Ripe

Album:The Fragile (Right)

Length:5:14

Tempo:{{{BPM}}} BPM

Versions:Ripe
Ripe (With Decay) (6:34)

Live:N/A

"Ripe" is the final track, an atmospheric instrumental, on The Fragile vinyl. "Ripe (With Decay)" is the final track on The Fragile CD and cassette, with an extra part at the end.

The song "Ripe" is a very moody, dark finale to The Fragile. The cassette and CD versions of the song feature an additional section, "Decay". Many of the instruments sound out of tune or oddly tuned, and some of the parts seem to be incomplete. Trent Reznor spoke on this, saying that The Fragile was supposed to be a continuation of The Downward Spiral, with the protagonist going from happy to depressed on the first side (Left), then finding new hope on (Right) only to lose it again.

The song mutates from a very beautiful piano improvisation by Mike Garson above a methodical, slinking guitar riff, gradually descending into chaos with several instruments playing wildly and disharmoniously before all the sounds stop at once. "Decay" follows this with dark, moody bass and synth, and Reznor humming in the background. The guitar picks back up and the music becomes chaotic again for a moment, just to stop as abruptly as it started.

The song shares its tempo with The Big Come Down.

Song Credits

• Violin: Steve Duda
• Piano: Mike Garson

Appearances

Halos

• The Fragile

Seeds

• The Definitive NIN - Quiet Tracks

Versions

Ripe

This version is only available on the vinyl edition of The Fragile. After the slinking guitar riff returns post-piano improvisation, it and the insect noises below it simply fade out.

Ripe (With Decay)

This version is on the CD and audio cassette releases of The Fragile. "Decay" extends the song's length by an extra minute and twenty seconds.

Live

This song has never been performed live.

Previous track - "Underneath It All" Track CD:23, Vinyl: 25 from The Fragile Right (CD), Side F (Vinyl) Next track - "N/A"