When listening to this song, one's interpretation of the first line carries through to the rest of the lyrics. By "They," does Trent refer to missiles, a Biblical rapture, or some other form of technology we haven't discovered yet? I believe that is up to the listener.
Hmm, listening to it right now, I must wonder. That piano melody in the beginning of the song sounds an awful lot like "Right Where it Belongs," AND like "Even Deeper." I've noticed over the years that Trent's musical style evolves. I know I'm reiterating many other people here, but he does not cater to his fans. No, that would be too easy. Instead, he is paving his own path- a lesson in itself. That's why NIN is my favorite band.
Anyways, nomatter how deviant from his last work his new style becomes, there is still an allusion or two in each new album.
For example:
Down in it vs Only
Even Deeper + Right Where it Belongs vs Zero-Sum
The Hand that Feeds vs Survivalism
I could go on all night comparing and contrasting each song and finding even the most minute allusion or reference to prior work. Trent is a genius.
Similarly, I've noticed that there are many mathematical allusions in his work as well. Listen carefully to the piano part in this song and tell me what mathematical ratio it reminds you of.
When I read some interviews involving Trent, he stated that he was going off in a different direction, and that the change may defer some fans. I'll be honest, at that point I was worried. I also heard rumors that he was working alongside a rapper. THAT got me worried, but when I heard the radio station play Survivalism, I just closed my eyes and smiled. Another huge success.
I especially love how the entire album is up for streaming on their website. I'm buying Year Zero the second it hits shelves.
Anyways, back to Zero-Sum. There's a theory that everything is in equilibrium. Well, it has to be. Energy can't be created nor destroyed (well, in quantum physics things get "iffy" ) Well, what about society? All of our work will eventually amount to nothing, so to speak. When an asteroid hits Earth, or the Sun goes Red Giant on our asses (millions of years from now), or when the Milky Way collides with Andromeda, or when a rapture occurs, blah blah blah this will keep going on and on... All of our work will mean nothing.
"We are just zeros and ones" is a reference to binary, the foundation for most technology (That which doesn't rely on hexadecimal, or some other base within structures of binary) When you break EVERYTHING down into a game of 20-questions, everything is YES or NO, ON or OFF, 1 or 0. Who are we to complicate things?
There's a LOT of stuff I just wrote above. ALL of it can be derived from this song. However, not all of it was probably what Trent intended. Thanks for reading this, and I'll post more if this doesn't turn into a slam fest as I've seen many in-depth analyses become.
@Dawrr - In context with the album, "they" is likely a reference to "The Presence", which is referenced a few times throughout the album. It seems to imply alien life, or "outsiders" watching us. The song "The Warning" is the best evidence for this.
@Dawrr - In context with the album, "they" is likely a reference to "The Presence", which is referenced a few times throughout the album. It seems to imply alien life, or "outsiders" watching us. The song "The Warning" is the best evidence for this.
When listening to this song, one's interpretation of the first line carries through to the rest of the lyrics. By "They," does Trent refer to missiles, a Biblical rapture, or some other form of technology we haven't discovered yet? I believe that is up to the listener.
Hmm, listening to it right now, I must wonder. That piano melody in the beginning of the song sounds an awful lot like "Right Where it Belongs," AND like "Even Deeper." I've noticed over the years that Trent's musical style evolves. I know I'm reiterating many other people here, but he does not cater to his fans. No, that would be too easy. Instead, he is paving his own path- a lesson in itself. That's why NIN is my favorite band.
Anyways, nomatter how deviant from his last work his new style becomes, there is still an allusion or two in each new album.
For example: Down in it vs Only Even Deeper + Right Where it Belongs vs Zero-Sum The Hand that Feeds vs Survivalism
I could go on all night comparing and contrasting each song and finding even the most minute allusion or reference to prior work. Trent is a genius.
Similarly, I've noticed that there are many mathematical allusions in his work as well. Listen carefully to the piano part in this song and tell me what mathematical ratio it reminds you of.
When I read some interviews involving Trent, he stated that he was going off in a different direction, and that the change may defer some fans. I'll be honest, at that point I was worried. I also heard rumors that he was working alongside a rapper. THAT got me worried, but when I heard the radio station play Survivalism, I just closed my eyes and smiled. Another huge success.
I especially love how the entire album is up for streaming on their website. I'm buying Year Zero the second it hits shelves.
Anyways, back to Zero-Sum. There's a theory that everything is in equilibrium. Well, it has to be. Energy can't be created nor destroyed (well, in quantum physics things get "iffy" ) Well, what about society? All of our work will eventually amount to nothing, so to speak. When an asteroid hits Earth, or the Sun goes Red Giant on our asses (millions of years from now), or when the Milky Way collides with Andromeda, or when a rapture occurs, blah blah blah this will keep going on and on... All of our work will mean nothing.
"We are just zeros and ones" is a reference to binary, the foundation for most technology (That which doesn't rely on hexadecimal, or some other base within structures of binary) When you break EVERYTHING down into a game of 20-questions, everything is YES or NO, ON or OFF, 1 or 0. Who are we to complicate things?
There's a LOT of stuff I just wrote above. ALL of it can be derived from this song. However, not all of it was probably what Trent intended. Thanks for reading this, and I'll post more if this doesn't turn into a slam fest as I've seen many in-depth analyses become.
I loved your post. =D
I loved your post. =D
@Dawrr - In context with the album, "they" is likely a reference to "The Presence", which is referenced a few times throughout the album. It seems to imply alien life, or "outsiders" watching us. The song "The Warning" is the best evidence for this.
@Dawrr - In context with the album, "they" is likely a reference to "The Presence", which is referenced a few times throughout the album. It seems to imply alien life, or "outsiders" watching us. The song "The Warning" is the best evidence for this.