The Lyrics:
you give me the reason
you give me control
I gave you my Purity
my Purity you stole
did you think I wouldn't recognize this compromise
am I just too stupid to realize
stale incense old sweat and lies lies lies
it comes down to this
your kiss
your fist
and your strain
it get's under my skin
within
take in the extent of my sin
you give me the anger
you give me the nerve
carry out the sentence
well I get what i deserve
I'm just an effigy to be defaced
to be disgraced
your need for me has been replaced
and if I can't have everything well then just give me a taste
it comes down to this
your kiss
your fist
and your strain
it get's under my skin
within
take in the extent of my sin
(Pre 5-12-98)
to me this song is one of the most powerful songs by nin.
"you give me the reason. you give me control."
He is in a relationship where the person said do what ever you want. He ran the show basically.
"i gave you my Purity. my Purity you stole."
He had strong feelings for the person so he lost his virginity to the person.
"did you think i wouldnt recognize this compromise. am i just to stupid to realize. stale incense old sweat and lies lies lies."
The person told Trent that they cared about them and led him to believe that the person loved him etc and basically did a fuck and run.
"it comes down to this. your kiss. your fist. and your strain. it gets under my skin. witin. take in the extent of my sin"
That pretty much explains itself, I really dont have much of a comment for that line.
"you give me the anger. you give me the nerve. carry out the sentence. i get what i deserve."
Basically he's caught up in the moment and says fuck it I said it was ok and now I have to pay the consenquences of the decision I made.
"i'm just an effigy to be defaced. to be disgraced. you need for me has been replaced."
They get into an arguement and the person turns on him, possibly cheats, and leaves him.
"and if i cant have everything well then just give me a taste"
This is where he wants the person back in his life as a lover again and the person refuses so he compromises and says well can we at least be friends???
-laura aka the artist formerly known as queenie
(Pre 5-12-98)
I don't even need to interpret this one, your interpretation is the same that mine used to be. Watch the video though, it'll show you what he's talking about, and the winner is, homosexuals
(Pre 5-12-98)
I think that in this song what he is saying is that he loved someone and he was lead to believe that this person loved him. And then the person left him after fucking him. He feels betrayed and hurt.
-Mariannah
(Pre 5-12-98)
I don't know if anyone will agree with me but I think that The Downward Spiral is very related to Pink Floyd's - The Wall. If you haven't seen the movie The Wall or heard the album you should definitely check it out! It's just as deep as NIN lyrics.
In a very short sense, the Wall is about a rock star named Pink Floyd which due to past events becomes very closed and cold and thus as a consequence his wife cheats on him with another man. Also not having a father as a child has played a big role in his "building the wall". He doesn't like the government because his father was killed in the war and he blames the "High Command" for that. The wall is a metaphore for an emotional barrier that one builds up because one can't cope with life. As the story progresses, the rock star becomes a leader of a "Nazi-like" cult which terrorizes anyone who is black, gay, or Jewish.
One of basic meanings of the story is that repressing your emotions can cause you to become some scary things. I think the relationship between the 2 albums can be especially seen in the becoming. When Pink Floyd becomes the leader of the group "Britannia" he becomes very machine like and emotionless just as the becoming describes - "the me that you know is now made up of wires and even when I'm right with you I'm so far away". Also there can be seen relationships between Closer and Young Lust. Young Lust is about Pink Floyd finding a "dirty woman" to "set (him) free". In addition, you may call me paranoid but if you listen to the intro to Another Brick in the Wall (part iii) there's a repeating slamming sound similar to that one in Mr. Self Destruct. Who knows, maybe Trent had that in mind when he made that part (I'm not implying he did, I'm just saying there's a similiarity). I'm sorry if I've offended anyone by showing a relationship between this music and a clearly different style of music.
(Pre 5-12-98)
Sin to me is one of the deeper song by NIN. Alot of people feel that the song is about a relationship in which he lost his virginity. I feel that this song deals more with an emotional wrecking. "His purity" might very well be a form of happiness he fealt around that person, and now that the love is over he feels as an empty shell. I recently had a relationship end and to others i was found an empty shell of a person, one who seemed cold and often times lost. I see this as a beautiful song, and one of the best on the "Pretty Hate machine" album.
The video for sin seems to show sin though in a more politcal view such as the society looks down on people for being different. It is very possible he is saying that society mocks him, yet it was society that created him. The video is well crafted, and to those who have not seen it, it can be found in the "Closure" video set.
-Aaron... the Broken man...