The Line Begins To Blur
The Line Begins To Blur (Instrumental)
The Line Begins To Blur (Beside You In Time)
"The Line Begins To Blur" is the eleventh track on the 2005 release With Teeth. The track leaked in February of 2005, along with "Getting Smaller" and "The Hand That Feeds".
The last three songs on With Teeth seem to describe the protagonist's views of the world and the way things are going in it, i.e., the way he would like things to be going. In this track, he expresses how what he believed, along with that which he believed in, is changing, shooting off in radical directions. He speaks as if it was destined to be this way, as if he saw it coming all along. This song, along with "Beside You In Time" and "Right Where It Belongs" can almost be seen as a prequel to Year Zero, as they speak about corruption in man's heart, and the world changing, revealing something not before seen ("The Line Begins To Blur" definitely seems to lead up to the Resistance Theory, and Trent Reznor's struggle coping with a world that has completely devolved around him, as the chorus says, "As far as I have gone/I knew what side I'm on/But now I'm not so sure/The line begins to blur… ").
Contents
Song Credits
- Live Drums: Dave Grohl
Appearances
Halos
- With Teeth
- Beside You In Time
Other
- The Definitive NIN - Heavy Tracks - online playlist(s); not on original Seed release
Versions
The Line Begins To Blur
This is the original album version. Dave Grohl's live drums and loud, distorted bass begin the song, its rhythmic stomp augmented by distortion loops that give the effect that the listener's speakers are crackling from the volume. Reznor's vocals are elongated yells through the verses, which contrast with the melodic, guitar-driven chorus. Simple in its structure, the song features a second verse and chorus before moving into a coda driven by a melodic lead guitar line and Reznor's wordless vocal accompaniment. The layering and vocals during this last section are reminiscent of The Fragile. Its final cymbal hit crossfades with the drone of "Beside You In Time."
The Line Begins To Blur (Instrumental)
Running Time: 3:48
Released exclusively through Apple Music.
The Line Begins To Blur (Beside You In Time)
This live version can be found on the Beside You In Time DVD. It remains very faithful to the original sound and structure. The guitar solo is played an octave higher when compared to the album version and previous live shows.
Live
"The Line Begins To Blur" made its live debut on March 23, 2005 and was played at the vast majority of Live: With Teeth shows until the 2006 summer tour. The chorus lyrics were often changed from "I knew what side I'm on" to "To know what side I'm on." This is seen on Beside You In Time.
"The Line Begins To Blur" continued to make rare appearances until the NIN + QOTSA Tour. It was revived again for the NIN 2022 tour.
Lyrics
There are things that I said I would never do
There are fears that I cannot believe have come true
For my soul is too sick and too little and too late
And my self I have grown too weary to hate
The more I stay in here
The more it's not so clear
The more I stay in here
The more I disappear
As far as I have gone
I knew what side I'm on
But now I'm not so sure
The line begins to blur
Is there somebody on top of me?
I don't know, I don't know
Isn't anybody stopping me?
I don't know, I don't know
Well I'm trying to hold my breath
Just how far down can I go?
I don't know, I don't know
I don’t know
As I lie here and stare
The fabric starts to tear
It's far beyond repair
And I don't really care
As far as I have gone
I knew what side I'm on
But now I'm not so sure
The line begins to blur
In the final recording, the third verse slightly changes to:
Well I'm trying to hold my breath
I don't know, I don't know
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