The Hand That Feeds

Album: With Teeth (2005)
Charted: 7 31
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Songfacts®:

  • Trent Reznor wrote this song to take another stab at President Bush and the Iraq War. You'll find in the lyrics:
    What if this whole crusade's a charade?
    And behind it all there's a price to be paid for the blood on which we dine?
    Justified in the name of the holy and the divine. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Tony - Bridgeton, ME
  • Nine Inch Nails were due to play this song at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, but dropped out when MTV wouldn't let them use an image of George W. Bush in the performance. An announcement made by Trent Reznor on the NIN website on May 26 stated: "Nine Inch Nails will not be performing at the MTV Movie Awards as previously announced. We were set to perform The Hand That Feeds with an unmolested, straightforward image of George W. Bush as the backdrop. Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me. See you on tour this fall when we return to play in America." The following day, MTV stated, "While we respect Nine Inch Nails' point of view, we were uncomfortable with their performance being built around a partisan political statement. When we discussed our discomfort with the band, their choice was to unfortunately pull out of the Movie Awards." Nine Inch Nails were eventually replaced by Foo Fighters. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR

Comments: 17

  • Thisguy from FloridaKinda sounds like he's talking to himself about the you-know-whos running his industry, but ok.
  • Stephen from Marrero, LaThis is a song all about quitting addiction. Another awesome song by this band is closer
  • Joel2point0 from Nashville, TnThis song means trying to kick anything your addicted to. "What if this whole crusades a charade?" could mean, what if everything you have worked for is in vein?
  • Joel2point0 from Nashville, TnI think this song has more than one meaning, just like any good song. Its about trying to get off something your addicted to. "What if this whole crusade is a charade?" Means, what if everything you are working for, in order to feed your addiction, is in vein?
  • Joel2point0 from Nashville, TnThis song could also mean about any person who is addicted to anything and wanting to change. It has multiple meanings, just like any good song should.
  • Kat from Chicago, IlI didn't realize that this was a political attack until I looked it up. I always thought it was just about religion and blindly following the teachings of an angry leader. Though I suppose the two concepts are similar.
  • Matt from Glen Burnie, MdI was wondering if it has any similarities with the Aerosmith song of the same title but there isn't any info her.
  • Michael from Morris County, NjAlso steve, if you think anarchy is so great take a trip down to Somalia and see how it's working out for them. Ask them what they think of anarchy.
  • Michael from Morris County, NjAnarchy is a impossible desperate philosiphy that will never achive what it wishes to achive
  • Steve from Los Angeles, CaAnarchy is Freedom
  • Ernest from Northfield Center, United StatesMore than just political.
  • Chuck from Joppa, Md, MdI always took it to mean (and I saw where Reznor said something very similar) that the verses are directed at Bush and the choruses are directed toward Americans as a whole.
  • Name from Nowhere, Coi think this song is about people not being brave enught o rebel agains our government....there afraid opf the consiquences.
  • Jorge from Codoba, South AmericaTrent is a good writer, no doubt about that, but he isnt he greatest, if you want good lyrics against American Society, and telling the truth, listen to rage against the machine, (Zack De La Rocha) leadersinger/songwriter, is also friends with NIN today
  • Eric from Sanford, NcI think the American people are in fact "the hand that feeds" because we give the power to all those who have it, and I think saying "Will you bite the hand that feeds you?" is asking the president if he is going to screw us over, breaking our "trust".
  • Danny from Sydney, AustraliaTrent Reznor is one of the greatest songwriters of his time, if not, ever.
  • Erik from Willow Hill, Pait means that will other countries not bite the hand that feeds and let us push them around or will they stick up for themselves even though we provide them support.
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