Changes

The structure of "Somewhat Damaged" is dictated around its simple four note guitar riff. The first half of the song is written in 9/4 (or a repeating bar of 3/4) time signature, giving the song an odd feel. An acoustic guitar opens the song with the four-note riff and layers of abstract sounds slowly fade in. As the drums enter, more acoustic guitars enter and Reznor begins to sing. After the first two stanzas, a small interlude occurs, in which the acoustic guitars are replaced with heavily distorted guitars. Reznor's screaming abilities are shown as the majority of the lyrics are now shrieked out. Finally, the last third of the song is written in 4/4 (or a 4/4 time signature superimposed over a 3/4 time signature), with lyrics sung built in an otherwise different time signature. These final, peculiarly-structured lyrics are sung over the cacophony of instruments, with sounds of exhaling layered above. After the final lyrics are sung, the instruments and noises slowly fade into a crescendoing ambient noise, marking the segue into "[[The Day The World Went Away (song)|The Day The World Went Away]]."