Sweat

This song can operate on many levels. When i first heard it i thought that "the sun is burning hot again on the hunter and the fisherman" was saying that times are hard for people at the bottom of society. And that "seems like ive been here before" might refer to being reborn after death. So it might have something to do with the caste system in India which dictates to those born a hunter and a fisherman must stay that way, until reborn and you achieve higher status. Perhaps Maynard is refering to a more political aspect of life where the bottom end of society sink deeper, sweating, disorientated, trying to think of a past life but only feeling some strange familiararity. Just a thought

"a dream within a dream"

sounds like a refference to edgar allen poe

sounds like a poe reference to me as well.....great poem by the way

Why are you all so homophobic? Calling somebody a homosexual isn't necessarily insulting, it just shows how ignorant you are for trying to use a bad insult. Don't even respond to people like Karl. People like him get off on annoying people. Anyways, you people need to open your damn minds and realize that your way of thinking isn't the only way.

Im pretty sure this song is about sex, and more specifically, the universality of sex. Maynard is saying that no matter what you are, what time your from, or what your job is, you have sex, and you enjoy it. period.

This song is the prerequisite for the Lateralus album, I believe. You can refference lyrics in this song in many of the songs of Lateralus, including the title track and Parabol and Parabola. I believe that Lateralus is the acceptance and full circle understanding of the wonder and angst in Sweat.

Parabol - "so familiar, embracing you, this reality" (reality, as apose to the anti-reality of a dream. Which is what "this reality" felt like before the understanding.) Parabola - "celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing." "we barely remember what came before this precious moment" Lateralus- "over thinking over analyzing sepparates the body from the mind"

In Parabola it emphasizes "this body" which I think can be a duel meaning as in your own body, your own shell or it could be some one elses body who is helping you through your life journey-i.e. your partner/significant other (and in that aspect you can see it as a very sexual song, like some people have said they see "Sweat." The other way you can look at Lateralus is very spiritual and esoteric, also another aspect you can see in "Sweat"). The "dream" in sweat I think is the song that represents the mind, and parabol and parabola represent "the body" and lateralus is the explanation of why the two combined are so important. Sweat is the example of the body and mind sepparated, thus the confusion and dellusion of being in a dream within a dream. Sweat is the searching before finding the answer, that awkward limbo-like state that you find yourself in extensive meditation, looking for the answer that has not made itself known to you, yet. Also the reason why this might sound like a drug/trip song is because in extensive meditation and soul searching it is not unlikely to have hallucinogens aide you in your spiritual journey, such as peyote or mushrooms.

What i find funny is that you seem to be a homophobe when Maynerd is a known homosexual. Karl is just one of those people who are too dumb to express their opinion without yelling or cussing, or doing it in an intelligent manor. He probably thinks AC/DC will rule forever, and mullets are awsome.

What do you mean Maynard is a known homosexual, I thought he had a wife.

I think this song is about having sex.

Definitly a description of an orgasm. the way he talks about the heat and cool. Dream within a dream. Swimming. All these references combined are pretty much an orgasm. If you've had one unlike hot for fags karl, or as I call him "cunt kraut karl" you'd know. yo CKK, grow some balls and ejaculate YA FUCKIN QUEER!