Reptile

Length:6:51

Tempo:{{{BPM}}} BPM

Versions:Reptilian
Underneath The Skin
Reptile
Liar (Reptile Demo)
Reptile (And All That Could Have Been DVD)

Live:Self-Destruct through present

About

Reptile is the twelfth song from the 1994 release, The Downward Spiral. This song is characteristic of the band's early 90s "industrial" sound, as it opens with an eerie, quiet machine-like sound collage that transitions into a nearly identical-sounding musical composition. The lyrics seem to be directed towards an old cohort of Trent Reznor's, probably female and probably a romantic relationship turned sour.

A demo version of this song, entitled Liar (Reptile Demo), was included on the 10th anniversary re-release of The Downward Spiral.

This song was also featured in the Boston, MA radio performance,(Peter Murphy, Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jeordie White) on June 23, 2006.

Appearances

March Of The Pigs (halo)|March Of The Pigs]]
The DOwnward Spiral
And All That Could Have Been (DVD Easter Egg)

Versions

Reptilian
Underneath The Skin
Reptile
Liar (Reptile Demo)
Reptile (And All That Could Have Been)

Song Credits

Production: Trent Reznor
Mixing Engineer: Alan Moulder

Lyrics

    She spreads herself wide open to let the insects in
    She leaves a trail of honey to show me where she’s been
    She has the blood of reptile just underneath her skin
    Seeds from a thousand others drip down from within
    
    Oh my beautiful liar
    Oh my precious whore
    My disease my infection
    I am so impure
    
    Devils speak of the ways in which she’ll manifest
    Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress
    Need to contaminate to alleviate this loneliness
    I now know the depths I reach are limitless
    
    Oh my beautiful liar
    Oh my precious whore
    My disease my infection
    I am so impure