Nine Inch Nails – The Day the World Went Away

Know something about this song or lyrics? Add it to our wiki.
Send "The Day the World Went Away" Ringtone to Cell

I'd listen to the words he'd say
But in his voice I heard decay
The plastic face forced to portray
All the insides left cold and gray
There is a place that still remains
It eats the fear it eats the pain
The sweetest price he'll have to pay
The day the whole world went away
Na na nah
Na na na, nah
Na na nah
Na na na , nah

Send "The Day the World Went Away" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by thewhitepony33, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Track duration: 04:34

"The Day the World Went Away" as written by Trent Reznor

Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


The Day the World Went Away song meanings
Add your thoughts

60 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    Song Meaning:This song talks about a funeral. Trent Reznor lost his grandmother wich he loved so much, he fell in a deep depression and addiction to drugs.
    The song speaks about the priest that talks at the funeral, but Trent sees only the waxed face of the lifeless body of his beloved granny, and the priest words can't console him.
    The only place that remains is the addiction, so it seems, "eat the feas eat the pain"
    Flag DriftdLakeon October 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"I'd listen to the words he'd say
    but in his voice I heard decay"

    The self as an unfinished psychological complexity and its past expressions of depravity of comprehension of that which lies beyond as seen from the beginning of its resolution.

    "the plastic face forced to portray"

    Artificiality of the individual's surface to which another is exposed, whether in the case of an individual who has repressed their inner psychological makeup at the cost of living accord with their nature or created a superstar image they couldn't measure up to for the long run.

    "all the insides left cold and gray"

    The result of repressing the tendencies in oneself that have the need to be made known to oneself or others beyond their posturing. The consequence of the denial of something psychological which demands resolution at all costs.

    "there is a place that still remains
    it eats the fear it eats the pain
    the sweetest price he'll have to pay
    the day the whole world went away "

    The aspects of ones life that assists the repression of psychological material that demands expression hasn't been dealt with and is seen as something that must be dealt with, and this recognition demands one forget the world and be with what is within oneself, at all costs.


    Flag tplinkeron August 27, 2011   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:The song in my understanding is about depersonalization disorder. He has to put on a face for other people; a personality because he's numb inside. The sweetest price is his life, and the place that still remains is an afterlife if there is one - where he won't feel fear or pain anymore. The world and all of your problems don't matter when you're dead.
    Flag Thorpon June 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:The song in my interpretation is about depersonalization disorder. He has to put on a face for other people; a personality because he's numb inside. The sweetest price is his life, and the place that still remains is an afterlife if there is one - where he won't feel fear or pain anymore. The world and all of your problems don't matter when you're dead.
    Flag Thorpon June 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me this song represents a psychic break. The "plastic face forced to portray all the insides left cold and grey" could be referring to the narrator's own self. Feeling that the social, outside world is false, the only real place remaining is on the inside feeding on fear and pain. In the end the false outward self collapses when the world goes away, leaving him in true isolation.
    Flag Pray4Iceon February 11, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love how the song was use for the theatrical trailer of Terminator Salvation.
    Flag Dukkha2010on July 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This has to be my second favorite Nine Inch Nails song, the first going to We're In This Together of course. The Fragile is just, amazing.
    Flag Sean19a7xon June 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hmm, possibly about the Antichrist He’d say something that the people love but there was decay in the voice, something not right, dishonest, or… whatever… “the sweetest price he’ll have to pay, the day the whole world went away.” Those lines are about the rapture. Or so I would think. This song was why I saw the latest Terminator movie, they used it in the movie trailer. Lol, I love this song!
    Flag Scott93274on January 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I personally think this song could be about addiction, thats what I thought of when i heard it. Just the way the song sounds reminds me of someone losing themself to addiction. The part about the voice is his conscience trying to convince him to stop, and the plastic face is the lie of him convincing himself he's not addicted, and the place that eats the pain is the drug or alcohol, and then he has to pay because he let himself use again, and the hopes of him getting better are gone, and thats what he means by the whole world went away.. If you listen to the way the song sounds while you picture it, it makes a lot of sense.. but I also thought of religon, like the voice is god too.. but idk.
    Flag dealkbon December 15, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Trent wrote this song about his grandmother's death. End.
    Flag longkayurislongon November 19, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain