Hurt

This song is about realizing consequence and regret. It sends a powerful message that we should all proceed through life wisely, because there is nothing worse than being stuck with a label, a pain, a sickness, or a death, that we know beforehand will leave us only wishing things had been different and that we could change the choices we made. Explaining the self-loathing nature of the songs on The Downward Spiral album, Trent Reznor told USA Today: "I'm not proud to say I hate myself and don't like what I am, but maybe there is real human communication that ends up positive even though everything being said is negative."

This song is reportedly Trent Reznor's favorite and is always the final song played at Nine Inch Nails concerts. He considers it the most personal song he has ever written.

Reznor lived in the Los Angeles home where the actress Sharon Tate used to live, and where she was one of the victims in the Manson family murders (Reznor didn't know she used to live there when he rented it). This song, along with most of The Downward Spiral album was done in the mansion. The front door of the house had the word "Pig" written on it by the murderers. Reportedly this was painted over numerous times, but you could faintly see the outline of the word on the wall. Trent apparently never noticed the word until after he was told whose mansion it was. After The Downward Spiral was completed, Trent moved out and the owner had the mansion demolished, but Reznor kept the front door handle "to remind him of what happened and the events that took place inside." (information compiled from the Nine Inch Nails CD biography book)