# Man Behind Slaughter "The Man Behind the Slaughter" is a meme based on a lyric from The Living Tombstone's 2014 Five Nights at Freddy's fan song "It's Been So Long." The phrase refers to the game's antagonist William Afton (Purple Guy), and the meme took off in late 2019 through ironic edits and captioned images that reference the character in absurd or out-of-context ways. It became a viral format across iFunny, Instagram, and Twitter in early 2020. ## Origin On December 4th, 2014, Israeli musician The Living Tombstone uploaded "It's Been So Long" to YouTube, a song written from the perspective of a grieving mother whose child was killed by William Afton[3]. The chorus includes the now-iconic line describing Afton as "the man behind the slaughter." The video picked up over 92 million views across six years[3]. The song sat untouched by meme culture for five years. On December 31st, 2019, Instagram user hd_chungles posted a recaptioned webcomic edit built around the song's lyrics[3]. That post pulled in over 173,000 views and 20,000 likes within three months, kicking off the format[3]. - **Platform:** Instagram (meme format), YouTube (source song) - **Creator:** hd_chungles (original meme edit), The Living Tombstone (source song) - **Date:** 2019 ## Overview The Man Behind the Slaughter meme revolves around the lyric "the man behind the slaughter" from The Living Tombstone's "It's Been So Long," a fan song based on Five Nights at Freddy's 2[3]. The phrase describes William Afton, the fictional serial killer also known as Purple Guy who serves as the main antagonist of the FNAF franchise. In meme form, people apply the phrase to random characters, people, or situations, often coloring them purple or pairing them with the song's chorus. The humor comes from the dramatic weight of the phrase being applied to something completely mundane or unrelated[3]. ## How It Spread The meme spread quickly in January 2020 through reposts on Twitter, Instagram, and iFunny[3]. On January 8th, 2020, YouTuber The Acid Muskitears uploaded a recaptioned webcomic edit that reached over 342,000 views in three months[3]. Six days later, iFunny user CoasterCrusader posted a Barnacle Boy's Sulfur Vision edit referencing the lyric, mixing SpongeBob and FNAF humor[3]. The format didn't hit peak virality until March 2020. The timing lined up with early COVID-19 lockdowns, when internet meme output surged across platforms. On March 7th, 2020, iFunny user TheEliteDidNothingWrong posted a GIF caption version that earned over 430 smiles in three weeks[3]. On March 12th, iFunny user RemingtonV2 created a PogChamp edit that hit over 3,000 smiles in two weeks[3]. The meme's simple formula made it easy to remix: take anything, color it purple (or don't), slap on the phrase or the song, and the joke works[1]. The format found particular traction in FNAF fan communities and shitposting circles, where the dramatic tone of the original song clashed with ironic, low-effort edits. Urban Dictionary entries for the meme consist almost entirely of the full song lyrics pasted verbatim, reflecting how deeply the phrase embedded itself in internet culture as a recognizable reference[1]. ## How to Use The Man Behind the Slaughter meme typically follows one of a few patterns: 1. **Purple filter edit:** Take an image or video of any person or character, apply a purple color filter, and caption it with "the man behind the slaughter" or play the song over it. 2. **Webcomic recaption:** Replace dialogue in an existing webcomic with lyrics from "It's Been So Long," building toward the chorus line. 3. **Reaction/reveal format:** Set up a mundane or absurd scenario, then reveal someone as "the man behind the slaughter" as the punchline. 4. **GIF captions:** Overlay the phrase on unrelated GIFs for ironic effect. ## Cultural Impact The meme helped push The Living Tombstone's "It's Been So Long" back into relevance years after its original release, driving new waves of listens on YouTube and Spotify[3]. It also contributed to the broader trend of FNAF memes becoming mainstream internet humor beyond the game's dedicated fanbase. The format's 2020 surge aligned with a period of intense meme production during early pandemic lockdowns, giving it extra fuel. ## Fun Facts - The Living Tombstone's original video accumulated over 92 million views before the meme even started, meaning the song was already a massive hit with FNAF fans long before ironic meme culture found it[3]. - The meme lay dormant for five full years between the song's 2014 release and its first meme use on December 31st, 2019[3]. - William Afton's purple sprite is so iconic that simply coloring anything purple can invoke the meme without any text at all[3]. - iFunny played an unusually large role in this meme's spread, serving as a primary platform alongside Instagram and Twitter[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is The Man Behind the Slaughter? It's a meme based on a lyric from The Living Tombstone's "It's Been So Long," a Five Nights at Freddy's fan song. The phrase refers to the game's villain William Afton, and people use it in ironic edits and captions[3]. ### Where did The Man Behind the Slaughter come from? The lyric originated in a December 2014 YouTube song by The Living Tombstone[3]. The meme format started on December 31st, 2019, when Instagram user hd_chungles posted a webcomic edit using the lyrics[3]. ### What does The Man Behind the Slaughter mean? In the FNAF lore, it describes William Afton, the serial killer responsible for the murders that drive the game's story[3]. In meme form, it's applied ironically to random people or characters for comedic effect[1]. ### How do you use The Man Behind the Slaughter meme? The most common approach is to take an image, apply a purple filter, and add the caption "the man behind the slaughter." You can also play the song over unrelated videos or replace webcomic dialogue with the lyrics[3]. ### Is The Man Behind the Slaughter still popular? The meme peaked in early-to-mid 2020 during its viral spread across iFunny, Instagram, and Twitter[3]. It still circulates in FNAF fan communities and shitposting groups, though at lower frequency than its peak. ### Why is the meme associated with the color purple? William Afton's in-game sprite in the Five Nights at Freddy's series is entirely purple, earning him the nickname "Purple Guy." This makes purple a visual shorthand for the character and the meme[3]. ### Who is The Living Tombstone? The Living Tombstone is an Israeli musician who created "It's Been So Long" in 2014, the FNAF fan song containing the lyric that became the meme[3]. The video has over 92 million YouTube views[3]. ### Why did it take five years for the meme to start? The song was popular with FNAF fans from 2014, but ironic meme culture didn't pick up the specific lyric as a format until late 2019 when Instagram user hd_chungles created the first known meme edit[3]. ### What role did iFunny play in the meme's spread? iFunny was one of the primary platforms for the meme's viral spread in early 2020, with users like CoasterCrusader, TheEliteDidNothingWrong, and RemingtonV2 creating popular edits[3]. ## References 1. [Ralph Breaks the Internet (soundtrack)]() 2. [Man Behind Slaughter - Urban Dictionary]() 3. [Man Behind Slaughter - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/man-behind-slaughter Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library