| Tool – Flood Lyrics | 23 years ago |
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"Here comes the water." JMK opens with a sort of baptismal allusion, but definitely a transitory statement. Its a passing, possibly from life into death, or disallusionment into realization. In either case, this song sounds like a trip of self-discovery by a 'warped' individual. Let me explain... "All I knew..." All of the speakers preceptions are completely destroyed, wiped away. It leaves him scared, confused, seeking a higher ground, a higher being perhaps--some sort of 'new' answer. Anything to repress this sense of loss. "So I take what is mine..." I think this is the speaker reverting back to his original conceptions, whatever he used to fall back upon. This 'whatever' sounds very vague, but I assume its the speakers belief that life is isolated, predestined, granting complete freedom from responsiblility, as there is no one to answer to. "This ground is not the rock I thought it to be." Admitting he was wrong. The speaker must find new beliefs. This ground(human reality, existence) is not the rock(smaller, more insignificant than an expanse) I thought it to be. "Thought I was high, and free..." The speaker realizes there are consequences, things aren't simply predestined, with no authority to answer to. "The water is rising up on me." This revelation is so completely new, that the speaker feels like he is drowning in it. The sun, something that is familiar to him, something that never failed him before, is ultimately useless in his most desperate time of need. Instead, all the ground is coming apart from under him... but the water is coming up to purge and clense. In other words, this punishment/judgement will ultimately be his salvation. Thats an interpretation of the lyrics themselves anyway. How it applies to JMK's experiences, or someone elses', is not for me to try and explain right now. I hope you can see the direction I mean to take though. |
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| Tool – Lateralus Lyrics | 24 years ago |
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A lot of good points have been made thus far, but there’s a few things I want to touch on. Many people interpret Maynard based on writings he has recommended. While I haven’t read many of his selected works, I feel his lyrics can be interpreted without a great deal of side research—particularly in Lateralus. So I’ll continue into the song… We are born into the world with no real sense of the world. We start seeing things in black and white, good and bad, 1 or 0. But as we become more aware of ourselves and the world around us, we see these distinct lines blur, new colors, new concepts, are all out there, waiting to be understood, and adapted into our own lives. This is an eternal concept, starting ages ago for our ancestors, and will be for ages. We are here to stretch our own minds. “Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.” This is a key theme in the song. It can be interpreted many ways. I fist saw it as stating that over thinking, over analyzing is what differentiates the body from the mind. The eye is not aware it is an eye, but the brain is. That’s the difference. Thus, we are different from every other species of being we know of, in that we are aware, evolve, and grow. But that’s not the only way to interpret it. Looking at further lines, leads me to believe that he is saying that over-thinking, over-analyzing is what creates a void between thought and action. Generally more contemplative people have a tendency to be more timid, a sociological concept that many may be familiar with. Thus, we must somehow seek the inspiration to act on our ideas. Rather than the usual black and white conversation, we must seek the strength to be open and honest about our ideas, our opinions, to leave ourselves vulnerable. He continues to stress the need for inspiration. Here it seems like Maynard is writing in retrospection—reliving the agonies he must have had before he began writing, and exposing his ideas to the public. To reach out and be new, be bold, be daring. Bewilderment is a sense of detachment from explanation, to have something new to contemplate—something new to consider. He then reverts out of retrospection. I feel the desire to… followed by imagery that is incredibly poetic, and powerful, from sadness to elation. Maynard then states, “to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be a human.” I still don’t know if I understand this line—but it is essential. From some reflection, he is essentially saying that we should continue to evolve, change, think, act, live, and love, to our fullest—become Godlike, or Christ-like if that image is clearer. Maynard is emphasizing this urge throughout the song, because it is difficult. So many things in society are constructed to block us from this goal. We want to be open, honest, and loving, but in a society filled with cynicism and hate, we need courage and desire to be the best people we can be. “With my feet upon the ground I lose myself between the sounds…” Maynard states that he is just as much a part of Human kind as anyone else. He is open to the world around him, and welcomes everything it has to offer, good or bad. Maynard claims he is living by example, and compels us all to do the same. Following our drives may just take humanity where no one has been. After all, Maynard is not singing to Baby Boomers, or Soccer Moms, he is singing to societies youth. By living our lives, we set examples for others, and future generations, so by living a life of better humanity, we can improve society for later generations. That’s all I can say for Lateralus now. By walking through that song again I realized myself some new things in the song. I think there is so much meaning in Lateralus that it will never be simply explained, I think it is designed for contemplation. |
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| Tool – Eulogy Lyrics | 24 years ago |
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Bill Hicks was a commedian who attacked essentially every basic construct of society, so it is no wonder why Maynard liked what he had to say. If you didn't already know, the non-Maynard sound bytes at the beginning of 'Third Eye' are by Hicks. He died of Pancreatic Cancer at age 32. About Eulogy, I think this is the most vague work Maynard has produced. I originally thought of Adolf Hitler when thinking of this song--but I don't think that's right. I also disagree with this song being an attack on L Ron Hubbard. I tend to agree with the idea this song is about Jesus. The Gospel allusion, 'get off your cross' is pretty obvious--however this could simply be a device to attack anyone who has used one of their own personal afflictions to influence people's thoughts. However, I think this is about Jesus primarily due to the theme of anger and accusation throughout. Jesus' tirade in temple, which in the gospels of Matthew and Mark appear before his final temptation at Gethsemane, could be the result of his own fear of death. Maynard seems to be mocking Jesus' fear of death, or, if nothing else, the common belief that Jesus was somehow greater than simple human emotion. |
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