The Collector

Album:With Teeth

Length:3:07

Tempo:138 BPM

Versions:The Collector
The Collector (Instrumental)
The Collector (Live At Rehearsals)

Live:Live: With Teeth through Wave Goodbye Tour

"The Collector" is the third track on the 2005 release With Teeth.

Lyrically, the song seems to address Trent Reznor's insecurities leading up to writing the With Teeth album in regards to him questioning if he would ever write music again, or be able to write sober. In a fan interview, Reznor stated that this was initially his favourite song on the record.

Song Credits

• Live Drums: Dave Grohl

Appearances

Halos

• With Teeth
• Beside You In Time

Seeds

• The Definitive NIN - Deep Cuts
• The Definitive NIN - Heavy Tracks

Video Games

• Rock Band (available for download)

Versions

The Collector

This is the original album version. It is characterized by a very odd time signature, with the verses in a 3/4-3/4-3/4-4/4 pattern and the chorus in a 4/4-4/4-6/4 pattern. Opening with Dave Grohl's live drumming and soon joined by the verse bassline, Reznor's vocal delivery is coarse and loud through the verses. Abrasive guitars enter for the yelled choruses, playing a fast rhythm in 16th notes. The repeated line "swallow it all" accompanied only by loud, intense drumming forms a bridge from chorus back to the second verse, then from the second chorus to the final verse, which builds upon the drumming and bassline with the mantra "every last one" and chromatic piano improvisation. The introductory percussion loop of "The Hand That Feeds" begins immediately beneath the decay of the final drum and cymbal hits of this song.

The Collector (Instrumental)

Running Time: 3:11

Released exclusively through Apple Music.

The Collector (Live At Rehearsals)

This video appears as additional footage on Beside You In Time. It is set similar to "The Hand That Feeds" video, with Reznor donning a white dress shirt and everyone else wearing dark clothing.

Live

"The Collector" made its live debut on March 23, 2005 and was played primarily on the Live: With Teeth tour, becoming a rarity in the setlist as the tour went on. It was played once on the Lights In The Sky Tour and several times on the Wave Goodbye Tour. Several of these live versions featured the additional lyrics printed in the With Teeth PDF booklet.

Lyrics

    I pick things up
    I am a collector
    And things, well things
    They tend to accumulate
    I have this net
    It drags behind me
    And it picks up feelings
    For me to feed upon
    
    There are times, plenty of times
    I wish I could let it go
    But they start to breathe
    And they start to grow inside me
    There are times, plenty of times
    I wish I could let it go
    But they start to make me think
    Things I don't want to know
    
    I'm trying to fit it all inside
    I'm trying to open my mouth wide
    I'm trying not to choke and
    Swallow it all
    Swallow it all
    Swallow it all
    Swallow it all
    
    I am the plague
    I am the swarm
    All your hurt sticks on me
    And I keep it warm
    They make me stay
    They won't let me leave
    There are so God damned many of them
    It gets hard to breathe
    
    I'm trying to fit it all inside
    I'm trying to open my mouth wide
    I'm trying not to choke inside
    I am a good boy and I will
    Swallow it all
    Swallow it all
    Swallow it all
    Swallow it all
    
    Every last one
    Every last one
    Every last one
    Every last one

Additional lyrics printed in the With Teeth PDF booklet, but not appearing in the song itself (though they have occasionally been sung live).

    Are you listening?
    Yes I am building
    Something bigger than the world
    Something terrible
    With all of this

External Links

• "The Collector" Live From Rehearsals

Previous track - "You Know What You Are?" Track 3 from With Teeth Next track - "The Hand That Feeds"