Audio Consideration - Jonny Cash/Trent Reznor

Johnny Cash 'Hurt'

By Megan Sugden and Stuart Brown

Originally written by Nine inch nails artist Trent Reznor about heroin and Self harm, Cash's cover displayed an incredible depth and new meaning to the film due to his video, which won numerous awards. His shows flashbacks of his life and seems to be about growing old and the loneliness and pain in the ageing body that comes with it. Cash's wife died shortly after the filming (of which she appeared) and Cash just seven months after filming wrapped.

This relates to the subject that we are going to look at well and requires little words to describe why. Though its about self harm and drug addiction, our film entails mainly self harm but the overall subject would be escapism through this, also drugs and sex.

'I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything'

These lyrics quite obviously state within the first line that its about self harm, with the second line describing the need to feel something when you feel so numb and depressed. The sting and adrenaline focus' the brain to something else and distracts the mind from the mental pain the sufferer is feeling. Your trying to numb the mental pain but memories still linger and everything is unwillingly remembered. There is obviously talk about heroin here and although our character never used this substance, there was difference drug abuse involved and feels this still allows it to relate.

'What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt'


The chorus begins with self loathing and disappointment as he misses his best friend and blames himself, which reminds him that other aspects and people in his life have made him feel the same, making him feel alone and abandoned in this depressed state of mind. Then the second half seems to display the fact that if he were to die, he would give everything he owns to those he loves, even if it isn't a lot. He doesn't want to involve anyone else in his life, as it would feel unfair to drag someone into his current life or these secrets he keeping as it would only hurt someone else who cares about him. It's his addiction and he feels he wouldn't be able to stop this mechanism he's learnt, as for him it's the only way to live. 

'I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear

You are someone else
I am still right here'

The crown of thorns he wears would resemble the pain he is putting upon himself and his liars chair is the fact he keeps it a secret from even those closest to him. His thoughts cannot be change, his memories cannot be erased and because they cannot be repaired he avoids them and distracts his mind through escapism. He hopes through time he will get better and that his emotions will fade, though he hopes, the reality seems extremely unlikely. The final two lines are again referring to his best friend, his brother, who now spends less time around him. He feels he's still there simply waiting his return.

'If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way'

This last part to the song could be interpreted in two different ways. The first being the idea of moving away to start afresh and taking precautions to never feeling this way again, and positive attitude that would escape this way of life. The second being the darker route, death. Suicide would enable the sufferer to start again away from everything he knows and in perfect peace, which in this moment would be heaven even if there is no such thing.