This is an in-depth analysis series that I'm going to be doing on several key songs from the Nine Inch Nails discography. I'm an amateur writer creating projects of interest on Reddit to improve my practice, and I hope you enjoy this work. Please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments, and share your own ideas about the lyrics for debate and discussion. If you want to support my work here and would like to see more of it, you know where the upvote button is. Also, I welcome you to share any songs from NIN that you would like to see an analysis created on in the future.
Bear in mind that art is extremely subjective, and these are just speculations and personal commentaries. All of my notes about the lyrics are in brackets next to the original lines. Also, I'm trying to create new avenues of thought and create original discussions about Trent Reznor's work, so I'm trying to avoid the obvious ideas that everyone already knows like easy drug metaphors or references to depression. I'm also examining the meaning of each song without its relation to being part of any concept album. I'm a 20-plus year veteran fan of Nine Inch Nails, so I take this work very seriously as a tribute to the most philosophically-interesting and talented musician of all time, Trent Reznor.
Somewhat Damaged by Nine Inch Nails [From The Fragile, 1999]
So impressed with all you do [this could be anyone around him, but 'impressed' is a clue.]
Tried so hard to be like you [who would he try to be like, and why?]
Flew too high and burnt the wing [this is a reference to Icarus, who flew too close to the sun.]
Lost my faith in everything [this now reveals the mystery; he was talking about Jesus or god.]
Lick around divine debris [devine debris points to god being dead, falling from the heavens.]
Taste the wealth of hate in me [if there's a wealth of anything, it's always something terrible for him.]
Shedding skin, succumb defeat [a snake shedding its skin is a classic theme of rebirth. Hope, perhaps?]
This machine is obsolete [this is a complex reference to the 'machines' of the human body. Planned obsolescence.]
Made the choice to go away [it's hard to accept this reality; a preemptive strike.]
Drink the fountain of decay [everything is in a constant state of change, decay and rebirth.]
Tear a hole exquisite red [a knife, or perhaps a needle; assuaging pain.]
Fuck the rest and stab it dead [giving up, leaving hope behind.]
Broken, bruised, forgotten sore [suffering the slings and arrows of living.]
Too fucked up to care anymore [this is one of the most powerfully-depressing lyrics of all time.]
Poisoned to my rotten core [planned obsolescence by god again; an original sin apple reference?]
Too fucked up to care anymore [repeat of a depressing theme twists the knife on the listener.]
Broken, bruised, forgotten sore [repeat, more and more pain.]
Too fucked up to care anymore [repeat for emphasis.]
Poisoned to my rotten core [repeat for emphasis.]
Too fucked up to care anymore [repeat for emphasis; building towards nothing.]
In the back off the side far away [away from everything that hurts, yet still found.]
Is a place where I hide, where I stay [hiding from pain, still eventually found.]
Tried to say, tried to ask I needed to [hope that someone or something can help.]
All alone by myself, where were you? [placing the blame on another, but who?]
How could I ever think it's funny how [placing blame on the self; shame.]
Everything that swore it wouldn't change, is different now [the only constant in the world is change.]
Just like you would always say, "We'll make it through" [disappointment and heartbreak. The deity failed him.]
Then my head fell apart and where were you? [The god in his mind betrayed him with planned obsolescence.]
How could I ever think it's funny how [repeat of placing blame on the self.]
Everything you swore would never change, is different now [repeat; another echo of Terrible Lie]
Like you said, "You and me make it through" [abandonment from god, telling the greatest lie.]
Didn't quite fell apart, where the fuck were you? [lied to and abandoned; broken by the world.]
Submitted June 10, 2018 at 08:50PM by WanderingRonin77 https://ift.tt/2sLxNCt
No comments:
Post a Comment