The only person who knows the exact meaning of this song is Reznor, in my opinion.
Ridiculously enough, I have my doubts about THAT, too.
My personal interpretation, however, is that "Closer" is about a combination of things, a situation.
Sometimes, when you hate yourself really badly, you're completely fucked up and depressed and you get together with your partner and you start getting intimate, it is a sort of cry for help. Gradually, the disgust you feel towards yourself drives you into a state of primal, animalistic, almost violent lust-"fuck you like an animal"-and eventually the sex consumes you so much, it gives you partial relief as it distracts you from the mess in your head and the hate you feel for yourself. This way, you get closer to god-both through feeling complete bliss and ecstasy, and through lightening your psychological burdain-even if just temporarily.
So, the "help me become somebody else" is pretty much asking to "get away from myself" as in escaping from being a self-hating wreck at least for the time while the sex is going on.
The "you let me" part, to me, acknowledges the whole thing truly being a form of help the other person willingly gives.
Also, in the end the lust seems to shift towards emotion, as the person gets "closer to god"-feels less filthy and troubled-he/she feels like, even with all their flaws and problems, the other person makes them perfect, even if it's in a perverse, out-of-the-ordinary way...which could translate into actually being love.
You can't really understand unless you feel something like it yourself, but when it comes to me, this song gives me a kind of sick feeling-a mixture of depression, self-loathing, despair, disgust, obsession, sado-masochistic tendencies, lust, need, affection...
I guess you just need to be a little sick in the head to get it.
That's the way I see it, and that's what it will always be to me. I think the interpretation of the song should be individual. But, the main point is that this song is absolutely perfect, and that's the fucking bottom line.
The only person who knows the exact meaning of this song is Reznor, in my opinion. Ridiculously enough, I have my doubts about THAT, too.
My personal interpretation, however, is that "Closer" is about a combination of things, a situation. Sometimes, when you hate yourself really badly, you're completely fucked up and depressed and you get together with your partner and you start getting intimate, it is a sort of cry for help. Gradually, the disgust you feel towards yourself drives you into a state of primal, animalistic, almost violent lust-"fuck you like an animal"-and eventually the sex consumes you so much, it gives you partial relief as it distracts you from the mess in your head and the hate you feel for yourself. This way, you get closer to god-both through feeling complete bliss and ecstasy, and through lightening your psychological burdain-even if just temporarily. So, the "help me become somebody else" is pretty much asking to "get away from myself" as in escaping from being a self-hating wreck at least for the time while the sex is going on. The "you let me" part, to me, acknowledges the whole thing truly being a form of help the other person willingly gives. Also, in the end the lust seems to shift towards emotion, as the person gets "closer to god"-feels less filthy and troubled-he/she feels like, even with all their flaws and problems, the other person makes them perfect, even if it's in a perverse, out-of-the-ordinary way...which could translate into actually being love. You can't really understand unless you feel something like it yourself, but when it comes to me, this song gives me a kind of sick feeling-a mixture of depression, self-loathing, despair, disgust, obsession, sado-masochistic tendencies, lust, need, affection... I guess you just need to be a little sick in the head to get it.
That's the way I see it, and that's what it will always be to me. I think the interpretation of the song should be individual. But, the main point is that this song is absolutely perfect, and that's the fucking bottom line.
@TishBones Best interpretation I am gonna say...
@TishBones Best interpretation I am gonna say...