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Tool – Rosetta Stoned Lyrics 17 years ago
Rosetta Stoned is an amazing song. But I never understood the title.
I was watching an episode of the X-Files and someone "Mulder" was talking to mentioned the Rosetta Stone.
Instantly, Rosetta Stoned popped into my head. So a while after I looked up the Rosetta Stone.
It was the "key" that enabled linguists to decypher ancient egyptian hieroglyphs, which is essentially
another way of perceiving reality. The world through the eyes of a completely different culture/society.
Rosetta Stoned is quite obviously describing a drug-trip. So drugs could be a "key" to another way of perceiving reality. To see through it even. =)

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Shadows Fall – In Effigy Lyrics 18 years ago
To me: This song is about the false story that we believe to be ourselves. From birth we are taught and moulded in a way that limits our true potential, not because our parents were evil or anything, but because they didn't know any better. In other words, I think it's about the complacency that society forces upon us.

I'll break down what I believe the song is about, verse by verse:

Verse 1:
"You will never
Give the power
To the powerless
Your new ideal
Has Grown
Beyond your control"

This describes someone operating solely from an egotistical point of view. The ego strives for power and never wants to give it up. Its lust for power controls itself.


Chorus:
"Can you ever find yourself again?
Your vision distorting
Knowing it will never end
Can't see through your eyes"

"Can you ever find yourself again?" = Can you see through the power struggle of the ego and just simply be? (be yourself)

The last 3 lines of the chorus describes how narrow minded the ego is. Meaning you only see what you want to see.


Verse 2:

"Can you imagine
What is only
One step away?
The potential
Is waiting
Just beyond your grasp"

If you were to just open your eyes to the possibilities, you would have limitless potential and be able to accomplish anything you desire.


Chorus 2:

"Can you ever find yourself again?
Your vision distorting
Knowing it will never end
Can you keep fighting on and on?"

Essentially the same as the first chorus, but with a slight difference. "Can you keep fighting on and on?"
I see that as "You are only fighting yourself, so wake up." to keep it short.


Verse 3:

"This false me
Will burn, in effigy"

I refuse to give in to a lie. By "burning" what is false and just being myself.

"It's so easy
To relax and watch from afar
It's so easy to give in to inertia"

But on the other hand, It is so easy to give into complacency and just be a pawn.


Chorus 3:

"Can you ever find yourself again?
Your vision distorting
Knowing it will never end
Can't see through your eyes"

Each time the chorus adds a more extreme outcome of narrow mindedness at the end of it. "Can't see through your eyes."

If you don't wake up to the truth, you will be blinded by the lies, forever living with fear, doubt and a lack of free will.



Done. That's my interpretation to an excellent song. Shadows Fall are an amazing band, both lyrically and instrumentally. Cya =)

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Shadows Fall – Stillness Lyrics 18 years ago
I totally agree with you MonkeysLikePeanuts, great to see such insight ^_^

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