Ruiner

Album:The Downward Spiral

Length:4:58

Tempo:{{{BPM}}} BPM

Versions:Ruiner
Ruiner (version)
Ruiner (demo)

Live:Self-Destruct Tour
Year Zero Warm-Up Tour

"Ruiner" is the sixth track on The Downward Spiral. In 2004, a demo version was released with the Tenth Anniversary 2-disc Deluxe Edition of "The Downward Spiral."

Song Credits

• Production: Flood and Trent Reznor
• Mixing Engineer: Alan Moulder

Appearances

Halos

• The Downward Spiral
• Further Down The Spiral

Versions

Ruiner

This is the original album version.

Ruiner (version)

Throughout this version, there are glitch effects of splicing up Trent's voice. The fast verses are louder and clearer than the studio version. The order of the two verses are reversed. The synth chorus is replaced by a more guitar driven one.

Ruiner (demo)

In this demo, the verses are almost whispered while the pre-choruses are sung in Reznor's lower-middle vocal range. The chorus is whispered rather than sung.

Live

"Ruiner" was performed live on the Self-Destruct Tour but would be retired until 2007, when it was played again for the first time in almost 13 years.

Lyrics

    You had all of them on your side, didn’t you?
    You believed in all your lies, didn’t you?
    The Ruiner’s got a lot to prove he’s got nothing to lose and now he made you believe
    The Ruiner’s your only friend well he’s the living end to the cattle he deceives
    The raping of the innocent you know the Ruiner ruins everything he sees
    Now the only pure thing left in my fucking world is wearing your disease
    
    How did you get so big?
    How did you get so strong?
    How did you get so hard?
    How did it get so long?
    
    You had to give them all a sign, didn’t you?
    You had to covet what was mine, didn’t you?
    The Ruiner’s a collector he’s an infector serving his shit to his flies
    Maybe there will come a day when those that you keep blind will suddenly realize
    Maybe it’s a part of me you took to a place I hoped it would never go
    And maybe that fucked me up much more than you’ll ever know
    
    How did you get so big?
    How did you get so strong?
    How did you get so hard?
    How did it get so long?
    What you gave to me
    My perfect ring of scars
    You know I can see what you really are
    
    You didn’t hurt me nothing can hurt me
    You didn’t hurt me nothing can stop me now