MotP is one of the most lyrically interpretable songs on the album. Conceptually, it fits rather loosely with my interpretation of the downward spiral -- as with "piggy" and "heresy," it's kind of Trent's call to his artistic muse and has themes sort of independent yet microcosmically indicative to the rest of the album. It has anger like "wish," but not as blatant. It shows a definite progression in articulation. It also shows an amazing use of verbal irony and the nihilistic hopelessness behind the use of such irony.
One way (and the way I look at it and other nin song interpretations) is to look at it as the monologues of one, two, or more people.
"step right up march pushHere we have a person speaking, perhaps the person vilified in "piggy." He is in control of some important aspect of the second person's life -- sexual, if you want, but I prefer parallels that are less cliched and obvious (imho). I look at it just as some nebulous "important aspect" -- from a career to a social circle to anything to which you may apply it. He/she has total control over this aspect and is using it to further (from now on) his needs or desires.
crawl right up on your knees
please greed feed (no time to hesitate)"
"i want a little bit i want a piece of it i think he's losing itThis is the start of the second person's monologue, and here we see Trent's real progression in articulation. The last line shows his extreme displeasure at having this aspect of control imposed on him but the first three show his willingness to endure it for the simple reason to destroy it and be free.
i want to watch it come down
don't like the look of it don't like the taste of it don't like the smell of it
i want to watch it come down"
"all the pigs are all lined upI personally attribute this statement to a third, neutral, omniscient person who perhaps points out to us what the second person's actions will be and the consequences of it. "Take the skin and peel it back"...added to the music at this part of the song, it establishes a definite feeling of falling utterly to pieces and losing any aspect of control over any part of his life, a type of "cut down the trees coz i can't see the forest" syndrome. The last line is ironic: Here is his destruction resulting from his fight for freedom -- won't he enjoy it?
i give you all that you want
take the skin and peel it back
now doesn't that make you feel better?"
"shove it up inside surprise! liesHere everything starts to take a fever pitch. The first person has exerted more control over the second person and is starting to destroy more and more of him. The sexual terms can be seen as an example of how violating this exertion is over the second person's life.
stains like the blood on your teeth
bite chew suck away the tender parts"
"i want to break it up i want to smash it up i want to fuck it upThe second person can take no more. The direct description of destruction, as opposed to the scheming in the first part, shows that he has taken action and has stopped just dreaming it. The third line could be seen as perhaps fear at what he is doing so fast, or it could be the actual methods of destroying it. No matter how it is interpreted, this is where the climax of action takes place.
i want to watch it come down
maybe afraid of it let's discredit it let's pick away at it
i want to watch it come down"
"all the pigs are all lined upThe repetition of these lines in the song but not in the lyric book is significant -- it shows to the second person the destruction that we have already seen the first time around. It's not repeated because, like certain self-destructive actions in life, it is always the person doing them who is the last to see them and realize the consequences. This, coupled with the final stanza, is where the epiphany takes place.
i give you all that you want
take the skin and peel it back"
"now doesn't that make you feel better?The third person is addressing the second person now -- not accusingly, but definitely ironically. The pigs have won because, although they have been destroyed, they do not have to suffer what the second person has done to himself. Another way of seeing it is that the second person, to destroy the first, has become the first person and thus replaced one pig with another -- again, the pigs still have won. The last two lines are simply irony to back up the second line, showing how everything for the second person is not all right and may never be -- or rather, that for the pigs, everything is all right because they only suffer being destroyed and not having to suffer through the consequences.
the pigs have won tonight
now they can all sleep soundly
and everything is all right"
Sorry for the story, but I feel it illustrates the anger and hopelessness of destroying a system of authority. This song conveys that to me perfectly. It's much like Trent's other works, as can be seen -- but, imho, more complex in its illustration and construction than, say, "wish" ("wish there was something real/wish there was something true") or "burn" ("this world rejects me/i'm gonna burn this whole world down"). It actually expresses more than anger -- this song expresses anger, sadness, and the change in character that can come with dire consequences to drastic actions.
I think it's partly a joke. Very sarcastic. Looking down at others. Control. All that good stuff.
As with most nin songs, MotP is open to many different interpretations. So here's one of mine: Reznor speaking about himself, his fans, and the media.
Maybe it's what Trent thinks of his fans in general, or even what he thinks when he looks out at his audiences in concert:
"step right up march pushAnd the fans/worshippers/media think:
crawl right up on your knees
please greed feed (no time to hesitate)"
"i want a little bit i want a piece of it i think he's losing it"A little bit of Reznor. Everybody wants a piece. And the "he" in "i think he's losing it" refers to Reznor -- or better yet, to people's perceptions of him. (Tangent: "i think i'm losing it" from the original version of "wish" to "i think he's losing it" in MotP.)
Back to Reznor on stage looking down at his audience:
"all the pigs are all lined up"Reznor often reinforces this on stage by almost pointing at the crowd, drawing the line. The fans are the pigs lined up to see him. Or maybe the pigs are those that line up to talk to him backstage/after shows/in public.
"i give you all that you want"It's true. He does. The fans and media use Reznor. And he uses them.
"take the skin and peel it backPeople want to know what's "underneath the skin." The façade. And this is why musically the song goes to the piano. The skin is gone. No loud "industrial" noise to hide behind. No skin. No façade. Just Trent playing classical music at the age of five. Just kidding.
now doesn't that make you feel better?"
The second half of the song repeats the same outline as above.
There's more to it, but I'm lazy.
"the pigs have won tonightThink about it.
now they can all sleep soundly
and everything is all right"