View source for Reptile

{{song
| title =Reptile
| album =''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]]''
| length =6:51
| versions =Reptile<br>Reptilian<br>Underneath The Skin<br>Reptile (''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]'') DVD<br>Liar (Reptile Demo)
| live =[[Self-Destruct Tour]] through present
}}'''"Reptile"''' is the twelfth track on 1994's ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]].'' This song is characteristic of the band's early 90s "industrial" sound, as it opens with an eerie, quiet machine-like sound collage that transitions into a nearly identical-sounding musical composition. Allegedly, it is a sample of a machine that slaughters pigs, though no sources have been found that indicate this.

The lyrics seem to be directed towards an old cohort of [[Trent Reznor]]'s, possibly a woman with whom he had some sort of relation.

===Song Credits===
*Production: Trent Reznor
*Mixing Engineer: [[Alan Moulder]]

==Appearances==
===Halos===
*''[[March Of The Pigs (halo)|March Of The Pigs]]''
*''The Downward Spiral''
*''[[And All That Could Have Been (halo)|And All That Could Have Been]]'' (DVD)

==Versions==
===Reptile===
This is the original album version.

===Reptilian===
Coming soon.

===Underneath The Skin===
Coming soon.

===Liar (Reptile Demo)===
Relatively the same as the version that found it's way onto [[The Downward Spiral]] throughout the intro and verses, however the chorus is somewhat altered featuring a dancier beat and different
vocals layered over.

===Reptile (''And All That Could Have Been'')===
This live version is an Easter Egg on the DVD version of ''And All That Could Have Been.''

==Live==
The song has always been performed with the beeps as an introduction. During the breakdown, Reznor sings "please don't hurt me" followed by a desperate cry. Recently on the [[Year Zero Warm-Up Tour]], the intro is further extended with a more articulate sound and Reznor whispering over it.

This song was also featured in the [http://www.nin.com/current/radioshows/index.html Boston, MA radio performance], ([[Peter Murphy]], Reznor, [[Atticus Ross]], and [[Jeordie White]]) on June 23, 2006.

==Lyrics==
     She spreads herself wide open to let the insects in
     She leaves a trail of honey to show me where she’s been
     She has the blood of reptile just underneath her skin
     Seeds from a thousand others drip down from within
     
     Oh my beautiful liar
     Oh my precious whore
     My disease my infection
     I am so impure
     
     Devils speak of the ways in which she’ll manifest
     Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress
     Need to contaminate to alleviate this loneliness
     I now know the depths I reach are limitless
     
     Oh my beautiful liar
     Oh my precious whore
     My disease my infection
     I am so impure

[[Category: NIN Songs]]