The album version of the song begins with a programmed drum beat featuring prominent toms and atmospheric sounds created by guitar. The body of the song is dominated by a slap bassline atop this atmosphere and drumloop, joined by strumming guitars for the chorus. The bridge features Gregorian chant [[samples]] and dialog from the film ''Midnight Express'', though the film sample was excised on the 2010 remaster of ''Pretty Hate Machine''. The end of the song is comprised of a synth pad and a guitar drone (created by [[Richard Patrick]]), accompanied by another sample, which lower in pitch and winds down, segueing directly into "[[Something I Can Never Have]]." On the 2010 remastered vinyl edition, this song ends the first side; as such, the ending sample is removed, and the descending synth pad fades out.
===Sanctified (''Live 2013 EP'')===Recorded live at [[2013/08/02 Chicago, IL|Lollapalooza Festival 2013]]. ===Sanctified (''Purest Feeling''Version)===
The second track on ''Purest Feeling'', the song begins with a shouted four count with drumsticks before hitting into the song. Though the beats and bassline are identical, the song is played slightly faster and all the effects are at a higher octave, giving it a much brighter mood. The samples in the song are also much louder than in the version on ''Pretty Hate Machine''.
His screams fade off into the guitar drones which contain more samples, which segue directly into the next song on the album, "[[Maybe Just Once]]". One of the samples is a man saying, "Hold on to hope even when it's hopeless, and you'll see your life begin to change." This is followed by the beginning of the sample (from the movie ''Diner'') that continues into "Maybe Just Once".
===Sanctified (''Demos and Remixes'' Version)===
Present on the ''Demos and Remixes'' bootleg, it has the same tone as the ''Pretty Hate Machine'' version while including some alternate samples, including a shortened version of the "Old Man" sample in the bridge, a few odd noises not present in the final version (such as the "reeeeeeeeeee" at the beginning of the bridge), the alternate lyric at the end, and a sample at the very end with a man saying, "Hold on to hope even when it's hopeless, and you'll see your life begin to change."
===Sanctified (Demo)===
Present on the ''Demos and Remixes'' bootleg, it has the same tone as the 'Running Time: 5:33'''Pretty Hate Machine'' version while including some alternate samples, including Only exists on a shortened version of the "Old Man" sample cassette tape handed out by Reznor to important figures. This cassette is also in the bridgepossession of [[Martin Atkins]], a few odd noises not present in the final version who has allowed fans to hear excerpts. ===Sanctified (such as the "reeeeeeeeeee" at the beginning of the bridge''Live 2013 EP''), the alternate lyric at the end, and a sample ===Recorded live at the very end with a man saying[[2013/08/02 Chicago, "Hold on to hope even when it's hopeless, and you'll see your life begin to changeIL|Lollapalooza Festival 2013]]."
==Live==