Burning Bright (Field On Fire)

Album:Not The Actual Events

Length:5:50

Tempo:128 BPM

Versions:Burning Bright (Field On Fire)

Live:I Can't Seem To Wake Up 2017 through Cold And Black And Infinite Tour

"Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" is the fifth track on the 2016 EP Not The Actual Events. The song features Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction on guitar.

It is worth noting that the final line, "I can't tell if I am dreaming anymore," is also the final line of "We Fade Away" by How To Destroy Angels, with the omission of the words "seem to". The song is reminiscent of "Nietzsche" by The Dandy Warhols.

Appearances

Halos

• Not The Actual Events

Versions

Burning Bright (Field On Fire)

This is the only known version.

Live

"Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" made its live debut at the first show of the I Can't Seem To Wake Up 2017 tour, and was played at all but the last of the shows on that tour. It appeared at a third of the shows on the Cold And Black And Infinite Tour, always following on from "The Great Destroyer" towards the end of the main set.

Trent Reznor's vocals on the majority of the song were sung through a bullhorn.

Trivia

The song was featured during season 4 (episode 6) of TNT's Animal Kingdom on July 2, 2019. This is the third time a Nine Inch Nails song has featured on the show, along with "The Background World" and "I'm Not From This World".

Music Video

Frame from the visualizer video

A visualizer video, much like the one for "God Break Down The Door", was posted to the official NIN YouTube account. The audio is simply accompanied by rapidly shifting, choppy black and white static.

Lyrics

   I'm going back
   Of course I am
   As if I ever had a choice
   Back to what I always knew I was
   On the inside
   Back to what I really am
   Look at this pathetic place I made
   With little bits of sticks and hair
   And anything I found along the way
   And tell yourself, you know?
   You're not really what you know you are
   You know?
   Of course you do
   I think I may have even listened to you
   I think I may have even listened to you
   At the height of my demise
   
   Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe…
   Break through the surface and breathe
   
   I am forgiven
   I am free
   I am a field on fire
   
   And oh my God, I have missed you
   It has been so long
   And I am stronger than I have ever been in my decline
   I am stronger than I have ever been in my decline
   For now I know, now I know, now I know for certain
   Now I know for certain
   Oh, burn motherfucker
   Carry the carcass and throw it on
   Pull up a chair and watch
   The flies come roaring out
   And will surround the entire world
   And blacken out the sky and every last one of you
   Like a plague of locusts
   Like an exit
   Like an end
   Like an end
   Like an end
   Like the end
   
   Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe…
   Break through the surface and breathe
   
   I am forgiven
   I am free
   I am a field on fire
   
   I can't tell if I am dreaming anymore

Additional lyrics printed on the physical component include:

   Now I know for certain
   Shedding any
   Burn motherfucker

   Like an end
   Like an end
   Like the fucking end
   Like the end

   It's getting hard to know which side is the dream

External Links

• "Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" music video

Previous track - "The Idea Of You" Track 5 from Not The Actual Events Next track - "N/A"