anonymous January 20th, 2008 10:34AM  

I think this song is about getting so hurt by the world that you want to believe that it doesn't exist:
"There is no you there is only me"
The song clearly states that he was hurt by either a person or the world:
"Because you were never really real, to begin with, I just made you up to hurt myself. And it worked, yes it did!"
It also shows that he's given up on the world because he thinks it's so corrupt and only hurts people:
"Less concerned! About fitting into the world! Your world that is. Cuz it doesn't really matter anymore, none of this. Really matters anymore"
It also shows that he's losing himself and all his emotions:
"I'm becoming less defined! As days go by. Drifting away! And well, you might say, I'm losing focus. Kinda drifting in the abstract, in terms of how I see myself...sometimes, I think I can see right through myself"
I think that weird part where he talks about a scab is a metaphor referring to emotional wound that is so bad that he's gotten used to it and he never wants it to end because it's the only real thing that he's got left to feel. Because now there is nothing else but him in his lonely world.

That's just my opinion. I think it's a deeper song than most people think. You just have to put yourself in his position. The video 4 this song is sweet too. I also think that it's AMAZING that Trent Reznor does all of the NIN stuff alone. NIN ROKKS!

mrb63083 May 7th, 2008 04:39PM  

In this song, Trent is trying to show that most of us at one point or another have or create an alter ego of ourselves. Changing completely and usually for the worst. He fights this in the chorus by saying "There is no you, there is only me." It's all psychological and meaningful, by far my favorite NIN song.

t0mdacre May 17th, 2008 09:11AM  

After the fragile, trent got clean. I think all his songs now are about the kind of introspection that goes along with recovery. only is a universal idea we all have at one time or another where we wonder if everything is just a figment of our imagination.

sometimes we have lofty expectations of others, our lovers and we set ourselves up for failure. I think that flavor is here as well. I just made you up (you as I expect you to become, as you should or ought to be) to hurt myself.

kelseya330 April 29th, 2009 03:09AM  

One of my interpretations is.. Trent is talking about god.. There is no fucking you, there is ONLY me!!

Vivo May 31st, 2009 12:10AM  

Now, I hate it when people alway interpret songs lyrics to be abou drugs but I think this might be able drugs. "A dot caught my eye and it turned out to be a scab and I had this funny like I knew it was something bad. I just kept picking at the scab..." When people are on drugs, the constantly think something is one their skin and constantly pick at it (even when it gets to the point they are bleeding) until some one stops them. "Now I am somewhere I am not supposed to be, and I can see things I know I really shouldn't see..." That line has a few things to do with drugs. However, I don't think the whole song is based off drugs. I think it may be about some one who goes in denail about the world and resorts to a bad decision.