“Shoots and Ladders” was the 3rd single Korn released off their self titled album in 1995.
The title of the song comes from a popular children’s game “Chutes and Ladders.” It’s about the dark side of nursery rhymes that kids don’t know about. Lead singer, Jonathan Davis, said of the song, “It was written because all these little kids sing these nursery rhymes and they don’t know what they originally meant. Everyone is so happy when singing ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ but it is about the
Black Plague
. All of them have these evil stories behind them.”
Black Plague
. All of them have these evil stories behind them.”
Nursery rhymes mentioned in the song include: Ring Around The Rosie, One Two Buckle My Shoe, London Bridges Falling Down, Baa Baa Black Sheep, This Old Man and Mary Had A Little Lamb.
To make things extra creepy the low voice in the background during the chorus is a actually a backwards recording of Davis saying “This is madness” over and over.
“Shoots and Ladders” got a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1997.
Korn “Shoots and Ladders” 1995
