I Would for You

This song seems to be about an encounter with a woman who says, "I love you." He says, "What a pathetic string of words," and takes her into his room which is like a creepy shrine to his past love, then beings to describe what happened. It's not clear if the statement, "If I could be somebody else," is referring to his current girl or the old one, which may be intentional.

Like I said in another song, these lyrics are more visual than most Nine Inch Nails songs. He's using visual metaphors like asking the girl to step over the mess on the floor which was his past relationship.

This song = "I would be a better person for you" Love it!

"What a pathetic string of words just leave them laying on the floor ..the warning posted on the door not over here, not anymore"

Imagine a "do not disturb" or "privacy" I think he's revealing that he has finally let someone in, probably his wife.

"There was a place it could have been step over all that used to be Since you have let yourself come in some things I'd rather you not see"

His first thought is that he doesn't want her to see everything. Unfinished pieces. Imperfections. Imagine the lyrics for Hurt, lyring on the floor of his bedroom. Imagine a girl randomly picking up the notebook and reading that kind of private revelation. Then imagine everyone else reading it.

"See I keep lying to myself don't know what else there is to do if I could be somebody else well I think I would for you"

He releases these private revelations to everyone. He knows that he's lyring to himself when he says "some things I'd rather you not see". He has discovered that opening the doors brings him relief and gratification. If he could be more open and honest then, "well i think i would for you"

"Didn't it seem like something more? so long I can't remember when All this has happened all before and this will happen all again and I only have myself to blame and I only have myself to bla-"

At the time, when he was in the process of revealing something new, like his self destructiveness. It seemed like something huge. But after stepping over all that he used to be, it's hard to relate. It happened once, then it happened many more times. His loneliness, emptiness, etc.

"See I keep lying to myself don't know what else there is to do if I could be somebody else well I think I would for you See I keep lying to myself don't know what else there is to do if I could be somebody else well I think I would for you"

I think this is where the genius of the song becomes clear. The revelation to himself that He only lies to others because he is lying to himself.

Again, I think this has to do with Trent coming to terms with being someone different than he was when he was writing the Downward Spiral. The first two lines are referring to written song lyrics, pathetic ones apparently. I take this to be lyrics written currently that seem pathetic when compared to TDS's lyrics. He feels like he's failing to live up to his past. The next two lines are a metaphor for him no longer living in that type of environment/situation. Like people are looking for him to be behind the door labeled "bleak/depressing industrial god/ self-destructive/etc.." but none of those labels really fit him anymore. People are expecting him to be something he no longer is. People are trying to pigeon-hole him into a specific genre or a specific style or define him by a specific type of subject, all of which have since changed. People are expecting him to be one thing when he's really not anymore. The next two lines are pretty self-explanatory. He could of become the dark, industrial/goth, archetype person that eventually really does self-destruct into suicide, but that's not what happened. He has stepped over all those broken pieces of his shattered former life, and is asking us to do the same. The next two lines I think are more intimate. Perhaps about Mariqueen coming into his life emotionally and him being a bit reluctant to share his past because he is somewhat ashamed of it or he just still has a fear of letting anyone get too close. To me the chorus is him expressing his love for someone, whether it's his fans, his wife, or his children, I don't know, but he's saying that he wishes his past wasn't such a tragedy and perhaps was a better example if he's speaking to his children. He wishes that he could change his past so that he could be everything "good" and not be damaged from all of it so that they (his children/wife/fans) would have a better person. He keeps lying to himself by saying that he IS this "good" person and by trying to forget his past, but he realizes there really is no way of escaping it and lying to himself about it is the only way he knows how to deal with it without falling apart or being depressed about it or whatever. "Didn't it seem like something more?" This is about the expectations of him. He was expected to continue rising in popularity and influence etc, but instead he declined, at least in popularity he did. The next stanza is about his fear of the past repeating itself, probably specifically about his drug addiction resurfacing and wreaking havoc on his newly found happy and stable middle-aged life. Perhaps it's about his fear that his children will follow in his footsteps. And of course, all the guilt that comes with that.

drugs

This can be anything depending on how you look at it. For me this song speaks about an unrequited love. Many have been down that road. A person falls in love, but gets burnt, heartbroken, rejected, yada, yada. Your love is not enough, she want's someone better, she thinks she deserves a more handsome/smart/wealthy man. She may accept you, if you'll "change" for her. But that's a complete waste of energy. In the end something breaks inside and you fall into a deep and dark state of mind that lasts for years, while she moves on without any regret.

Even though Nine Inch Nails got a new sound, they still hold a link to their past albums. This song reminds me of AATCHB and With Teeth. But this time it's about a reformed man, who overcame his burnout and reflects on his past, saying "If I could be what you wanted me to be, I would". THAT is called REAL. The rest is just a pathetic string of words.