According to at least one media promo listening, the working title for the song was slightly longer, appearing as "Getting Smaller Every Day." The "flip flop" lyric is a reference to the song "Navvy" by Pere Ubu, a song that has appeared on playlists compiled by Reznor. The track is reminiscent of "Planet of Sound" by Pixies.
Crossfading in from the end of "Only," it begins with frantic and seemingly random distorted guitar playing, punctured by the chorus guitar riff. Dave Grohl's live drums soon begin accompanying, leading into the first verse, accompanied by a different guitar riff. The song opens up in volume and layering for the choruses, their lyrics yelled out by Reznor with a delay effect. A third different guitar riff leads the bridge, which also features layered atmospheric synthesizers over the drum beat that build in intensity and lead into the final chorus.
Getting Smaller
Nine Inch Nails Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't know who to trust
I guess they got a way of reading my mind
I guess I got to adjust
I've got my arms that flip, flop, flip, flop, flip
I got my head on a spring
Well I thought I got you on my side
I haven't got fucking anything
I'm just a face in the crowd
Nothing to worry about
Not even trying to stand out
I'm getting smaller and smaller and smaller
And I got nothing to say
It's all been taken away
I just behave and obey
I'm afraid I am starting to fade away
Uh huh
I kind of see through the cracks when I press up on the wall
I'm not looking to stand up real high, I'd be happy to crawl
I think I'm losing my grip, but I can still make a fist
You know I still got my one good arm that I can beat
I can beat myself up with
I'm just a face in the crowd
Nothing to worry about
Not even trying to stand out
I'm getting smaller and smaller and smaller
And I got nothing to say
It's all been taken away
I just behave and obey
I'm afraid that I'm starting to fade away
Hey, and for what it was worth
I really used to believe
That maybe there's some great thing
That we could achieve
And now I can't tell the difference
Or know what to feel
Between what I've been trying so hard to see
And what appears to be real
Fading away
Fading away
Fading away
Fading away
My world is getting smaller everyday
Hey hey hey hey, and that's okay
My world is getting smaller everyday
Hey hey hey hey, and that's okay
My world is getting smaller everyday
Hey hey hey hey, and that's okay
My world is getting smaller everyday
Hey hey hey hey, and that's okay
The lyrics to Nine Inch Nails's song Getting Smaller seem to be about feeling lost and small in the world. The first verse suggests that the singer is having trouble trusting people and can't control their thoughts. They feel like they're losing themselves and don't know how to handle it. The next verse mentions that the singer feels like just a face in the crowd, not standing out or making any impact. They seem to be aware of their faults and flaws, but still can't seem to make any headway.
The chorus repeats the phrase "getting smaller and smaller" while describing how the singer is losing their sense of self and facing an increasingly nihilistic view of the world. They feel like everything they had, including their beliefs and goals, have been taken away from them. The bridge suggests that the singer is struggling to find meaning in their life and reconcile their expectations with reality. They're realizing that their illusions and ideals may be unrealistic, and that the world is a more complicated and uncertain place than they imagined.
Overall, the song seems to be an exploration of the human experience of disillusionment and struggling to find a sense of purpose in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Getting a little erratic here
I'm feeling unstable and unpredictable
And I don't know who to trust
I'm unsure who I can rely on
I guess they got a way of reading my mind
Others seem to understand me better than I understand myself
I guess I got to adjust
I need to adapt to my surroundings
I've got my arms that flip, flop, flip, flop, flip
I'm feeling indecisive and unsure about my actions
I got my head on a spring
I feel like my thoughts are bouncing around and unfocused
Well I thought I got you on my side
I believed that someone was supporting me
I haven't got fucking anything
I don't have any support or resources
I'm just a face in the crowd
I feel insignificant and unnoticed
Nothing to worry about
No one pays me any attention, so I have no concerns
Not even trying to stand out
I don't have any desire to draw any attention to myself
I'm getting smaller and smaller and smaller
I'm feeling increasingly insignificant and powerless
And I got nothing to say
I don't have anything of value to contribute
It's all been taken away
I feel like I've lost everything that once mattered to me
I just behave and obey
I'm simply going through the motions and doing what I'm told
I'm afraid I am starting to fade away
I'm fearful that I'm losing myself and becoming invisible
Uh huh
Exclamation of agreement or acknowledgement
I kind of see through the cracks when I press up on the wall
I sense something is amiss when I physically interact with my surroundings
I'm not looking to stand up real high, I'd be happy to crawl
I'm content with a lowly existence and don't aspire to greatness
I think I'm losing my grip, but I can still make a fist
I'm struggling to maintain control, but I can still put up a front of resistance
You know I still got my one good arm that I can beat
I still have the ability to harm myself emotionally or physically
I'm afraid that I'm starting to fade away
I'm scared that I'm disappearing and losing any semblance of identity
Hey, and for what it was worth
Introducing an acknowledgement of something that once held value
I really used to believe
I had faith in something
That maybe there's some great thing
I once thought that there was a grand purpose or goal to strive for
That we could achieve
I had hope that this objective was attainable
And now I can't tell the difference
I'm now unsure which path to take or what to believe
Or know what to feel
I'm unsure about my emotions and feel disconnected from them
Between what I've been trying so hard to see
I'm struggling to interpret what I've been actively seeking out
And what appears to be real
I'm questioning the authenticity of everything around me
Fading away
I'm gradually disappearing or losing myself
My world is getting smaller everyday
My life is becoming increasingly limiting and suffocating
Hey hey hey hey, and that's okay
A reassurance that I'm resigned to my fate and will accept it without complaint
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Trent Reznor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Hurt
This is the most depressing song ever. I listened to this a lot back in November-December 2022.
SabrinaOnlineFan96
on Eraser
This song is so intense. It sounds like music from a horror movie. I love the Dissonance Tour version, but I don't like the Polite version, as it just sounds like one of those easy listening tracks. This song has gory vibes.
DrJKintobor
on Driver Down
I have a theory that this song is the instrumental for "Just Do It", the lost song from TDS that was scrapped for "promoting suicide".
DrJKintobor
on Heresy
I'm really resisting the urge to make a Warhammer 40k joke.
DrJKintobor
on Mr. Self Destruct
This song reminds me of Fleetway Super Sonic (if you don't know, the Fleetway Sonic Comics have Super Sonic as an evil split personality of Sonic)
Mohin Kann
on Closer
Moien
Antoinette Alvarez
on Something I Can Never Have
This song is sooo beautiful ♡
Antoinette Alvarez
on Sanctified
♡
Antoinette Alvarez
on Find My Way
OMG I ♡ THIS SONG