(Pre 5-12-98)
I think it's partly a joke. Very sarcastic. Looking down at others. Control. All that good stuff. As with most nin songs, MotP is open to many different interpretations. So here's one of mine:
Reznor speaking about himself, his fans, and the media. Maybe it's what Trent thinks of his fans in general, or even what he thinks when he looks out at his audiences in concert:
"step right up march push
crawl right up on your knees
please greed feed (no time to hesitate)"
And the fans/worshippers/media think:
"i want a little bit i want a piece of it i think he's losing it"
A little bit of Reznor. Everybody wants a piece. And the "he" in "i think he's losing it" from the original version of "wish" to "i think he's losing it" in MotP.) Back to Reznor on stage looking down at his audience:
"all the pigs are all lined up"
Reznor often reinforces this on stage by almost pointing at the crowd, drawing the line. The fans are the pigs lined up to see him. Or maybe the pigs are those that line up to talk to him backstage/after shows/in public.
"i give you all that you want"
It's true. He does. The fans and media use Reznor. And he uses them.
"take the skin and peel it back
now doesn't that make you feel better?"
People want to know what's "underneath the skin." The façade. And this is why musically the song goes to the piano. The skin is gone. No loud "industrial" noise to hide behind. No skin. No façade. Just Trent playing classical music at the age of five. Just kidding. The second half of the song repeats the same outline as above. There's more to it, but I'm lazy.
"the pigs have won tonight
now they can all sleep soundly
and everything is all right"
Think about it.

-T.J. Milian

(Pre 5-12-98)
MotP is one of the most lyrically interpretable songs on the album. Conceptually, it fits rather loosely with my interpretation of the downward spiral -- as with "piggy" and heresy," it's kind of Trent's call to his artistic muse and has themes sort of independent yet microcosmically indicative to the rest of the album. It has anger like "wish," but not as blatant. It shows a definite progression in articulation. It also shows an amazing use of verbal irony and the nihilistic hopelessness behind the use of such irony. One way (and the way I look at it and other nin song interpretations) is to look at it as the monologues of one, two, or more people.
"step right up march push
crawl right up on your knees
please greed feed (no time to hesitate)"
Here we have a person speaking, perhaps the person vilified in "piggy." He is in control of some important aspect of the second person's life -- sexual, if you want, but I prefer parallels that are less cliched and obvious. I look at it just as some nebulous "important spect" -- from a career to a social circle to anything to which you may apply it. He/she has total control over this aspect and is using it to further (from now on) his needs or desires.
"i want a little bit i want a piece of it i think he's losing it
i want to watch it come down
don't like the look of it don't like the taste of it don't like the smell of it
i want to watch it come down"
This is the start of the second person's monologue, and here we see Trent's real progression in articulation. The last line shows his extreme displeasure at having this aspect of control imposed on him but the first three show his willingness to endure it for the simple reason to destroy it and be free.
"all the pigs are all lined up
i give you all that you want
take the skin and peel it back
now doesn't that make you feel better?"
I personally attribute this statement to a third, neutral, omniscient person who perhaps points out to us what the second person's actions will be and the consequences of it. "Take the skin and peel it back"...added to the music at this part of the song, it
establishes a definite feeling of falling utterly to pieces and losing any aspect of control over any part of his life, a type of "cut down the trees coz i can't see the forest" syndrome. The last line is ironic: Here is his destruction resulting from his fight for freedom -- won't he enjoy it?
"shove it up inside surprise! lies
stains like the blood on your teeth
bite chew suck away the tender parts"
Here everything starts to take a fever pitch. The first person has exerted more control over the second person and is starting to destroy more and more of him. The sexual terms can be seen as an example of how violating this exertion is over the second person's life.
"i want to break it up i want to smash it up i want to fuck it up
i want to watch it come down
maybe afraid of it let's discredit it let's pick away at it
i want to watch it come down"
The second person can take no more. The direct description of destruction, as opposed to the scheming in the first part, shows that he has taken action and has stopped just dreaming it. The third line could be seen as perhaps fear at what he is doing so fast, or it could be the actual methods of destroying it. No matter how it is interpreted, this is where the climax of action takes place.
"all the pigs are all lined up
i give you all that you want
take the skin and peel it back"
The repetition of these lines in the song but not in the lyric book is significant -- it shows to the second person the destruction that we have already seen the first time around. It's not repeated because, like certain self-destructive actions in life, it is always the person doing them who is the last to see them and realize the consequences. This, coupled with the final stanza, is where the epiphany takes place.
"now doesn't that make you feel better?
the pigs have won tonight
now they can all sleep soundly
and everything is all right"
The third person is addressing the second person now -- not accusingly, but definitely ironically. The pigs have won because, although they have been destroyed, they do not have to suffer what the second person has done to himself. Another way of seeing it is that the second person, to destroy the first, has become the first person and thus
replaced one pig with another -- again, the pigs still have won. The last two lines are simply irony to back up the second line, showing how everything for the second person is not all right and may never be -- or rather, that for the pigs, everything is all right because they only suffer being destroyed and not having to suffer through the consequences.
Sorry for the story, but I feel it illustrates the anger and hopelessness of destroying a system of authority. This song conveys that to me perfectly. It's much like Trent's other works, as can be seen -- but, more complex in its illustration and construction than, say, "wish" ("wish there was something real/wish there was something true") or "burn" ("this world rejects me/i'm gonna burn this whole world down"). It actually expresses more than anger -- this song expresses anger, sadness, and the change in character that can come with dire consequences to drastic actions.

-adam

(Pre 5-12-98)
The idea I have is a possibility of it being an "motivation" song. (You know, a "I want it all and I want it NOW" song)
"Step right up" - Go for what you want in life because it's often a 'first come first served' situation.
"March, push, crawl right up on your knees" - Get to what you want no matter what it takes. Even if you have crawl, or push someone else out your way.
"Please, greed, feed" - Give in to your desires.
"No time to hesitate" - Don't sit around thinking what you should do or if you should do it, if you want it, you must be a pig, or else it will be too late.

Now the song takes a bit of turn. This is in case someone should stand in your way.
"I want a little bit, I want a piece of it, I think he's losing it, I wanna watch it come down" - Fight for every little piece you can get, push until your opponent breaks, and watch him fall.
"Don't like the look of it, don't like the taste of it, don't like the smell of it, I wanna watch it come down." - If something stands you way, hate it, fight it, and watch it fall. (This idea is echoed in Marilyn Manson's song "The Beautiful People" - "Hate every motherfucker that's in your way")

Now the song turns again.
"All the pigs, all lined up, I give you all that you want, take the skin and peel it back" - Here he talks about sexual desires. The "pigs" are men "all lined up" waiting for their chance at sexual please. But he rises up against the others, saying "I give you all that you want". An obvious reference to intercourse, "Take the skin and peel it back".
"Now doesn't it make you feel better?" He got what he wanted, is he satisfied? No. Never be satisfied. Always want more. The song continues...
"Shove it up inside, surprise, lies, stains like the blood on your teeth, bite chew, suck, away at the tender parts" - Now this is the price that is payed for being a pig. Someone gets hurt, and gets scarred or "stained". That is price you have to be willing to pay.
"I wanna break it up, I wanna smash it up, etc..." This is the same as earlier, to let nothing stand in way, and if it does, hate it and destroy it. Only now he is more powerful and expresses himself in a more hate filled manner.

The song takes one final twist:
"May be you're afraid of it, let's discredit it, let's pick away at it, let's watch it come down" - Now he has become extremely powerful and something threatens his postion at the top. Don't let it win, discredit it, pick away at it and watch it fall.
The sexual verse it repeated again, but this time it extends into:
"The Pigs have won tonight, they can all sleep soundly, and everything is alright."

What he is trying to say in this song is that to get anywhere in life, and to get what you want, you have to be a "pig". Destroy all that is in your way, laws don't matter, lives don't matter, morality doesn't matter. Be a pig and only think of yourself. Whether you agree with this or not is up to you.

-DMC

(Pre 5-12-98)
"take the skin and peel it back
now doesn't that make you feel better?"
On the nine inch nails disturbed interview CD Trent is asked if these lines are about foreskin, Trent chuckles and explains that in this reference to "the pigs" he was talking about the media. "Take the skin and peel it back now doesn't that make you feel better?" This is line is talking about the media looking for the truth (?) and in the process ruining some one, and then all the tabloid readers "feel better" because it's all figured out. The bulk of the song is about pushing, crawling, rushing etc. This is all the crap that the media is willing to do to get the story.

-sammy

(Pre 5-12-98)
It takes an enraged reject (e.g. a stereo-typical NIN fan) to truely understand the torment that drove Reznor to write MotP's. The lyrics are talking about those people who, in Reznor's words, "...would like nothing better than to see (you) fail." You know who they are; the people who call you stupid, worthless, pathetic, (fill in blank), and basiclly tell you how much they think you suck for no reason other than they derive pleasure from the thought of your inferiority. Let's examine...
"step right up march...crawl right up on your knees
please greed feed..."
Trent refers to an unquenchable lust some nay-saying "pigs" have for bringing a person down...
"I want a little bit, I want a piece of it, I think he's losing it
I wanna watch it come down
don't like look of it..."
This passage refers to resentment from the "pigs", e.g. "I think he's losing it" and how it seems like their only goal is to leave you suffering.
"All the pigs are all lined up, I give you all that you want, take the skin and peel it back, now doesn't it make you feel better?!"
What do all the pigs want? They want to spread hateful slander to hurt who they hate- the narrator. "Take the skin and peel it back" is a symbol of the torture and torment the "pigs" put the narrator through. "now doesen't it make you feel better"...this is refering to the ego-boost that some get from picking you apart.
"shove it up inside, surprise, lies stain like blood on your teeth"
This gruesome set of symbols starts with the shove-the-slander-up-inside-surprise symbol (refering to rape), then moves on to another your-bullshit-is-ripping-me-apart reference (the bloody teeth are "biting" and "chewing" the narrator). I think I've began to lead you in the right direction, and I am getting too tired to make much sense, so I will just write the rest of the lyrics down so you can continue to see the pattern of persecution I write of. Just remember; in the song the "I"s and "let's"s refer to the song's "pigs",and the "it"s are refering to the narrator.
"I wanna' break it up, I wanna' smash it up, I wanna' fuck it up, I wanna' watch it come down. 'maybe afraid of it, let's pick away at it, let's discredit it, I wanna watch it come down
All the pigs...now doesn't it make you (pigs) feel better? The pigs have won tonight. (with rage filled sarcasm-) Now they can all sleep soundly, and everything is allright. (i.e. their ego is satified so what does your pain matter)

Side-note: In the Disturbed interview-disc Trent professed his "pigs" to be "a lot of differnt people" ranging from the media who hated his album and disbelieved the sincerity of the pain he sings of, to "the people I thought were friends who only hung around 'cause I had money". He also implies that the song "piggy" has an entirely different meaming for it's "pig".

-Colin

(Pre 5-12-98)
I think many people have been to quick to sit down and sort through and figure out the lyrics they have overlooked something. If I am correct which I believe I am, Trent Reznor lives(lived) in the house Sharon tate was killed in and in her blood was written pig. Okay she was killed by Manson's believers so let us begin to evaluate this. What did Manson preach to his "people". He convinced them he was Jesus and the story goes on.. but he also told them the people they stalked and were to kill were lucky to be taken off this earth this "hell hole". But wait there is more, Sharon Tate was brutally murdered. Her baby taken from it's womb she was mutilated and knifed. This is when things begin to fall in place. All the pigs are all lined up you can have all that you want- pigs/middleclass Americans? peel their skin back their don't you feel much better- Manson is saying this to "his people" kill them, you are taking them away from all this misery and pain, so on. I could be wrong but this seems to make too much sense to be much of a coincedence. Much more like Trent than what I've read above. I know I have told more of a story than given an interpretation but if you believe what I've said, it's really quite clear.

-Nameless

(Pre 5-12-98)
I see it as essentially satirical. He's definitely sarcastic, spitting back what he perceives the pigs (the media, society in general, anyone who feeds off someone else's misfortune) to feel about him. ("I want a little bit I want a piece of it I think he's losing it...I want to break it up I want to smash it up I want to fuck it up/I want to watch it come down.") He is bitter because the pigs just want to see him fuck up or lose it, giving them something to talk about. Nobody really cares. And on some level, he feels he has failed, has given the pigs all that they want. He's taken the skin and pulled it back, exposing his emotional wounds to everyone. "Now doesn't that make you feel better?/The pigs have won tonight/now they can all sleep soundly/and everything is alright."
Actually, it isn't.

-Anonymous

(Pre 5-12-98)
I conceed that my interpretation is probably not what Trent meant when he wrote it, but hey...
I think that here "pig" is being used in the Orwellian sense. For those who don't know, George Orwell's novel, "Animal Farm" potrayed the oppertunistic upper-class of the "Farm" society as pigs. Where he says:
"Don't like the taste of it, don't like the smell of it, don't like the look of it / I want to watch it come down" I take this as a reference to the conservative elements who bitch and moan about this kind of music. People who feel that NIN and it's ilk should be banned. I think this sentiment is repeated in: "maybe afraid of it let's discredit it let's pick away at it"
When I first started listening to NIN I was very suprised, in that it was not evil, satanic or courrupting, as I had heard, but rather some of the most emotional music I had ever come across. The media often potrays artists like Trent in a negitive light, and that affects the way people approach the music.

-Acideus

(Pre 5-12-98)
This song is like what other people have said, its a rant against the media, america, socioty, basiclly PIGS. Piggy is the one person that he hates/fears/needs. when Piggy leaves him, he loses faith in the rest of the world, who are similarly refered to as pigs.
"step right up march push crawl right up on your knees"
he's not so much mocking the pigs as just saying what they do, albeit sarcasticly.
"please greed feed (no time to hesitate)"
Indulge, because you are a pig, that's what you do.
"i want a little bit i want a piece of it i think he's losing it i want to watch it come down"
Here Trent uses a double meaning. On one hand, he's the pigs wanting to tear down himself, but on the other hand, he's himself saying that he wants to tear down the Organization of the Pigs.
"don't like the look of it don't like the taste of it don't like the smell of it i want to watch it come down"
Now he is the pigs who are paranoid and xenephobic. (also later on "maybe afraid of it...").
Now that the music tones down a little, it suggests that the narrator is thinking about complacency, taking up with the pigs.
"all the pigs are all lined up"
This line is perfect. It's just the pigs, standing there, in their fucking lines, waiting to be shot down. Only problem is that they cant be stopped.(note - if you want to have a real fun time, try yelling that line when some cops are within earshot, especially if they are trying to break up a party or show.)
"i give you all that you want"
Kind of saying, 'here it is, everything i am.'
"take the skin and peel it back"
Work me down to nothing.
"now doesn't that make you feel better?"
The narrator has sided with the pigs, he has given in, he feels better. but of course, he can only stay silent for so long...
"shove it up inside suprise! lies"
SUPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! guess what, he knows he can't be one of the pigs, even though it would make life alot easier because he wouldn't have to fight them anymore. he cant join them because their world is based on lies.
"stains like blood on your teeth bite chew suck (away the tender parts)"
In addition to lies, the world of the pigs is physically tortuous and the tender weak people getting their asses kicked. (in addition, there is a similar referance to that line "the becoming" off of TDS about the 'killing away of the bad parts' of the machine taking over him. oh and by the way, the machine later on is the mental manifestation of the physical Pigs Socioty, and they both take him over the same.)
"i want to break it up i want to smash it up i want to fuck it up i want to watch it come down
maybe afriad of it lets discredit it lets pick away at it i want to watch it come down"
Same as the first verse, except its more serious.
"all the pigs are all lined up
i give you all that you want
take the skin & peel it back
now doesn't it make you feel better?
the pigs have won tonight"
Again, music slows, narrator becomes tempted to escape and conform, except this time he is totally consumed by the pigs.
"now they can all sleep soundly
and everything is all right"
Since there is no more conflict from the narrator, the pigs are at ease, no more fighting, everyone remains unharmed because they couldn't be hurt to begin with. But what, you ask, about our narrator?
He too can sleep soundly because he now a pig, and he is no longer fighting them. He is not free, but he is content, and thats all that matters, isn't it?

Kinda depressing when you think about it.

-the cake

(Pre 5-12-98)
I think that all the people are wrong!! I think that this song is of a school yard scene. The "Step right up, march push" etc is about all the people pushing and crawling up to try and get into a popular social class. And the "i want a piece of it" and the "might be afraid of it let's pick away at it" "i think he's loosing it i want to watch him come down." this is about all the people picking away at one little kid who is loosing it and they all want to watch him come down. Then the all the pigs are all lined up, take the skin and peel it back now doesn't that make you feel better is about that kid getting revenge. Take the skin and peel it back is taking the dead skin and peeling it back to get to the tender raw flesh and it just goes on like that.

-Davich

(5-19-98)
Okay, new thoughts on MotP

March of the pigs is a wonderful song. An anthem for those who hate the world. I could pick it apart, but that's been done. I agree with the way it's usually interpreted, but there's one line that's never been done to my satisfaction.
"Doesn't it make you feel better?"
That speaks volumes to those of us who have decided that humanity are swine. Most people are not conscious. That's just a fact. Most people conform and accept life as it comes. Most people know this, but they don't accept it. Or they don't think about it. REALITY CHECK! This means you! People you know are like this. People you like. You're friends, your family. Hell, most people reading this are pigs. They have to be, it's the way things are.
The song let's us in on the fact that the majority of the populace are unthinking swine. That means you too. That means me. How would we ever know if we were part of the brainwashed masses? How could we know?
Doesn't it make you feel better?

-Acideus

(5-26-98)
Personally, I feel that The Downward Spiral is one long story, not just disjointed songs. There are too many similarities and overlapping in subject matter, as well as repeated icons to believe otherwise. Therefore, the song cannot truly be interpreted until one looks at it's context. The Downward Spiral is the story of one person's decline. The first three songs are declarations of the many forces which are screwing up the narrator's life. The next few are attempts to gain liberty from these things, then the narrator feels himself changing, losing himself, finally he ends it all and looks back over it afterward. Was it worth it? No! But, oh yeah, MOTP... I feel that this song is very similar to some of the other essays in this section: the main theme is all of the people surrounding his life: I don't think that he is speaking to anyone as particular as reporters; just the people overall, the bloodthirsty barbarians which make up a large percent of this earth. The song is highly sarcastic, and the music of the song reinforces this. During the thoughts of the narrator, the music is loud, fast, and very dissonant. You can't help but see anger in this part of the song, it should spread over into your conception of the lyrics. During the next transformation of the music,
all the pigs are all lined up
i give you all that you want
take the skin and peel it back
the narrator is speaking in his highest sarcasm. He appears to be completely at peace with the actions of the pigs. He is completely allowing himself to be violated, "go right ahead, defile me, please, i don't care." In the final parts of the song
now doesn't it make you feel better
etc.
the narrator is getting over the ignorance and boldness of the pigs. It's ok, it's just another day in the life of >>>. Will he put up with this forever? Try listening to the rest of the album...

-Maximillion