Changes

Like "[[Mr. Self Destruct |Mr. Self Destruct]]" on ''[[The Downward Spiral (halo)|The Downward Spiral]]'', "Somewhat Damaged" introduces the listener to the album's sonic structure. The song is dictated around its simple four note guitar riff. The , with the first half of the song is written in a 9/4 (or a repeating 3/4 ) time signature, giving the song an odd feel. An acoustic guitar opens the song with the four-note simple riff and layers of abstract sounds slowly fade in. As the drums enter, more acoustic guitars enter and Reznor begins to sing. After the first two stanzas, a small interlude occurs, in during which the acoustic guitars are replaced with heavily distorted guitars. Reznor's screaming abilities are shown put on display as the majority of the lyrics are now shrieked out. Finally, the last third of the song is written in 4/4 (or a 4/4 time signature superimposed over a 3/4 time signature), with while the lyrics are sung in an otherwise different a clashing time signature. These final, peculiarly-structured lyrics are sung over the cacophony of instruments, with sounds of exhaling layered above. After the final lyrics are sung, the The instruments and noises then quickly fade into a crescendoing ambient noise, marking the providing a segue into "[[The Day The World Went Away (song)|The Day The World Went Away]]."