Non-Entity

Album:NINJA 2009 Summer Tour EP

Length:4:03

Tempo:109 BPM

Versions:Non-Entity
Non-Entity (ReAct Now version)
Non-Entity (Beside You In Time)

Live:With Teeth Summer Amphitheater Tour
Wave Goodbye Tour

"Non-Entity" is a With Teeth outtake that Trent Reznor debuted on the MTV program ReAct Now in an effort to support people displaced by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, and later became part of the set list on the Live: With Teeth tours. The tours also included "Not So Pretty Now," another With Teeth outtake.

During a chat with fans in the official NIN fan club, The Spiral, Reznor stated that these songs were outtakes from the With Teeth sessions, and studio recordings of them might one day surface. On March 20, 2009, Reznor released the studio version of "Non-Entity" for free, as well as "Not So Pretty Now", as part of the NINJA 2009 Summer Tour EP via ninja2009.com.

Song Credits

• Production: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Alan Moulder
• Mix: Alan Moulder
• Drums: Dave Grohl
• Mastering: Tom Baker

Appearances

Halos

• Beside You In Time (bonus footage)

Seeds

• NINJA 2009 Summer Tour EP

Versions

Non-Entity

This studio-recorded version finally saw the light of day on March 20, 2009, when it was included on the NINJA 2009 Summer Tour Sampler EP. Slow and groove-oriented, its instrumentation is simple, maintaining use of live drums, bass, guitar and vocals. It features a prominent whine similar to the one used in "Home," and is structured much like "The Line Begins To Blur," though Reznor does not yell during the verses. Its original recording dates back to the With Teeth sessions.

Non-Entity (ReAct Now version)

Performed at the ReAct Now benefit, this was the first version of the song to be publicly performed. It features Reznor on piano and vocals with a beats played from a boombox backing him. It was made available for purchase via the now defunct Sony Connect service as an encrypted OMA download with proceeds going toward charities aiding those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Non-Entity (Beside You In Time)

This live version is among the bonus footage contained on Beside You In Time.

Live

While "Non-Entity" was debuted by Reznor solo at the ReAct Now benefit, its full-band debut was at the KROQ Breakfast show. For the 2006 summer leg of the Live: With Teeth tour, a cage of LED lights was lowered in front of the stage, with purple lights behaving like tentacles responding to the music. At the Bridge School Benefit concert in October of 2006, Reznor performed the song backed by a string quartet. It was brought back to the setlist in the NIN/JA Tour.

Lyrics

    The sky is not the same shade of blue
    Every single thing
    I believe isn't true
    Missing in a maze of monochrome
    How did I get here
    How can I go home?
    
    The echoes in my eyes
    Of all they used to see
    Burning down the world 
    The ashes and debris
    And all that's left of me
    Non-entity
    
    Try to stand in line
    Try to obey
    The ghosts of what I was keep getting in the way
    Staring at the sun
    Blinded by the light
    Now I'm afraid I'm fading out of sight
    
    The echoes in my eyes
    Of all they used to see
    Burning down the world 
    Ashes and debris
    And all that's left of you
    And all that's left of me
    All have washed away
    Non-entity

The word "echoes" appears misspelled as "echos" in the lyrics contained in the official download file.

External Links

• NINJA 2009 Summer Tour EP at archive.org