In the 33 1/3 novel about “In On The Kill Taker,” written by Joe Gross, the chapter discussing this song goes into great detail about it.
On page 142, it says,
One night, MacKaye, who then still living at Dischord House in Arlington, Vir., was having dinner with some friends in D.C’s Chinatown when...
That one is predetermined
That one, it finds another
This one comes in one window
Sliding out the other [?]
We need an instrument
We need an instrument
To take a measurement
To find out if loss could weigh
We need to know value
We need to place value
In case it all comes true
Could it be loss could weigh?
That one is predetermined
That one, it finds another
This one comes in one window
Sliding out the other [?]
It's always they that's dying
But now it's we that's dying
So sooner comes the trying
To understand what loss could weigh
We've been dragged through the fire
We bragged about that fire
But suddenly we're tired
Could it be that loss could weigh?
Weigh, weigh
Could it be that loss could weigh?
Loss could weigh
Loss could weigh
Loss could weigh
Loss could
Loss could
Weigh, weigh, weigh, weigh, weigh
Instrument was written by Fugazi.
Instrument was produced by Fugazi.
Fugazi released Instrument on Wed Jun 30 1993.