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| album =''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]]''
| length =1:36
| BPM = 100| versions =Big Man With A Gun<br>Big Man With A Gun (''The Downward Spiral'' DE)| live =[[Self-Destruct Tour]]<br>[[Wave Goodbye Tour]]}}'''"Big Man With A Gun"''' is the ninth track on ''[[The Downward Spiral and is the most violent song on the entire album, and arguably, in NIN(halo)|The Downward Spiral]]''s entire discography.
It is rumored that the sound effect at the beginning of the song is an adult film actress in the throes of passion. The sound was repotertedly reportedly run through a program by [[Tommy Lee]], who called the resulting sound "Steakhouse."
===Song Credits===
*Additional guitars: [[Danny Lohner]]
*Steakhouse: Tommy Lee
==Meaning==
In the March 1996 issue of ''Spin Magazine'', [[Trent Reznor]] said the following about this song:
<blockquote>"The record was nearing completion. I had written those lyrics pretty quickly and I didn't know if I was going to use them or not. To me, ''Downward Spiral'' builds to a certain degree of madness, then it changes. That would be the last stage of delirium. So the original point of "Big Man With A Gun" was madness. But it was also making fun of the whole misogynistic gangsta-rap bulls**t. ... I listen to a lot of it, and I enjoy it. But I could do without the degree of misogny and hatred of women and abuse. Then, my song got misinterpreted as exactly that. It was probably a lack of being able to write. I've been taken out of context, and it's ridiculous."</blockquote>
==Appearances==
===Halos===
*''The Downward Spiral''
*''[[March of the Pigs (halo)|March Of The Pigs]]''(UK version, pt.1 of 2 disc set)
==Versions==
===Big Man With A Gun===
This is the original version. Short, fast, violent, and energetic, this song contains many layers of different distorted guitar riffs, and features Reznor nearly speaking most of the lyrics with an equalizer filter on his voice. On the "March Of The Pigs" single, it does not contain the ending clip of "[[I Do Not Want This]]," as it does not transition directly from any other song.
===Big Man With A Gun (''The Downward Spiral 2004 re-releaseDE'')===In the 5.1 surround edition of the 2004 re-release of ''The Downward Spiral'', the scream sample heard at the beginning is replaced with surreal and abstract voice samplesa lower-pitched, distant wail, which echo echoes around the speakers.
==Live==
"Big Man With A Gun" has been played live became a semi-frequent encore on the [[Self-Destruct Tour]], and had not been played live since until its appearance at the [[2009/08/23 New York, NY|Webster Hall]] performance with the rest of ''The Downward Spiral.'' Rehearsal and live footage of the song appear in brief on the leaked ''Closure'' DVD appendage.
==Lyrics==
I like to have fun
Held against your forehead
You know, just for the fuck of it
I can reduce you if I want
I can devour
Me and my fucking gun
Nothing can stop me now
Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot
Me and my fucking gun
Me and my fucking gun
==External Links==
*[http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xint8a.shtml "Sympathy for the Devil"] interview in Spin Magazine, March 1996
{{Succession box
| title=[[The Downward Spiral (halo)#Track Listing (original release and DVD-A release)|The Downward Spiral]]
| before=[[I Do Not Want This]]
| after=[[A Warm Place]]
| track=9}}
[[Category: NIN Songs]]