 25 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 27 |
| UK Rock & Metal (OCC) | 1 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard) | 34 |

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Canada (Music Canada) | 2× Platinum | 160,000$^‡$ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Platinum | 30,000$^‡$ |
| Portugal (AFP) | Gold | 20,000$^‡$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 400,000$^‡$ |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000$^‡$ |
| $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||