The Wretched
The Wretched (Instrumental)
The Wretched (Version)
The Wretched (And All That Could Have Been)
"The Wretched" is the fourth track on the Left disc of The Fragile.
The bridge of the song contains a sample of radio interference often confused with whispered lyrics. It can be heard more clearly in Keith Hillebrandt's remix of the song on Things Falling Apart.[1]
Appearances
Halos
- The Fragile
- Things Falling Apart
- And All That Could Have Been (CD/DVD/VHS)
Seeds
Films
- Man On Fire (2004)
Versions
The Wretched
This is the original album version. Characterized by a simple drum machine loop and a low-octave piano melody backed by deep atmospheric synthesizers, the verses feature Reznor spitting out the vocals, soon joined by a distorted guitar melody. The repeated lyric, "It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, did it?" builds into the chorus, where a new, quickly ascending guitar riff and a different drum patch and loop accompany the shouted vocals. New atmospheric loops join the re-entry of the verse motifs, which lead into a repetition of the chorus. The song's bridge consists of trading distorted guitar riffs above the verse drum patch and atmosphere, which give way to a simple melody. The chorus soon returns with a wah guitar solo on top, bring in the return of the chorus vocals, this time with Reznor interjecting between repetitions of "now, you know/this is what it feels like." After the final repetition, the verse atmospheres and drum loop return for a fading denouement and return of the bridge melody.
The vinyl edition of The Fragile has an extended ending, playing out much like it does live on And All That Could Have Been instead of the beat fading out under the melody as on the CD, it repeats four times and then stops, allowing the melody to repeat once more.
The Wretched (Instrumental)
Released exclusively through Apple Music. Combines elements of the Things Falling Apart remix and the vinyl version with the CD version.
The Wretched (Version)
This remix starts with a very bassy intro before building to a loud, drum-heavy second verse. It eventually breaks down to just a guitar and the lyrics "Now you know/This is what it feels like" before building again towards the end, which drops back to the elements used in the intro along with what appears to be a live version of the end of the song from a concert in the distance.
Song Credits
- Maniputation: Keith Hillebrandt
The Wretched (And All That Could Have Been)
This live version is performed very similarly to the album version, but includes Jerome Dillon playing a tom-based beat on top of the electronic loop. During the bridge, Reznor whispers the lines "There is a place / In the back of my mind / Where I used to try."
Live
Coming soon.
Lyrics
Just a reflection
Just a glimpse
Just a little reminder
Of all the what abouts
And all the might have
Could have beens
Another day
Some other way
But not another reason to continue
And now you're one of us
The Wretched
The hopes and prays
The better days
The far aways
Forget it
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it, did it?
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out the way you wanted it, did it?
Now you know
This is what it feels like
Now you know
This is what it feels like
The clouds will part
And the sky cracks open
And God Himself
Will reach His fucking arm through
Just to push you down
Just to hold you down
Stuck in this hole
With the shit and the piss
And it's hard to believe
It could come down to this
Back at the beginning
Sinking
Spinning
And in the end
We still pretend
The time we spend
Not knowing when
You're finally free
And you could be
But it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
It didn't turn out quite the way that you wanted it
Now you know
This is what it feels like
Now you know
This is what it feels like
You can try to stop it but it keeps on coming
You can try to stop it but
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