Spreading your love from the tip of a sword
Echoing the reason that poisons your
Thinking you know what's good for us all
I wish I could reach out...

To silence you

But I'm a waste in your eyes.
You say you don't need me to save you tonight.
But I need to save you tonight.

I'm standing alone on the brink of a stone
Trying to humanize the enemy inside you
We're cut from the same cloth but we are
Stained with the poison of pride

We're sucking the life from the whole of the world
Can't be confined or condemned to be
Reduced to a place that's a violent resolve
To the end they will try

And silence you.

Cause we're a waste in their eyes
The grace they describe
Won't save you tonight.

Spreading your love from the tip of a sword
Echoing your reason that poisons your
Of all your fear, love, anymore
Let pride come before a fall

I wish you could see and leave for something more
Than the things I'm confined and condemned to be
They will know our needs and we won't be ignored
So that we may excuse our lives

Don't let them silence you
Cause you're a waste in their eyes
There's a grace inside of you...
I need tonight...


Lyrics submitted by 5ii, edited by D7K

Sword Lyrics as written by William L. Howerdel

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Sword song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • +1
    My Opinion

    I think it's actually, "Echoing elitism that poisons you," and not "Echoing the reason that poison you." Sounds better and makes a little more sense, since the song is about elitism.

    jahshuaon March 04, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    To me this song is about 2 enemies. Each one wants the other one to act as he acts, each one wants to save the other one (irony), but they can't swallow their pride. So they keep arguing and fighting verbally and maybe physically. Each one sees the other as a waste. But eventually one of them reaches out and tries to humanise the other one and accept him as he is. He sees that their pride will come before their fall. He wishes the other one could see in him something more than the things he is condemned to be (example, a black person is condemned to be a black person, he wishes his enemy sees beyond skin color)...

    It's an awesome song and a great lesson of tolerance between religions, races, sexes, anything that comes to separate people. Tool's "Right in two" is about the way people separate each other, this one may be an answer. Billy Howerdel is an great person, great musician, and great human being, blessed with reason and thinking. He's actually one of my personal heroes.

    infinity8888on February 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    5ii, i applaud your efforts and you got a heck a lot more of the lyrics right than I did, but i think in some places, you're wrong.

    I think it's 'we're sucking the life from a hole in the world'

    and 'i wish you could see me for something more' rather than 'i wish you could see and leave for something more'. I think it makes more sense with the next line 'than the things i'm confined and condemned to be'.

    And i think the last line in the second to last stanza should be 'so that we may see some light.'

    Rhinriaelon April 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    5ii, i applaud your efforts and you got a heck a lot more of the lyrics right than I did, but i think in some places, you're wrong.

    I think it's 'we're sucking the life from a hole in the world'

    and 'i wish you could see me for something more' rather than 'i wish you could see and leave for something more'. I think it makes more sense with the next line 'than the things i'm confined and condemned to be'.

    And i think the last line in the second to last stanza should be 'so that we may see some light.'

    Rhinriaelon April 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Thanks Rhinriael. I've changed the lyrics to those you suggested.

    This really is a haunting track. I heard that Maynard's son is playing the cello on this track. A brilliant ending to the album.

    5iion May 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    an antiwar song

    ken0777on May 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't think it's an anti-war song at all. I think it's more along the lines of - and I'm a writer, so I can't help but create a story when I hear a beautiful song like this - of two people, one is in love with the other (just my view) and the other person, the one whom the song is about, is talking, namely about things that are dangerous to those in authority. So the authoritive figures are trying to silence this person, and the narrator wants this other person to be quiet, to stop talking so he'll be safe. By the end of the song, the narrator has changed his mind, and is telling this other person to never let those in authority stop him from speaking, 'don't let them silence you'.

    5ii, yeah, Maynard's son does play cello in this song. I think it's absolutely beautiful.

    Rhinriaelon June 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is definitely a stab at religion.

    Very to-the-point. Very powerful. Very beautiful.

    Droopon November 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    My favorite AD song. It speaks about overcoming an adversary that disguises their selfish deeds as in your best interest. It's their way or annihilation, and the song is about how to survive that thru grace. IMO ofc

    MP3on February 05, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    __Here is my interpretation___

    Spreading your love from the tip of a sword Echoing the reason that poisons your Thinking you know what's good for us all I wish I could reach out... To silence you +

    • hes trying to say this individual or gov. etc. is forcing their "way"/ beliefs on people. And he wishes that he could silence them.

    But I'm a waste in your eyes. You say you don't need me to save you tonight. But I need to save you tonight. + -hes trying to silence the person but they don't care. they are sociopaths./HE is trying to help somone open their eyes to what is happening but they are blinded by the bad Person/government.

    Im standing alone on the brink of a stone Trying to humanise the enemy inside you We're cut from the same cloth but we are Stained with the poison of pride + -now he is pretty much saying hes alone contemplating things. And then he trying to find the humane/nice side of them. But he/they are to PRIDEFUL to listen to him.

    We're sucking the life from a hole in the world Can't be confined or condemned to be Reduced to a place that's a violent resolve To the end they will try And silence you. +

    • Now hes saying we are not condemned to confined because of what we are. And then THEY finally use violence to silence you.

    Cos we're a waste in their eyes The grace they describe Won't save you tonight. + -he is reminding us we are dirt to them. then the Promises/grace they used to trick us wont save u now from their violence.

    Spreading your love from the tip of a sword Echoing your reason that poisons your Of all your fear, love, anymore?? Let pride come before a fall + -pride before the fall (also found in scripture) he is saying they will eventually fall/die it is inevitable.

    I wish you could see me for something more Than the things I'm confined and condemned to be They will know our needs and we won't be ignored So that we may see some light + -re emphasizing that were are not condemned and we are more then THEY think of us. and they know we are being abused and he is saying we wont be ignored.

    Don't let them silence you Cos you're a waste in their eyes There's a grace inside of you... I need tonight... +

    • and now hes saying keep fighting them they will always think ur nothing. Now he is i guess asking for help to someone else who sympathizes with him. telling them that they do have grace in them contrary to what THEY say. and he saying he NEEDS their help/support to fight THEM.

    Billy Howerdel is a gifted musician and i would say was the backbone of a perfect circle and in alot of ways TOOL too. Anyways i don't think it has to do with 2 people in love or antiwar (IMO).

    synergy17on August 18, 2009   Link

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