Nine Inch Nails, "Zero Sum"

they're starting to open up the sky
they're starting to reach down through
and it feels like we're living in that split-second
of a car crash
and time is slowing down
and if we only had a little more time
then this time
i'd just hold your hand
do you remember the time we
and all the times we
and should have
and were going to
i know
and i know you remember
how we could justify it all
and we knew better
in our hearts we knew better
and we told ourselves it didn't matter
and we chose to continue
and none of that matters anymore
in the hour of our twilight
and soon it will be all said and done
and we will all be back together as one
if we will continue at all

shame on us
doomed from the start
may god have mercy
on our dirty little hearts
shame on us
for all we have done
and all we ever were
just zeros and ones

and you never get away

and you never get to take the easy way
and all of this is a consequence
brought on by our own hand
if you believe in that sort of thing
and did you ever really find
when you closed your eyes
any place that was still
and at peace
and i guess i just wanted to tell you
as the light starts to fade
that you are the reason
that i am not afraid
and i guess i just wanted to mention
as the heavens will fall
we will be together soon if we
will be anything at all

shame on us
doomed from the start
may god have mercy
on our dirty little hearts
shame on us
for all we have done
and all we ever were
just zeros and ones

shame on us (shame on us)
we knew from the start
may god have mercy
on our dirty little hearts
shame on us (shame on us)
for all we have done
and all we ever were
just zeros and ones

The inherent poly-angularity of interpretation is what fascinates me in this song. If one is familiar with the alternate reality game surrounding the Nine Inch Nails' recent album from which it comes, Year Zero, then they are no stranger to the huge dystopian fictional universe of which this song is but a miniscule part. We find here not only a repeated call to awareness of the possibilities of nuclear devastation looming over the choices made by those in power in our government and others around the world, but we are painted a dramatic picture of a post-nuclear holocaust. Relative to the rest of the album, the hypothesis that aliens are generating mass hallucinations finds much confirmation here while at the same time a stark conviction of the listener's personal culpability in this and all other future (or hypothetical future) world events. I know, aliens. Amusingly enough, this is only the beginning of possible interpretations, as the context is huge and grows ever larger.