The Grudge

Here is my interpretation of 'The Grudge'

"Crown of negativity" The first thing that pops into my head is Jesus' crown of thorns, a burden. The crown is thereby also a symbol of religion – but this is a negative symbol. Because these days Christianity is a controlling power, which has decided for us what we will and will not tolerate. But the crown of negativity represents the reduction of our thinking IN GENERAL. We carry the crown on our heads, the highest place of our body, and it overshadows everything else. "Unable to forgive your scarlet lettermen" "The scarlet letter" is a book by Nathaniel Hawthorne in which a woman who has committed adultery forced to wear a crimson 'A' on her chest for the crime. We stamp other people, judging them and refuse to forgive them. This hatred of a foreign party - another person, another religion, another culture - most people have to maintain. Many people clutch their grudge as if it were a cornerstone, everything their unity (if is a group of people) is build on. But it may also be that the individual clings to this feeling to keep himself/herself together. In such cases we always try to justify denials. We cultivate our hatred and dare not to let it go, because we are afraid to make mistakes. So we put ourselves in a prison cell of ultimatum.

The most interesting part of the song deals with Saturn. After a little research has been up to me that everything in the song forms a synthesis. First, it takes Saturn about 29 years to go round the sun. 29 years symbolizes a mid-term crisis, a split. "Choose one or ten" This refers to the zodiac in astrology, Aries is the number one and Capricorn is number ten. So the choice is between Capricorn and Aries. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn (Saturn is the creator of civilization and the social order, representing authority). Capricorn is stubborn, cautious and disciplined. Aries is ruled by Mars (Mars usually associated with strength, spontaneity and energy). Aries is bold and impulsive. In many ways it is the complete contrast to Capricorn. You could say that Aries is the Zodiac pioneer. By the way … Maynard a Ram himself. "Hang on or be humbled again" By choosing Capricorn you will again submit to the Authority and thus be humiliated, bow to other powers. We’ll continue living with this ugly feeling, unaware of how much damage we have caused to the outside world and ourselves. The grudge will narrow thinking further define and say that things can only be one way.

"Saturn comes back around to show you everything Let's you choose what you will, will not see and then Drags you down like a stone or lifts you up again Spits you out like a child, light and innocent "

This refers to the myth of the Greek god Cronos (which the Romans later called Saturn) who ate his sons, so they would not kill him. Rhea (Cronos' wife) gave birth to another son, Zeus, and she gives her husband a stone instead of the child, and Cronos swallows the stone, believing it is his son. Later Zeus kills his father and sets his siblings free. The song raises the question: Will go down like a stone – just like all the others ones –, or you will be like Zeus (Aries), escaping it all?

"Let the waters kiss and transmutate these leader grudges into gold" If we look at everything in an alchemical way, the solid substance, which is associated with Saturn, is lead. Lead represents decay and death. When Saturn ascends, you’ve got the choice between remaining the way you are and fall into decay, or to let go of a part of yourself (death, in a way) and thereby transform lead to gold - dissolve "the cold and fated anchor."

Just try to imagine all the energy we would have, if we did not spend so much time on bearing grudges.

Like so many of Tools songs, this song is a metaphor for personal development.