Dissociative identity disorder + Nine Inch Nails
Had an interesting theory today while listening to Nine Inch Nails’ The Fragile: the album’s storyline may be about dissociative identity disorder. I’ve been wondering for years what the story of The Fragile is about (drugs are certainly an obvious theme, especially considering the period of Trent Reznor’s life and such). There are several lyrics from songs on the album that support this theory, including the songs Underneath It All, Into The Void, The Big Comedown, and Even Deeper.
Here’s a line from Underneath It All: “All I do I can still feel you…kill my brain yet you still remain, crucified after all I’ve died after all I’ve tried you are still inside”
Here’s a part from Even Deeper: “I woke up today, to find myself in the other place, with a trail of footprints, from where I ran away, it seems everything I’ve heard just might be true, you know me (well you think you do)…and in a dream I’m a different me, with a perfect you, we fit perfectly, and for once in my life I feel complete, and I still want to ruin it”
And here’s the last lyric I’ll sample, from Into The Void: “Talking to myself all the way to the station, pictures in my head of the final destination, all lined up (all the ones that aren’t allowed to stay), tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away”
The themes of loss of self (“myself keeps slipping away”). being compelled to ruin oneself, and the presence of another entity (internally possibly?) certainly seem to point to dissociative identity disorder being a lyrical theme of The Fragile’s story.
