Songs & Lyrics
Something I Can Never Have
“Something I Can Never Have” appears on Pretty Hate Machine (1989) and has returned in setlists across multiple touring eras.
- Record type
- Lyrics available
- Classification
- Official NIN composition
- First record
- Halo 02 · Pretty Hate Machine
- Known versions
- 6
Song details
About This Song
Available on three Halo releases in 6 titled versions.
- Classification
- Official NIN composition
- First documented release
- Halo 02 · Pretty Hate Machine
- Release date
- October 20, 1989
- Track position
- 5
- Running time
- 5:55
- Tempo
- 108 BPM
- Known versions
- 6
Track Credits
- Production
- Trent Reznor, John Fryer
- Engineer/Mix
- John Fryer
Live History
- Performance span
- "Pretty Hate Machine" Promotional Tour through NIN 2013 Festival Tour · NIN + QOTSA Tour through NIN 2014 Europe/UK Tour · I Can't Seem To Wake Up 2017 through NIN 2022 · Peel It Back Tour
- Live debut
- January 22, 1991 · Washington, DC
Versions
- Something I Can Never Have
- Something I Can Never Have (Natural Born Killers Soundtrack)
- Something I Can Never Have (Still)
- Something I Can Never Have (Demo)
- Something I Can Never Have (Closure)
- Something I Can Never Have (Beside You In Time)
Sources: NIN Wiki — Something I Can Never Have, revision 69478 (reviewed September 28, 2026). NIN Wiki song record
Words
Lyrics
Echoing your voice just like the ringing in my ears
My favorite dreams of you still wash ashore
Scraping through my head till I don't want to sleep anymore
Come on tell me
Make this all go away
You make this all go away
I'm down to just one thing and I'm starting to scare myself
Make this all go away
You make this all go away
I just want something
I just want something I can never have
You always were the one to show me how
Back then I couldn't do the things that I can do now
This thing is slowly taking me apart
Grey would be the color if I had a heart
I just want something I can never have
In this place it seems like such a shame
Though it all looks different now, I know it's still the same
Everywhere I look you're all I see
Just a fading fucking reminder of who I used to be
Come on tell me
Make this all go away
You make this all go away
I'm down to just one thing and I'm starting to scare myself
Make this all go away
You make this all go away
I just want something
I just want something I can never have
I just want something I can never have
Think I know what you meant
That night on my bed
Still picking at this scab
I wish you were dead
Your sweat and Perry Ellis
Just stains on my sheets
Lyrics reproduced with permission for non-profit educational use.
Where it appears