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Nine Inch Nails – Happiness in Slavery Lyrics 20 years ago
I just scanned through some of these comments and I could only see one place where Bob Flanagan's name came up...and just as Bob. Someone did mention they thought it was an S&M actor which he was but not just limited to that. I think anyone who really loves this song and video or just finds BDSM interesting should really read up on Bob Flanagan. He was an interesting man. And it might make you appreciate the video a bit more. Plus, one of many interesting facts about him that you would find is that he wasn't nearly as old as he looks in the video. He looks older because of cystic fibrosis. He died when he was 43 not even two years after being in the video. Anyway, this isn't about the meaning of the song but I guess if you read up on him you might be able to see it from a different view which I think any artist, especially Trent, would appreciate so the song isn't left so 2 dimensional. Not to mention added respect for the man's life which I'm sure Trent Reznor shares as well since he asked him to be in it.

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Nine Inch Nails – Gave Up Lyrics 20 years ago
To answer Mr Jack's question, I'm almost positive it's Brain Warner in the video. It would make perfect sense. Marilyn Manson was the first band outside of NIN to be recorded through Nothing records and given the fact that they were friends at one point.

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Nine Inch Nails – Even Deeper Lyrics 20 years ago
I agree with you gobbly but more in the sense of what entity994 is talking about. This song is talking about depression because that's what I could relate to at the time.

I woke up today
to find myself in the other place
with a trail of my footprints
from where I ran away

-When depression hits it's sudden but only because the signs are so subtle you don't realize it until it's too late. You've been running from it but one day you realize you can't escape.

it seems everything I've heard
just might be true
and you know me
(well you think you do)

-Others notice certain changes and ask if you are allright and you just say yes because you want to be allright. They seem to know something is up but they will never know how far it goes.

sometimes, I have everything-
yet I wish I felt something

-No matter how well your life is going you can be depressed and all you want is to feel good, hell anything but depressed even.

do you know how far this has gone?
just how damaged have I become?

-Even if you talk to people about it you can never quite say the right words to depict how bad you truly feel.

when I think I can overcome
it runs even deeper

-You start to try to find cures for it. You think you're making headway because you certainly can't get any worse but then you realize you can and you have. You just keep sinking because there is no bottom.

and in a dream I'm a different me
with a perfect you
we fit perfectly
and for once in my life I feel complete-
and I still want to ruin it

-You dream of being happy but you know deep down even if you could get these things you think would make you happy the depression would take over and make you sabotage everything because it always wins.

afraid to look
as clear as day
this plan has long been underway

-Above I stated that one day you realize you're depressed. When you do and come to grips with it you can look back and see all the signs you missed that if you had just seen you could have prevented it from becoming so deep.

I hear them call
I cannot stay
the voice inviting me away

-The dreams of being happy always end and you are always brought back to the depression.

do you know how far this has gone?
just how damaged have I become?
when I think I can overcome
it runs even deeper

-What I said earlier.

everything that matters is gone
all the hands of hope have withdrawn
could you try to help me hang on?
it runs...

-Eventually you get to the point where it is better to die then to continue living. You have nothing, not even yourself. You desperately look for someone else to save you because even though you don't want to live it keeps getting worse. It never ends.

Sorry, I know it's long. But that's what that song meant to me when I first heard it. I connected with it and took it that way because I needed to.

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