 Described by Numan as a "self-portrait" song, "This Wreckage" foreshadowed his temporary retirement from touring with lyrics that evoke images of reclusion and hiding (""Turn out these eyes / Wipe off my face / Erase me"").It also contains echoes of atheism (""And what if God's dead / We must have done something wrong / This dark facade ends / We're independent from someone""), a belief that Numan would later explore and espouse vocally.Musically, the song has been described as an illogical choice of a single because of its slow tempo and choppy drumbeat mixed underneath the heavy rhythm guitar.