Piggy

It's how Trent's pet pig ran away when he was kid and he got really sad!

to me the song is about someone he once had a relationship. She probably tore him apart and left him broken, and he hates her for that.. shes is the pig

hey pig yeah you hey pig piggy pig pig pig all of my fears came true black and blue and broken bones you left me here all alone my little piggy needed something new

She left him for something new, a new relationship. Now he doesn't care anymore. He doesn't feel anymore.

hey pig nothing's turning out the way I planned hey pig there's a lot of things I hoped you could help me understand what am I supposed to do? I lost my shit because of you

This verse shows that he's still lost without her although he says nothing can stop me now. And I feel the repeat of the line (nothing can stop me now), he keeps saying to himself to convince himself that everything will be ok.

i find how ignorant and closeminded alot of you. If you listened to NIN at all you'd realize Reznor does not come straightforward at all with what he's writing.

i.e. black and blue and broken bones, this line is not actually about Trent getting beat up, what are you retarted?

the song is about a girlfriend who left him, just because he calls her a pig doesn't mean he's singing about the cops who took his drugs and beat him lololol.

i say he found himself in this girl and was really happy/in love with her, he put alot of trust into their relationship and she left him, shattering his world.

the black and blue and broken bones are metaphors for his emotional wounds.... think outside the box a bit people.

its about Ricard Patrick. Trent's good buddy and ex band mate (from 'pretty hate' to 'broken'). The guy went on to form the band Filter. Richard's nick name was piggy.

This song introduces our protagonist, who will ultimately become the victim of the villain introduced in Mr. Self-Destruct. The protagonist represents the type of people who give in to Mr. Self-Destruct, those who are too weakened to put up a mental defense and keep their humanity. When I think of this specific protagonist, I think of a regular guy with a boring office job, and his girlfriend has just left him, leaving him weak and broken.... the perfect victim for Mr. Self-Destruct. He refers to her as "Pig" because he is disgusted at how she left him for "something new". However, he is not a complete victim: "black and blue and broken bones" leads me to believe he abused her. Thus, he is selfish for thinking that she alone is responsible for his pain. This will contribute to his downfall. Instead of embracing his emotions, he tries desperately to shrug it off, claiming "nothing can stop me now cause I don't care anymore". The second verse is interesting, as this is the first time the Downward Spiral Motif plays. Mr. Self-Destruct already has the protagonist in his sights. He had it all planned out, but she ruined it, and he wants to understand her reasoning for leaving, what she thinks he's supposed to do now that she's gone. The drum solo to me is a raw representation of the confusion and turmoil inside his head (yes, I know the story of how Trent was doing a drum sample and just decided to keep it because he liked it, but I like to piece everything together). Great song overall.

You'll notice a lot of rock artists making references to pigs, or piggies. The only real reason I can see for this would be the Charles Manson massacres in the 70s, when The Family killed Sharon Tate and others, writing 'Death to Piggys' and more in their blood. During the trials, Charles Manson and The Family made reference to a song written by George Harrison of the Beatles, in which he spoke of piggies rolling in the mud, in their suits, etc.

Another great example of Trent putting his anguish into words. I interpret this song as Trent speaking to a lover that left him, irrevocably hurting him.

“hey pig yeah you hey pig piggy pig pig pig all of my fears came true”

He is simply addressing the person that hurt him and saying how what he had hoped would never happen, has happened.

“black and blue and broken bones you left me here all alone my little piggy needed something new”

He is saying here I am in all this pain after you betrayed/left me. She left him for someone she met.

“nothing can stop me now 'cause I don't care anymore nothing can stop me now 'cause I don't care nothing can stop me now 'cause I don't care anymore nothing can stop me now 'cause I just don't care”

It is unknown that he is going to do (move on, kill her, lift weights, etc…), but her decision making provided the fuel he needed to fulfill his determination.

“hey pig nothing's turning out the way I planned” His future plans involved her, but she had other plans.

“hey pig there's a lot of things I hoped you could help me understand”

He is lost without her.

“what am I supposed to do? I lost my shit because of you”

Not only is he lost, but he gave up all he had (friends, time, etc..) and has nothing to show for it

I think this is a song directed at an ex-lover, pure and simple. Äll of my fears came true/ nothing turning out the way I planned- breaking up Black and blue and broken bones, you left me here all alone- Being abandoned by his lover Nothing can stop me now- He's moving on

to me the song is directed towards someone who has completely obliderated an emotionally intwined person by making them feel like they could find seclution in them, after finding this seclusion and releasing all the things that he/she tried to keep within them all this time the person leaves him.(for whatever reason) then, he just spirals out of control feeling like hes completely lost everything and all hopes of going back.he then comes to the realization that he just really dosent give a shit about anything anymore

Hi. This is my first time posting anything - ever! Anyway, this song to me is really personal and it just hurts listening to it. Years ago, my first serious boyfriend and i broke up. i was really young and quite stupid (isnt hingdsight a brilliant thing?) anyway, after we broke up i ended up going out with his best friend. my ex sent me a copy of these lyrics and i was utterly devastated. i was his piggy. i needed something new. to him "nothing can stop me now, coz i dont care anymore" was a reflection of how he felt toward me. i went from being his love, to being so utterly insignificant. i hadnt realised the implications of what i had really done until it was too late. now, almost 9 years after the fact, i wish i could go back and change things. " i lost my shit because of you". i never wanted it to be that way. Regret and pain after the fact wont go back and change the hurt that i inflicted upon him. I was a jerk and this song is a constant reminder of that...