Non-Entity

"Non Entity" is a song that Trent Reznor composed for the MTV program ReactNOW! in an effort to support people displaced by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005.

This song was first played in the aforementioned program, and later became part of the set list in the Live: With Teeth tours. The tours also included "Not So Pretty Now," another song from the With Teeth outtakes. 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. A live recording of "Non-Entity" appears on Beside You In Time. [1]

Appearances

Halos

• Beside You In Time (bonus footage)

Versions

Non Entity (acoustic)

Performed at the ReactNOW! benefit, this was the first version of the song to be publicly performed. It features Reznor on piano and vocals with a pre-recorded drum beat.

Non Entity (Beside You In Time)

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

Live

"Non Entity" has bee performed live on the Live: With Teeth tour. For the 2006 summer leg, a cage of LED lights was lowered in front of the stage, with purple lights behaving like tentacles responding to the music

Lyrics

    The sky is not the same shade of blue
    Every single thing I believe isn’t true
    Missing in the 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 to me, non-entity...
    
    Try to stand the line, try to obey
    The ghost of what I was keeps getting in the way
    Staring at the sun, I’m 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, the ashes and debris
    And all that’s left of you, and all that’s left of me
    All have washed away, non-entity...