Ruiner

Everyone (everyone of importance at least), has a few songs that hold a special significance. Indeed, more than a few songs. Some songs are tied to significant events in your life. Others simply evoke deep emotional responses, for reasons unbeknownst to you. "Ruiner" by Nine Inch Nails is such a song for me. No other song comes anywhere close to evoking the sense of...fear? repulsion? (something of that nature at least) in me. I don't think the lyrics can do justice to what I am trying to get at. Nevertheless, I have presented them below. I think the power in the song, for me, lies in the fact that much is left up to the imagination, specifically, who or what is being adressed. Because I have a rampant imagination.


You had all of them on your side, didn’t you?
You believed in all your lies, didn’t you?
The ruiner’s got a lot to prove he’s got nothing to lose and now he made you believe
The ruiner’s your only friend well he’s the living end to the cattle he deceives
The raping of the innocent you know the ruiner ruins everything he sees
Now the only pure thing left in my fucking world is wearing your disease
How did you get so big?
How did you get so strong?
How did you get so hard?
How did you get so long?
You had to give them all a sign, didn’t you?
You had to covet what was mine, didn’t you?
The ruiner’s a collector he’s an infector serving his shit to his flies
Maybe there will come a day when those that you keep blind will suddenly realize
Maybe it’s a part of me you took to a place I hoped it would never go
And maybe that fucked me up so much more than you’ll ever know
How did you get so big?
How did you get so strong?
How did you get so hard?
How did you get so long?
What you gave to me
My perfect ring of scars
You know I can see what you really are
You didn’t hurt me nothing can hurt me
You didn’t hurt me nothing can stop me now

-NIN