Talk:The Becoming

Meaning

The lyrics describe a man changing, from something other than himself. His new "becoming" is correlated to transforming into a machine without human characteristics and feelings. The fear and struggle to prevent this transformation is abandoned, thus the becoming of something new.

This is a rare example of Reznor directly referencing a name ("Annie") in his lyrics. Usually, he uses ambiguous pronouns. This may express the need for attachment, the need to interact intimately with another human despite the becoming of something different, OR it could also be interpreted as a demonstration of the responsibility for the transformation (Annie's fault). - Pomte 01:19, 20 February 2007