Just a reflection
Just a glimpse, just a little reminder
Of all the what abouts
And all the might have co-co-could have beens
Another day, some other way
But not another reason to continue
And now you're one of us, the wretched (the wretched)

The hopes and prays
The better days
The far aways
Forget it (forget it, forget it)

It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, did it?
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, did it?

Now you know
This is what it feels like
Now you know
This is what it feels like

The clouds will part and the sky cracks open
And God himself will reach his fucking arm through
Just to push you down, just to hold you down
Stuck in this hole with the shit and the piss
And it's hard to believe it could come down to this
Back at the beginning
Sinking, spinning

And in the end we still pretend
The time we spend, not knowing when
You're finally free and you could be

But it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out quite the way that you wanted it

Now you know
This is what it feels like
Now you know
This is what it feels like

Now you know (now you know)
This is what it feels like (this is what it feels like)
Now you know (now you know)
This is what it feels like (you can try to stop it but it keeps on coming)
(You can try to stop it but)


Lyrics submitted by thewhitepony33

The Wretched Lyrics as written by Trent Reznor

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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The Wretched song meanings
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  • +2
    General Comment

    This is my first Nine Inch Nails song and is definitely one of the BEST songs ever made both musically and lyrically as a whole song!!! It had such big impact on me that first time I listened it I never before felt such strange(great) kind of impression ever before!!!

    Its just a TRUE artistic masterpiece!!! I so understand Trent's feelings in this song, its like really 100% by my taste...

    Now, I think that this song is simply one artistic and symbolic way of describing the life...At least I think so cause I think this song is living description of my mental life... He is depressed so badly that's indescribable and all the hopes and prays for better days, for far aways, are lost and then he sings to someone else whom he hate(who's btw responsible for one piece of his depression) "NOW YOU KNOW! THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE!"(god such a phenomenal chorus!!!) and kinda symbolically revenging to him..

    And then that: "and in the end we still pretend the time we spend not knowing when you're finally free and you could be"

    It describes sudden and strong sign of hope where he finally is kinda freed but that person which he hates is just started to go through what he went and he again revenges to him when the chorus starts again...and as the song goes to the end everything backs to normal and he's life 'started again'...

    You all should definitely watch the anime music video with The Wretched its called "The Cursed" thats where I first heard this song...and it impressed me sooooo much its indescribable(ok I said that already once :D)

    here is the AMV - youtube.com/watch

    VEGETA_DTXon September 30, 2008   Link

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