Reptile

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'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, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jeordie White) on June 23, 2006.

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