The Story Being Told in The Slip When I listened to The Slip the first time, I thought it was a followup to YZ, storywise. The resistance artist downed and dragged away in "Survivalism" had been taken to something like a re-education camp, but instead of just reprogramming his beliefs, his entire life history had been altered. "This is not my life." Then the cover triggered a few other ideas: (The red band around the eyes, a bloodied bandage and/or a symbolic blindfold; the hand on the shoulder not so much helping as guiding onto a path unseen by the resistance artist)The resistance artist's wound has resulted in amnesia, a condition the powers-that-be decide to exploit and fill his mind with a life not his own. It's also possible that The Slip is a prequel to YZ and not the second chapter of the story. And the character in "Head Down" and "Lights in the Sky" fathers The Great Destroyer. It's also possible that the character in "The Great Destroyer" is the wounded resistance artist whose purpose is perverted to the government's own end, but who still manages to undermine their plans by fathering their downfall, "Demon Seed." Ah, who knows? That's the fun. I'd love to read other interpretations and ideas. http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,7778#msg-7778 Sat, 25 May 2013 12:26:43 -0700 Phorum 5.2.7 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,312911#msg-312911 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,312911#msg-312911 marcmanubay The Slip Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:58:57 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,307304#msg-307304 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,307304#msg-307304
Anyways, With Teeth, The Fragile, YZ, and The Downward Spiral all are way more personal albums to me and I think to Trent than I ever felt the Slip was. In ways. In some ways I do think there is a personal side to The Slip (The 4 of us are dying, and Echoplex in particiular) but overall the ambience, to me, is more of a looking-glass. It's like an album to help me understand NIN as a whole. For me its the juxtaposition of this album with others that makes both this and others so much more incredible.

As far as a story or interexchange of ideas... I haven't gotten into this album into it's full depth yet. I believe that stuff takes time, even though I've had The Slip for several months now. I do, however, think that if there is a story in The Slip, it is NOT related to YZ. The Slip is an intrapersonal entity; it's ghostly. It's the mindset and the values of it's portrayal or character, if you look at it that way. I think, if anything, it's either a prelude or a bridge to the Ghosts' album. Obviously they're not linked in any way, as Ghosts was an experimental set, but to me that is the closest in story. "My voice just echoes off these walls..." "We're letting you get away..." "Once I start I can't stop..." "I've become a million miles away." This is a reflection, or possibly a haunting. And, for the listener, it's supposed to help them reflect. Or else it will scare them away.

Just my opinion... In any case I love this cd, and I love what new sounds it carries with it.

c9]]> ChaseNine The Slip Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:33:52 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,300935#msg-300935 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,300935#msg-300935
1,000,000 - I would say the most important lyric in this song is the chorus... Jump from every rooftop... so high so far to fall. Meaning everytime your up you do something to fuck it up and then your back to the bottom.

Discipline - I would say this is carried over from YZ being a call for help in attempting to change things. "I dont know where i end and where you begin..." this is difficult to decipher wish i knew what he meant by it.

Echoplex - Motivational/Inspirational song... "my voice just echoes off these walls" indicating people who talk of all kinds of things but never live up to them... if you just find the self motivation you are capable of much more than it appears.

Head Down - Seems like its about being in an unfamiliar place, as an attempt at escape... knowing that something is being left behind.

Lights in the sky - I think the Lights in the sky may actually be a direct reference to the presence... if not definitely ufo related.

Demon seed - TR's realization that he has made a major influence on many people and it is finally becoming something just beyond his control while still being at his whim

I could see this being the last NIN album just because of the conclusion being demon seed.]]> Ozzmanknot The Slip Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:01:20 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,296309#msg-296309 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,296309#msg-296309 moqilok The Slip Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:33:03 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,296140#msg-296140 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,296140#msg-296140
i had many ideas of what is the story behind this album, but reading this (somewhere in this discussion): "crawl into Trent's brain" , i said : hmmm, hold on a second!
this album doesn't connect completely , but has some points of continuity (like the so-called "lits and corona radiata"), and the fact that the album is a gift, for free...

what kind of art that you make, you would not allow to be sold ?(for money, for something so unpersonal that makes you feel like a whore. your own creations are your children and you would be happy to get a reward for a piece , so obviously is not just a common creation)

...my answer is: the art that reflects my life, something that i would not like to be value by someone else. Trent is very (very!) careful with his own personal life, we all know, but he needed to give us a flashback of himself, pieces of his mind that he can't get out unless through his music, and the love of his fans.

if i had to give away a part of my life, i also would be saying "what the fuck am i doing" at the start :D but then, i would just let myself go!]]> melodialovegoth The Slip Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:51:48 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,286305#msg-286305 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,286305#msg-286305 bashavusta The Slip Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:01:27 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,283702#msg-283702 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,283702#msg-283702 matt_echols posted:
Getting so caught up in it that you can see no other interpretation to new lyrics other than how they apply to some fictional character is sad to me. It's the equivalent of theorizing why the family in the Disney commercial only has one child instead of going to Disney World and having fun.

hear hear.
plus the disney thing is hilarious.
(:P)

I'm interested in all the mentioning of roles and places in the slip as well... how did i slip into my own role? Do i really belong in the place i am now? What am I pro-actively doing to make life better? yeah i'm looking into that
*VC*]]> VegaChastain The Slip Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:46:43 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,283515#msg-283515 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,283515#msg-283515 blobbyxl The Slip Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:59:35 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,232905#msg-232905 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,232905#msg-232905 leo3375 posted:
I think "The Slip" has more to do with Trent looking at his new-found independence and being both excited and scared of it. In addition, it seems that he's looking inward to where he is at his life. The only exception I could find to this was "Letting You," which to me is clearly a protest song.

My view exactly.
I'm pretty sure something along the lines of this was mentioned in a interview...]]> Saint_Maria The Slip Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:07:55 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,231125#msg-231125 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,231125#msg-231125 leo3375 posted:
I think "The Slip" has more to do with Trent looking at his new-found independence and being both excited and scared of it. In addition, it seems that he's looking inward to where he is at his life. The only exception I could find to this was "Letting You," which to me is clearly a protest song.

ha, that reminded me of something called " multiple personality disorder"-

Gee, could it be possible?

LOL

Sheri.]]> jasphiel The Slip Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:42:32 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,219433#msg-219433 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,219433#msg-219433 Zachma123 The Slip Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:38:25 -0800 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,179541#msg-179541 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,179541#msg-179541
maybe it's just me, but it seems like if he were going to put so much effort into yz and the experience behind it that releasing a free album completely at random that is supposed to support the story line somehow without saying anything about it is a bit of a stretch...]]> fatbackfolds The Slip Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:40:08 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,179517#msg-179517 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,179517#msg-179517
anyway, I do believe there is some connection with some of the slip;

- 1 000 000, I thought this could have been about the sniper we all heard about during the viral campaigns
-Letting You, I thought could be the people becoming pissed off with the way they are being treated in the YZ world
-Discipline, hard to say but it might be the character talking about himself and the control he needs
-echoplex, a prison that the character gets sent too
-demon seed, the creation of the resistance

I thought there was some possibility that The Slip was more about the resistance in the YZ world forming, but then at the same time I am conflicted and thinking it may also just be a bunch of excellent songs with no real connecting story]]> streetcleaner The Slip Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:37:30 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,166285#msg-166285 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,166285#msg-166285 On a personal note, there are times when I look back at the whole YZ experience (which amazingly feels like forever ago, but I know it wasn't) and I wonder why the fuck I got so caught up in it and thought it was going to last forever. I was convinced the next album was going to be a continuation of YZ (maybe just hoping). Part of that I think is because YZ was absolutely the coolest ablum experience I've ever had as a fan - hands down - the most engrossing experience. I've never been so wrapped up in an artists work as a fan EVER, and I was a huge fan before YZ. But to expect another YZ, well that'd kind of be like having thanksgiving dinner every day right?
What I learned from that album experience is this: Enjoy the ride while it's happening because it can't last forever and can never be duplicated - and that is exactly as it should be.

As far as The Slip goes, I see some returning themes, one in particular actually, from previous ablums prior to YZ, but I don't see a huge connection to everything on the album as a whole. It is a good album, but I haven't read too much into it, haven't been studying it with a microscope - which I think YZ might have conditioned a lot of people to do. He's a very clever guy. He likes to put little surprises out there to get us all worked up. I was never smart enough to catch most of the little "surprises" anyway, so, I leave the dissection to much cleverer folks than I.
I'm just going to enjoy the music this time around. :)]]> NeverNever The Slip Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:30:35 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,166240#msg-166240 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,166240#msg-166240
The main thing that upsets me about YZ people is they seem to get so caught up in the concept of YZ they lose sight of the greater picture as a whole. What I mean by that is this:

Basically, since TDS every NIN album has had some sort of conceptual format to it. I remember an interview with Trent describing that The Fragile was basically a continuation of the story started in TDS. The important thing to remember about this though, is that the story being told is about the writer himself. TDS was dark and moody and suicidal because at that time in his life, so was Trent. The words "He couldn't believe how easy it was" were written by him before that song was ever thought of. So yes that album was "conceptual" but the story it told was just a reflection of his life.

With Teeth to me showed that same figure (Trent) finally emerging from that depression. It was an album full of confessions and self realization. THTF to me represented him looking at the problems that occupy the world as a whole instead of the inner conflict that had previously dominated his life. To me YZ was a continuation of that process. The realization that sometimes as your looking down at your singed carpet your house burns down around you. I think the songs on that album stand on their own outside of the YZ back story, not just from a political or activist standpoint, but from an emotional one as well. I relate to a lot of the lyrics on that album as far as themes in my personal life go.

With all of that said, The Slip to me seems to be the story of a man with problems. Much different problems than his younger self had, but problems all the same. A possible slip into relapse, the struggle with aging, struggling to find the role you play in the grand scheme of life, anger with people hearing a message but not really listening to it, criticism from the people you bare your soul to, the loss of a loved one, and maybe gaining some insight to who you are or where you belong.

Now of course all of this is just my opinion, and it's what I take from the music. But that's the point of all this writing. As the listener, music (and art in general) is about what you take from it. How what you listen to strikes a chord in you and makes you identify with it. I guess what I want to say is that although the YZ story was a great marketing campaign, in the end that is all it was, a marketing campaign. Getting so caught up in it that you can see no other interpretation to new lyrics other than how they apply to some fictional character is sad to me. It's the equivalent of theorizing why the family in the Disney commercial only has one child instead of going to Disney World and having fun.

I could be wrong and this could be YZ pt.2, but even if it is, remember that the songs in YZ told a story outside of the one in the marketing campaign. Individually they spoke of fear, anger, rebellion, sadness, concern and many other things. All of which are much more important when applied to our lives than the lives of a fictional character. Not trying to bash the YZ groupies, just saying it's upsetting when I see things said like, "There is no way anyone can convince me these songs are not about the year zero world".]]> matt_echols The Slip Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:04:02 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,161428#msg-161428 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,161428#msg-161428 Anyone interested in editing / working with me on this project?]]> DeusofNull The Slip Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:03:47 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,158396#msg-158396 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,158396#msg-158396 thedownwardslip The Slip Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:39:26 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,157565#msg-157565 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,157565#msg-157565
i can speculate as to what the albums (all) are about, but at the end of the day i enjoy them for what they do for me.]]> daenerys The Slip Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:49:17 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,119020#msg-119020 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,119020#msg-119020 0001 The Slip Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:08:57 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,118530#msg-118530 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,118530#msg-118530
I'd rather make up my own meanings or interpretations rather than constantly wonder "what is Trent trying to say? What does he mean by that?" Who gives a fuck? that's my question...just take it for what it's worth and quit trying to dissect everything.]]> Trogdor The Slip Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:14:11 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,111586#msg-111586 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,111586#msg-111586 NineInchNails01220 posted:
sphoenix posted:
Touché I honestly think the CD is based on NIN the band. Like a reflective CD.

there's 7 albums

999,999 - nothing..only exception to this.
1,000,000 Reminds me of Pretty Hate Machine
Letting You is Obviously Year Zero
Discipline is With Teeth
Echoplex reminds me of the Fragile. in a weird way.
Lights In The Sky strikes me as "The Downward Spiral" Simply because it's very soft much like Hurt.
The Four of us are Dying Ghosts I-IV Disc 1
Corona Radiata are Ghosts I-IV Disc 2.
Demon Seed is The Slip.


Just my personal opinon.

I don't actually think that it was meant to go back to YZ at all and I don't think that Trent actually intend it to go back to each of his albums. But I do see what you're saying here. Each song does remind me of a certain era of NIN.

I second that, I don't think it goes to each album, however it does have a reminiscence to it. If there are any connections, I can see come connections from head like a hole to the hand that feeds. Also between the fragile and all the love in the world. right where they belong... there are a bunch more that I can't think of. I think I connected the warning with an older album. It's obvious stuff I'm pointing out so, I apologize for that.]]> Machiavellism The Slip Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:15:23 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,111351#msg-111351 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,111351#msg-111351 sphoenix posted:
Touché I honestly think the CD is based on NIN the band. Like a reflective CD.

there's 7 albums

999,999 - nothing..only exception to this.
1,000,000 Reminds me of Pretty Hate Machine
Letting You is Obviously Year Zero
Discipline is With Teeth
Echoplex reminds me of the Fragile. in a weird way.
Lights In The Sky strikes me as "The Downward Spiral" Simply because it's very soft much like Hurt.
The Four of us are Dying Ghosts I-IV Disc 1
Corona Radiata are Ghosts I-IV Disc 2.
Demon Seed is The Slip.


Just my personal opinon.

I don't actually think that it was meant to go back to YZ at all and I don't think that Trent actually intend it to go back to each of his albums. But I do see what you're saying here. Each song does remind me of a certain era of NIN.]]> NineInchNails01220 The Slip Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:18:16 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,96934#msg-96934 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,96934#msg-96934
Like I said in a related thread, it may be the story of a person's descent into, and rise from, madness. But like KoruptData mentioned, it may also be an insight into how Trent feels and where he stands today as an artist, as a musician.

Either way, it's an interesting and intriguing album.]]> AnnaDraconida The Slip Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:11:55 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,95380#msg-95380 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,95380#msg-95380
I was just thinking today about the evolution of NIN. Is really all that different from PHM? ("Though it all looks different now, I know it is still the same.")

He has used the million miles away trick before ("I've become a million miles a..."). The outsides changes (Trent with half shaved head, Trent with bad 90's shorts, Super Skinny Trent with leather, Trent with long hair and mud, Trent with preppy page boy cut, Trent with muscles, Trent with cropped hair and lights in the sky); the insides are the same.

Sometimes the only thing constant about my life is me.

("you can dress it up and try to pretend but you can't change anything in the end")

Edit:
) dude! how did ) become a wink? I'll tell right now I don't wink like that. damn computers]]> laradurden The Slip Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:31:03 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,93380#msg-93380 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,93380#msg-93380
Whats the connection?

Hurt!

if i could start again
a million miles away
i would keep myself
i would find a way

TDS was from a completely different time in his life; now that he's self-sufficient, he is "a million miles away" from that place in the TDS era. look at these lyrics from 1,000,000:

Put the gun
In my mouth
Close your eyes
Blow my fucking brains out
Pretty patterns
On the floor
That's enough for you
But I still need more

people want a darker side of NIN. people want the fucked up lyrics and the dark stuff. it's like he's saying that he's killed himself, yet we still want more. we want more dark. but he's a million miles away from that.


My fiance posted this in another thread after we talked about it tonight and made the connection. This album was free to the fans, I think this his just his message to us. Where he came from, where hes at, and where hes going. I think this is Trent letting us into his life a little more. Nothing more....nothing less.]]> KoruptData The Slip Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:15:17 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,91693#msg-91693 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,91693#msg-91693 funkamatic The Slip Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:42:00 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,89198#msg-89198 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,89198#msg-89198 xantres posted:
Doomguy, I like your ideas. That seems to tie everything together really well and I like the explanation for the album cover...the hand really does look like it's pulling him back rather than being supportive or friendly.

Building on your idea and my prior post, perhaps another interpretation of Lights in the Sky could be a suicide-fantasy type song. Instead of a loved one going to the hospital, it is our main character after he has jumped off of the building in 1,000,000, and tells the tale of his life slipping away.

A possible, perhaps unintentional connection to Year Zero is that if we keep ourselves mentally locked in a box like you say, and never do anything with our lives, the Year Zero world is what we will get. The seed could be the hopelessness and despair of our era that make us want to give up instead of trying to change the world.

Exactly. I 100% agree with you there.]]> Doomguy13 The Slip Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:33:10 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,88913#msg-88913 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,88913#msg-88913
Building on your idea and my prior post, perhaps another interpretation of Lights in the Sky could be a suicide-fantasy type song. Instead of a loved one going to the hospital, it is our main character after he has jumped off of the building in 1,000,000, and tells the tale of his life slipping away.

A possible, perhaps unintentional connection to Year Zero is that if we keep ourselves mentally locked in a box like you say, and never do anything with our lives, the Year Zero world is what we will get. The seed could be the hopelessness and despair of our era that make us want to give up instead of trying to change the world.]]> xantres The Slip Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:14:18 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,87433#msg-87433 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,87433#msg-87433
Based on how the album sounds, to me it means how this man that this album COULD be following and telling the story about is slipping away from life. At the beginning, he is talking about how he can't feel anything, but at the end he says how he feels something inside him. He says "it keeps growing", which most people would think (if thinking in this mindset) that is will just grow until he explodes (Cloverfield much?). But if you look at the album art, it shows how the black line grows into a square and keeps the white lines safely away from the red lines, which is a bad thing, because it is in a way like "Echoplex", he is safe from the bad things, but also from everything else. Stuck in a little box for the rest of his life. So, to me, it shows how this man slips away from life by trapping himself from it.

More info: The thing is, people are so caught up in trying to find more things about the Year Zero Universe that they don't realize that this album has a story of it's own. Like how I said above, to me, it follows a man's slow but sure slip away from life. At the beginning, he tries to get away by killing himself. In "Letting You", it's kind of hard to find where this fits in, but if it was something else then an anti-government song (which it's not), it seems like it would be about how this man is saying how life is making him do all these things and doing all these things to him, but he just let's life do it. "Discipline" seems like it is about how this man is wondering if he did something wrong for life to treat him like this and he is trying to ask for help to make everything better. "Echoplex" is almost like the closer put in the wrong place. How I said above about "Demon Seed's" album art, to shows how he traps himself in a small box away from everything. He succeeds, but he pays the price by cutting himself off from everything. He is also telling someone else how he sees how that other person is going through the same problems as himself, but not doing anything about it. "Head Down" seems like this man is now at a very pissed stage. He can't take it anymore and breaks from the box. He came out he felt like everyone was looking at him. He is saying that this box is not his life, and thinks it's all a dream, and how he would give anything to break through. He finally does but returns to his pitiful life. "Lights In The Sky" seems like it's a song that show how the man sits down for a bit and realizes everything he has lost. He is thinking how he lost his only love or a close family member, and this explains why he hates life so much. It shows how he just wants his life to end so he can get his lost one back. It also shows how he promised to stay with this person, but he broke that promise. "Corona Radiata" seems like he has this slow realization of what he has to do. He gets up and starts to take action. "The Four Of Us Are Dying" seems to show that he has really started to slip away. The slowness and lifelessness of the song really shows this. "Demon Seed" is a very fun one to write about, but I don't know why. It shows how the hatred he has for life keeps growing and how he has been tolerating life and trying to behave himself. At the end, he finally knows what life is all about and he also knows what he is. He has this "seed" in him that makes him do things and he finally tells him to give up. The only reason he jumped off every rooftop and shot himself in the mouth and lived is this "seed". He is this "seeds" host and it lives off him, and since it lives off him, it sucks away his life, which is why he hates it so much, because he barely has any for himself. Unable to fight with the "seed", he goes back into the box he broke out of and stays there forever. He always want's to get out, but the "seed" makes him stay.

There, that's what I think "The Slip" is about. I'm proud of it and hop you enjoyed reading it :P ... now who wants some :)-D ?

EDIT: I read a bit more of this thread and it brought up something important:

I think the album art shows what "Demon Seed" tries to tell us. The man is trying to get away and make life better, but this "seed" is pulling him back from making any progress. Therefor, making him slip away.]]> Doomguy13 The Slip Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:57:21 -0700 http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,86847#msg-86847 Re: The Story Being Told in The Slip http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?23,7778,86847#msg-86847
Lights in the sky reminds me of someone very close to you having a terminal illness. You really need to read the lyrics for this to make sense. To me, the phrase "lights in the sky" is a metaphor for the bright lights shone on the patient in an operating room; and to a comatose patient they may very well be lights in the sky. Drowning is a metaphor for illness bordering on or resulting in death. Depending on one's level of optimism, the lights waving goodbye are your loved one leaving the operating room and hospital alive after a successful procedure -- or, it could be the lights fading out as your loved one's life finally slips away.

Either way, it makes me think of being there for your loved one, no matter how painful it is to see them suffer. This interpretation is based on a number of my family members getting cancer, some dying from it. And if someone you love has a terminal illness or has died, maybe you'll understand what I mean. The melody is so poignant and sad that it makes my heart ache in the same way it did at that time (and still does sometimes).

I don't think this interpretation conflicts with the other general story ideas put forth here. For instance, even if The Slip is set in the Year Zero world or another alternate reality, illness and death affect all humanity. And it is not unheard of for songs to have more than one meaning.]]> xantres The Slip Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:30:40 -0700