The Wretched
Nine Inch Nails Lyrics

Just a reflection
This is merely a reflection of the singer's thoughts and feelings

Just a glimpse
This is only a brief view of the singer's state of mind

Just a little reminder
This is a small reminder of past regrets and missed opportunities

Of all the what abouts
Thinking about all the things that could have been but weren't

And all the might have
Pondering the possibilities that never came to fruition

Could have beens
Thinking about the things that could have been possible if different choices were made

Another day
Just another day of dealing with these thoughts and emotions

Some other way
Another way the artist could have approached their life, but did not

But not another reason to continue
Nothing left to drive the artist forward, no more reasons to keep going

And now you're one of us
The artist sees the listener as someone who shares their feelings of despair

The wretched
A term used to describe the singer and the listener's feelings of hopelessness

The hopes and prays
The things the artist once hoped and wished for

The better days
A time when things seemed more positive and hopeful

The far aways
A time and place distant from the present moment

Forget it
The singer urges the listener to let go of those hopes and wishes

It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
The disappointment and regret the artist feels about their life

It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, did it?
A rhetorical question emphasizing the artist's and the listener's disappointment and regret

Now you know
The singer wants the listener to understand their feelings

This is what it feels like
The singer describes the emotions they are experiencing and wants the listener to share them

The clouds will part and the sky cracks open
A metaphorical expression describing the moment when the artist's despair is lifted

And god himself will reach his fucking arm through
An expression of the artist's anger and frustration with their situation

Just to push you down
The artist sees their struggles as a way of being held down by the universe

Just to hold you down
The singer feels trapped and unable to escape their negative emotions

Stuck in this hole with the shit and the piss
A metaphorical expression of the artist's emotional imprisonment

And it's hard to believe it could come down to this
The singer is struggling to accept how they ended up in this situation

Back at the beginning
Reflecting on a time when things were different and more positive

Sinking
The feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to stay afloat

Spinning
Feeling lost and disoriented, unable to get a grip on one's emotions

And in the end
At the end of the day

We still pretend
People still act as though everything is okay, even when it's not

The time we spend
The time that goes by, regardless of whether things improve or not

Not knowing when
Uncertainty about when things will improve or if they ever will

You're finally free
The hope that one day the artist will be free from their negative emotions

And you could be
An acknowledgement that there is still hope for the artist to escape their situation

But it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
The singer's continued disappointment and regret about their life

It didn't turn out quite the way that you wanted it
Repeating the earlier sentiment in a slightly different way

You can try to stop it but it keeps on coming
The singer feels overwhelmed by their emotions and sees no way to escape them

You can try to stop it but
Acknowledging the listener's potential desire to improve their situation