Nine Inch Nails – A Warm Place

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Lyrics submitted by Karl, edited by shinyditto12

Track duration: 03:22

"A Warm Place" as written by Trent Reznor

Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY

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A Warm Place song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:I think most everyone on here has very good points/interpretations. I relate to it that a warm place is literally that tiniest little place in you heart/soul that always makes you feel at home inside yourself. The actual lyrics act as an affirmation of the will, and yes a realization that I created this, I did this to myself. This realization is sad because it rightly puts all the blame on you, but also life affirming in a very Nietzschean sense. It shows you just how powerful you are and makes you wonder just what you are capable of doing, both "right" and "wrong." In another sense it could be meant to symbolize the calm before the storm. All the other songs prior to this act as omens/signs of the impending storm, the bottom of the spiral. All the songs after it act like the climax of the story, the final spiraling out of control. You can take pleasure in realizing the amount of power you have. Power leads to control, which is completely exhibited in A Big Man With a Gun, the next song. This control, however, only sinks you deeper down. The spiral is an infinite loop. All the deepest and darkest truths about yourself are realized. Every realization hurts and forces you to accept them and to destroy all of the "false idols" that previously made up your identity if you are going to continue living. This song WILL be played at my funeral...
    Flag TwoVirgoson April 19, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I really couldn't have said it much better than The Numpty. This together with Eraser is probably one of the most crucial points of the album, which is why I left these last bits alone for quite some time.

    The opening lines "the best thing about life is that you put it together" is a quiet realization by the little bit of humanity left in the Ruiner's assault; he comes to terms with the fact that he is responsible for where he is, not his ex-girlfriend or his boss or anyone else he ever feels hurt him. The fact that this song is so quiet and humble in extremely harsh contrast to the rest of the album makes me think it must be post-something: perhaps after his sexual control rampage in "Big Man With A Gun," he comes home, lies down, and reflects. We've all been there, those moments where you fall down in bed either after a long day or a long night or a significant event and you forget the outside world for a little bit. He is scared of how much the Ruiner/Mr. Self-Destruct/his machine half has come to control his life, but its this song that he realizes its an internal conflict that he must end. The end of the song provides hope for some sort of solution to that. The only problem is that he has no idea how, which leads to Eraser...
    Flag HammerFloydon December 09, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:SOOOO simple but so great: "The best thing about life is knowing you put it together." It's not only about free will (our choices with their rewards and/or regrets) and about having to roll with the punches. The course we are on can change in an instant, and it's up to us to put life's puzzle together again...and again. LOVE the simplicity of the song. Trent is a god.
    Flag TurnMeOnon November 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is the one song that actually makes me cry. Best song on The Downward Spiral.
    Flag YubYub247on August 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Also, just in keeping with NIN's theme:
    the word asylum stems from the greek word asylos, which meant "an inviolable place" (as well as "refuge")
    Just a thought :>
    Flag 001MXCon November 17, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I use to use this song as a lullaby. There's something I find oddly calming and soothing about it. Before now, thought, I had no clue there were lyrics! "The best thing about life is knowing you put it together." Wow, that actually opens a whole new doorway to understanding this album. God, I love NIN
    Flag babyghostrogueon September 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Just wanted to correct the last comment: It's not that he necessarily wanted to die, but maybe it's the only way he thought he could redeem himself for all the stuff he'd done.

    Flag arcadeson July 15, 2010   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I think that in Big Man With a Gun, the main character may have committed a rape (and possible murder) if you observe the lyrics going along with the background screams.

    In this song, he suddenly realizes everything he's done.

    I thought the 'warm place' could be this small shred of sadness/sympathy (human emotion) left in his cold heart.

    "The best thing about life is knowing you put it together." Sounds like a moment of clarity for him. He realizes had he been in control of his life he wouldn't have chosen this, but after becoming mechanical and powerful, he lost the chance to make good choices.

    In Eraser, he is even more horrified by what he's realized in this song and wants to die.
    Flag arcadeson July 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Memory:for some reason when I was a really young kid, maybe only like 10 years old i would listen to this whole album when i was home alone on certain nights...when this song came on, i have a vivid memory of crawling right up to the big house speakers with the lights off, and balling my eyes out for no reason that i can think of..its amazing how even though i was so young and probably had no real problems in life nor had an idea what the album represented, it still sub consciencely hit me like a ton of bricks and just broke me down..now that i am older i can understand and appreciate what the album represents...a true masterpiece and a symbol for those low points in life we all experience..."a warm place" such an uplifting melody, yet so sad for some reason...almost like when someone sees you crying and they come to help and it makes you cry even more...or maybe it stands the moment when the man came to grips that his time was nearing, and he found sanctuary and felt relaxed for once...either way it can be taken so many different ways..im glad i got to get that off my chest
    Flag pistolpete7777on March 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The NUMPTY hit the nail right on the head pretty much.The Downward Spiral is pretty much my whole life wrapped up in one big box."

    The line "The best thing about life is knowing you put it together" to me personally means he has led a sad,sorrowful,painful life looking for someone to understand him and help him to climb up and out of the downward spiral.This instrumental makes me very depressingly sad,I pray for hope,I want to be saved but doubt I ever will,you see I need to be saved from myself.My whole life I have never known who I was and if I did at one time know,well that is just a faded memory to me.I have let myself down and most importantly those who care about me....as Beck would say "Soy Un Perdidor,I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me".

    I've tried for 28 years now,and I don't think there is a hope in the world for me,I'm already past the line of no return,no matter how much I want to change,better myself I just can't seem to do it...I guess you could say I am weak and waste of space and life.
    Flagged pittyfulon January 02, 2010   Link

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