Happiness in Slavery
...iends in later years. From and early age he learned to play classical piano and several other instruments as a child. Through out his life he had always been enveloped by music and the fascination with people and how they acted in certain situations. After graduating from college he began his stand with Nine Inc Nails and the future that would eventually bring him to millions of record sells and awards from all countries. He has won Grammy’s for his metal/industrial performances, “Wish”(1992) and “Happiness in Slavery” (1996). With albums and remixes counted into the dozens. Some better know albums being, Pretty hate machine (1989), The Downward Spiral (1994), Further down the downward Spiral, and The Fragile. But, one album that was only six songs long and a copulation of only 20 minutes came to my attention in the world of lyrics. The album Broken, had a song, “Happiness in Slavery”, which had caught my attention from the minute I heard it. The song to me has a very simplistic meaning yet, one that many people are not willing to allow them selves to comprehend. The song is this, people out there would rather hate who they are than be alone in most cases, and so society or “slavery” comes about. These people then block out there numbness and try to fill it with happiness and there for you get blissfully ignorant people who can’t and don’t understand, (“Can this world really be as sad as it seems?) To break down the song, I will go line by line as seen fit… “Slave screams he thinks he knows what he wants”-This line could represent the average person, and they are screaming because they want everyone to see that they are ok and that they are self knowing and they do know what they want. But in real life the government and the media are telling them what they are and what they like. The society is brainwashed. “Slave screams thinks he has something to say”- Screaming again to make the point, he is an individual in this world of individuals, that he does have something that counts even though it has been said all before… “Slave screams he hears but doesn’t want to listen”- People are always in it for them selves, at least these slaves, and they don’t want to see the corruption around them, they would rather see the pretty colors and the easy micro waved meals instead. They are waiting for you to finish what you have to say so they can put in what next they have to say. “Slave screams he’s being beat into submission”- The people individually are being beaten or molded everyday and like a coward they do nothing but take it day after day, like a wife being beat by her husband and then defending him for what he did. It is so much easier for one person to just be suited with their lot in life then to create a wave. They aren’t truly happy just compliant. “Don't open your eyes you won't like what you see The devils of truth steal the souls of the free Don't open your eyes take it from me I have found, you can find Happiness in slavery”— This part of the song is were it takes a turn, Trent himself, is now talking to the slaves and he is saying that he doesn’t want them to open there eyes either. Not because he is trying to scam them but because he himself isn’t happy. He is saying that if you were to finally open your eyes you would see so much pain at one time it could do more damage in the later life. You would see that you are the slave and that your life is not your own and that it never will be, that you never had the power or the will. Basically truth hurts and, if you can’t see that, you probably couldn’t handle it either. He then says, that he was a slave too, and he opened his eyes and once you do you can’t go back so be sure before you do because even sunglasses on life can’t hide you anymore. "Slave screams he spends his life learning conformity"- Now the slave screams back, how could he have know, he was brought up in conformity. "Slave screams he claims he has his own identity"- He is now trying to tell the world no really they are wrong he does have his own identity and he does know who he is… still not realizing that he hasn’t taken in a word, he is just screaming because that is his only defense, he is still waiting for some one to stop talking so he can fell like he matters once again. "Slave screams he's gonna cause the system to fall"- The slave then gets a glimpse of what ...