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Don't fret precious I'm here, step away from the window
Go back to sleep
Lay your head down child
I won't let the boogeyman come
Counting bodies like sheep
To the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble
Head down, go to sleep
To the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind what other voices say
They don't care about you, like I do, like I do
Safe from pain and truth and choice and other poison devils,
See, they don't give a fuck about you, like I do.
Just stay with me, safe and ignorant,
Go back to sleep
Go back to sleep
Lay your head down child
I won't let the boogeyman come
Count the bodies like sheep
To the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble
Head down, go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums
I'll be the one to protect you from
Your enemies and all your demons
I'll be the one to protect you from
A will to survive and a voice of reason
I'll be the one to protect you from
Your enemies and your choices son
They're one in the same
I must isolate you
Isolate and save you from yourself
Swayin to the rhythm of the new world order and
Count the bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums
The boogeymen are coming
The boogeymen are coming
Keep your head down, go to sleep, to the rhythm of the war drums
Stay with me
Safe and ignorant
Just stay with me
Hold you and protect you from the other ones
The evil ones
Don't love you son,
Go back to sleep
I wrote a response to one of the comments here but I figure this will get more attention. Maynard James Keenan said, in his own words, what this song is about on the aMOTION DVD. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT about the government, Bush, the NWO or any of that crap.
This song IS ABOUT DRUG ADDICTION, as is the entire album The Thirteenth Step. I.E. the thirteen steps of addiction.
This song is about being so caught up in an addiction that you feel the world isn't a safe place anymore, that the only thing protecting you from the horrors in the world are the drugs that, in reality, are ruining your life. How drugs protect you from reality. Go back to sleep=get high, your problems will disappear. Maynard even described Richard Prior's freebasing incident as inspiration for this song.
When this song was remade into Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums, it takes on the entire anti-government, anti Bush, NWO meaning that so many people have described here, again as per Maynard. That was the entire reason for the remake of the song. Maynard felt it could have more than one meaning, but didn't want the message of the two songs to be confused. Too bad they obviously are anyway.
Maynard says that he intentionally doesn't tell people why he wrote the songs, he wants the listeners to find their own meaning in his words. When he does state why he wrote it, there is a reason. I figured most of his fans would take that as the word of god basically, since so many look up to him like he is a god. The information is out there in his own words, I don't get how so many of you still screw it up. You can take whatever meaning you want from the lyrics, I'm just providing facts from the writers mouth that say you are wrong.
This song, along with this entire album, have a deep meaning for me. It represents and accurately describes four years of my life, when I fell partly into addiction, but mostly spent those same four years watching my ex fall terribly deep into a terrible heroin addiction where she overdosed twice, her brother overdosed and died, and no matter what I did, I couldn't help her. It's a terrible feeling, and I can see the emotion in every song off this album from multiple views due to my experience. Luckily I woke the fuck up and cleaned up. I had to walk away from my ex, who I loved very much, and that was the hardest thing I've ever done. She was just too far gone. IIRC Maynard was going thru the same thing with a lover when he wrote this album, and that was a major influence behind some of the songs.This album is one of the few things that kept me going.
@si4ws89 It's actually 12 steps of addiction, not 13. But yes the album is about addiction, but I think each person can get still interpret how they will. Personally I have no experience with addiction, but to me I can identify with the government aspect of the song. So for me that is what it means to me, irrelevant of why Maynard wrote it. As an artist you have to accept that people will identify differently with your work.
@si4ws89 It's actually 12 steps of addiction, not 13. But yes the album is about addiction, but I think each person can get still interpret how they will. Personally I have no experience with addiction, but to me I can identify with the government aspect of the song. So for me that is what it means to me, irrelevant of why Maynard wrote it. As an artist you have to accept that people will identify differently with your work.
@si4ws89 I know how you feel. This song/album resonates with me as well. I'm sorry for everything you had to go through but I'm glad you're doing alright.
@si4ws89 I know how you feel. This song/album resonates with me as well. I'm sorry for everything you had to go through but I'm glad you're doing alright.
Anyway, I completely understand where you're coming from. I too have seen aMotion clip you were referring to. The thing is, Maynard is notorious for intentionally misleading fans when explaining the meanings behind his lyrics. His explanations for the meaning behind Judith and 3 Libras respectively are almost comical. It's like he likes loves playing with people's minds. That's what's so captivating about him. He thrives on being very enigmatic....
Anyway, I completely understand where you're coming from. I too have seen aMotion clip you were referring to. The thing is, Maynard is notorious for intentionally misleading fans when explaining the meanings behind his lyrics. His explanations for the meaning behind Judith and 3 Libras respectively are almost comical. It's like he likes loves playing with people's minds. That's what's so captivating about him. He thrives on being very enigmatic. He hates being a celebrity hence the make up, wig, costumes and performing in the back/side of the stage at live shows. I've seen almost all if not all of his interviews and he very rarely gives out serious/sincere answers so I wouldn't necessarily count on his explanations. 13th Step is indeed very well centered on addiction and the failure of 12 step programs (13th step being Relapse. A common joke within AA circles) but not all the songs on it are about addiction. This one being one of them. The line "Swaying to the rhythm of the New World Order" and the reference to sheep and war drums alone are a dead give away, I think. It's the only subject that makes sense to me. Like most art forms, songs/lyrics are open to interpretation. This to me is very straight forward once you get the topic. This song helped wake me up. That's my take on it.
@si4ws89 still listening in 2017! But couldn't agree with you more. It's obviously about the comfort of drugs or even alcohol to me. That escape that you look forward to everyday, the one thing that helps you sleep at night. It's a really sick, yet true meaning of the song
@si4ws89 still listening in 2017! But couldn't agree with you more. It's obviously about the comfort of drugs or even alcohol to me. That escape that you look forward to everyday, the one thing that helps you sleep at night. It's a really sick, yet true meaning of the song
@si4ws89 i dont blame any of em Maynard may as well be god at this point
@si4ws89 i dont blame any of em Maynard may as well be god at this point
@si4ws89 MJK - "I think that there's many meanings that we really strive for within the music. There's layers of interpretation." Yeah he might of said this about a Tool song, but he is the same person. There is no single meaning to Maynards lyrics. He makes them to be interpreted in many different way. Get your head outta ya butt and actually learn what MJK is about. He may have said that cuz that is his inspiration, but he has and always will want the individual to think outside the box and make their own views. Dont blaspheme Maynard....
@si4ws89 MJK - "I think that there's many meanings that we really strive for within the music. There's layers of interpretation." Yeah he might of said this about a Tool song, but he is the same person. There is no single meaning to Maynards lyrics. He makes them to be interpreted in many different way. Get your head outta ya butt and actually learn what MJK is about. He may have said that cuz that is his inspiration, but he has and always will want the individual to think outside the box and make their own views. Dont blaspheme Maynard. He is basically a god at this point.
@si4ws89 Well but the world really isn't a safe place, anything can happen to you, the good and the bad and it may be due to your actions, or incidentally. Sometimes even with the best intentions and the best expectations and all possible knowledge of your situation you just can't predict what will happen and it may take a wrong direction, we are no gods. Suffering is a part of life as well as joy, you just can't avoid it even though the amount of it may differ from one person to another. The thing is that it's not a...
@si4ws89 Well but the world really isn't a safe place, anything can happen to you, the good and the bad and it may be due to your actions, or incidentally. Sometimes even with the best intentions and the best expectations and all possible knowledge of your situation you just can't predict what will happen and it may take a wrong direction, we are no gods. Suffering is a part of life as well as joy, you just can't avoid it even though the amount of it may differ from one person to another. The thing is that it's not a reason to give up and run away by using drugs and killing yourself. Another thing is that there are many other ways of escape, all forms of art may be kind of escape, or just any activity where you get caught up, you basically become the activity itself and lose the world from your sight forgetting who you are, where you are, forgetting how complex you are as a person, forgetting your pain, forgetting everything. It's important to have the gratitute for being alive and having this possibility to enjoy every moment of it from any position, to keep faith, because nothing lasts forever. That being said I think everyone has some kind of relieve and it's not bad thing at all, it's necessity to a certain extend, but too much of anything is harmful. I also think that this world (talking about western lifestyle) could use more kindness and sincerity to lower the ubiquitous pressure.
Sorry for the elaborate, your comment just made me think a lot :)
@si4ws89 People who have spent time in meetings for addiction know about the 13th step. For those who don’t know, a 13th stepper is someone who uses meetings to hook up with others or find romantic partners. For this reason, it’s entirely appropriate for this album to be titled Thirteenth Step to make reference to experiences with romantic partners within recovery, A Perfect Circle wouldn’t be A Perfect Circle without painful, specific and relatable love songs. \r\n\r\nI love that the band added in this lesser known tidbit of information that only addicts and loved ones of addicts who have gone...
@si4ws89 People who have spent time in meetings for addiction know about the 13th step. For those who don’t know, a 13th stepper is someone who uses meetings to hook up with others or find romantic partners. For this reason, it’s entirely appropriate for this album to be titled Thirteenth Step to make reference to experiences with romantic partners within recovery, A Perfect Circle wouldn’t be A Perfect Circle without painful, specific and relatable love songs. \r\n\r\nI love that the band added in this lesser known tidbit of information that only addicts and loved ones of addicts who have gone to meetings would understand. I myself haven’t any personal experience with addiction but spent many years trying so hard to help my sister and mother and went to a lot of NA meetings, unfortunately to no avail. It took me far too long to realize that an addict will only change if they themselves really want to. You can’t save someone else no matter how hard you try. \r\n\r\nThank you so much for this interpretation and sharing your experience. Happy to hear you’ve found recovery.
@si4ws89 People who have spent time in meetings for addiction know about the 13th step. For those who don’t know, a 13th stepper is someone who uses meetings to hook up with others or find romantic partners. For this reason, it’s entirely appropriate for this album to be titled Thirteenth Step to make reference to experiences with romantic partners within recovery, A Perfect Circle wouldn’t be A Perfect Circle without painful, specific and relatable love songs. \r\n\r\nI love that the band added in this lesser known tidbit of information that only addicts and loved ones of addicts who have gone...
@si4ws89 People who have spent time in meetings for addiction know about the 13th step. For those who don’t know, a 13th stepper is someone who uses meetings to hook up with others or find romantic partners. For this reason, it’s entirely appropriate for this album to be titled Thirteenth Step to make reference to experiences with romantic partners within recovery, A Perfect Circle wouldn’t be A Perfect Circle without painful, specific and relatable love songs. \r\n\r\nI love that the band added in this lesser known tidbit of information that only addicts and loved ones of addicts who have gone to meetings would understand. I myself haven’t any personal experience with addiction but spent many years trying so hard to help my sister and mother and went to a lot of NA meetings, unfortunately to no avail. It took me far too long to realize that an addict will only change if they themselves really want to. You can’t save someone else no matter how hard you try. \r\n\r\nThank you so much for this interpretation and sharing your experience. Happy to hear you’ve found recovery.
@si4ws89 Justin1039 absolutely nailed it!!!
@si4ws89 Justin1039 absolutely nailed it!!!
This song is about the role of American mega-organizations like government and corporations in shaping American worldviews.
Don't fret precious I'm here Step away from the window Go back to sleep
*The public is the 'precious,' as government and corporations derive their power from the collective consent of the individual constituents. The 'window' is a view of another perspective which elucidates the ignorance of the common American to the effect their country has on the rest of the world.
Lay your head down child I won't let the boogeyman come Counting bodies like sheep To the rhythm of the war drums Pay no mind to the rabble Pay no mind to the rabble Head down, go to sleep To the rhythm of the war drums
*The 'bogeyman' is an imagined, hyped-up enemy that comes when you are sleeping. In this case, it is radical muslim terrorists. We see them as a threat to our country's well-being and we base our fear in our misunderstanding of their motives. They don't oppose Christians or Americans on principle, but rather how we impose our belief systems on the rest of the world, to our own benefit.
Pay no mind what other voices say They don't care about you Like I do Like I do Safe from pain and truth and choice and other poison devils See they don't give a fuck about you Like I do
'Truth' and 'choice' represent real freedom, but we sacrifice these for national security. The 'pain' is what we might feel if we were actually aware of and empathetic to all the people who are thrown under the American bus. The word 'devil' is an example of how we label what opposes us as a devil, which carries with it the assumption that we are pristine.
Just stay with me Safe and ignorant Go back to sleep Go back to sleep
Lay your head down child I won't let the boogeyman come Count the bodies like sheep To the rhythm of the war drums Pay no mind to the rabble Pay no mind to the rabble Head down, go to sleep To the rhythm of the war drums
'Pay no mind to the rabble' is like our government and media telling us that the growing number of people who oppose American policies are somehow wrong or insignificant.
I'll be the one to protect you from Your enemies and all your demons I'll be the one to protect you from A will to survive and a voice of reason I'll be the one to protect you from Your enemies and your choices son One and the same I must isolate you Isolate and save you from yourself
Swaying to the rhythm of the new world order and Count the bodies like sheep To the rhythm of the war drum The boogeymen are coming The boogeymen are coming Keep your head down go to sleep To the rhythm of the war drums
Honestly I think the 'new world order' mention of a reversal of the traditional power structure. The old order is where we see all humans as having rights, and protecting those rights is the purpose of the top organizations. The new order is where the top organizations have rights and the people get rights in so much as they can serve the purposes of the top organizations. Economically, this is already true; workers in developing nations get paid often 1/100 of what Americans get. This means, in economic terms, an hour of their work is worth 1/100 of ours.
Stay with me Safe and ignorant Just stay with me Hold you and protect you from the other ones The evil ones Don't love you son Go back to sleep
Incorrect. Maynard stated on the aMOTION DVD what this song is about. This song is about addiction. When the addict is so far into their addiction that the world seems out to get them and the only safe thing in their life is their addiction. The entire album The Thirteenth Step is about the thirteen steps of addiction. It's an entire drug album. When this song was remade into Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums, it was redone to take on the anti-government meaning you describe here.
Incorrect. Maynard stated on the aMOTION DVD what this song is about. This song is about addiction. When the addict is so far into their addiction that the world seems out to get them and the only safe thing in their life is their addiction. The entire album The Thirteenth Step is about the thirteen steps of addiction. It's an entire drug album. When this song was remade into Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums, it was redone to take on the anti-government meaning you describe here.
Think what you want about the meaning behind...
Think what you want about the meaning behind the song, I'm only telling you what the man who wrote the song says it's about. Sad to see so many misinformed APC fans out there. Considering Maynard rarely says what his lyrics truly mean, I figured you guys would take it as the word of god when he does. This album has very deep meaning to me and describes a long, painful few years in my life dealing with an ex, and I can see exactly where Maynard was coming from when he wrote this album.
@ajsteph this is one of the stupidest things I have ever encountered.
@ajsteph this is one of the stupidest things I have ever encountered.
@ajsteph spot on. I agree. It’s a song about corporate enslavement and isolationism of the people to me. Sort of what’s going on in america since corporations have been used to violate peoples rights.
@ajsteph spot on. I agree. It’s a song about corporate enslavement and isolationism of the people to me. Sort of what’s going on in america since corporations have been used to violate peoples rights.
I see this song as a metaphor for sexual abuse. The speaker is the abuser addressing his or her young victim. He uses common manipulative tactics, such as pretending to be the victim's protector. He makes the victim identify with him, and pits the child's fear of the night against him. It's like a subtler and more eloquent "Prison Sex".
@inrandomtandem ok I thought I was the only o e that interpreted that way. At first I was like do I like this song cuz that's kinda weird. But I did like it n now I feel like it's protecting of a child from this fucked up world but ya "pet"
@inrandomtandem ok I thought I was the only o e that interpreted that way. At first I was like do I like this song cuz that's kinda weird. But I did like it n now I feel like it's protecting of a child from this fucked up world but ya "pet"
Let's just say that we all have "higher self" (conscience) that watches over us and guides us through life. In the same way that we have animals as pets that we take care of, nurture, and watch out for, our higher self does the same for us. Long story short, this song might be "sang" by the higher self TO the lower self (human). Basically the higher self reminding the human that it will always be there guiding and protecting.
"Dont fret prescious im here, Step away from the window" = the lower self (human) is overwhelmed and ready to "quit" and higher self steps in to comfort. "Go back to sleep" basically means "shut the world out, go back inside yourself, and pay attention to ME (higher self)".
"I'll be the one to protect you from Your enemies and all your demons I'll be the one to protect you from A will to survive and a voice of reason I'll be the one to protect you from Your enemies and your choices son One and the same I must isolate you Isolate and save you from yourself
Swaying to the rhythm of the new world order and counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums"
Translation: We often over power our intutition (higher selfs knowledge) with our logic (lower selfs knowledge). The higher self (our intuition) will protect us from over thinking, and inbalancing logic and intutuition and from dwelling on all the corruption ("isolate and save you from yourself"). The "powers that be" have created a system or society in which we live in fear and become "disscontected" (a New World Order). Paying attention to and dwelling on the problematic outside world influenced by the "powers that be" (swaying the the rythm of a NWO, and counting bodies like sheep), only brings ones life down and encourages "self disconnection". The higher self will protect us at all times.
There is so much going on in the earth plane that the human easily gets distracted, and loses track and grasp of his/her life path and literally "disconnects" (there's a song directly about that from APC) from the higher self. Sang by the higher self (consience; soul), this song reminds the the lower self (human; us) not to get caught up in the world around us and reminds us to "pay no mind what other voices (in your head or in the world) say, they dont give a fuck about you, Like I (higher self) do."
Pretty deep and pretty motivating if you get to the point break of feeling like you have nothing/nobody. Its always nice to be reminded that everyone has a part of them self that's literally guiding and carrying them through life. Its all about keeping that "connection" and not losing yourself to your surroundings. Maynard tends to write about this "connection" and "dissconnection" and interaction between the higher(spiritual) and the lower(physical) self, a lot.
Just my thoughts ;)
@knowforever I got the exact opposite idea from these lyrics. This is not good advice from a benevolent higher power. It is literally the wolf telling the sheep to trust only the information that comes from him, don’t think for yourself, believe what the overlords and their media gatekeepers tell you, stay a helpless child reliant on the government to protect you from the ‘boogey man’ which for liars with nefarious motives always turns out to be the truth.
@knowforever I got the exact opposite idea from these lyrics. This is not good advice from a benevolent higher power. It is literally the wolf telling the sheep to trust only the information that comes from him, don’t think for yourself, believe what the overlords and their media gatekeepers tell you, stay a helpless child reliant on the government to protect you from the ‘boogey man’ which for liars with nefarious motives always turns out to be the truth.
Maynard is so skill full with his lyrics and so prescient about how the corrupt system works that it fulfills...
Maynard is so skill full with his lyrics and so prescient about how the corrupt system works that it fulfills this meaning on every level. From all forms of addiction used to numb, control and distract the masses to the demand for being the sole agent of control (‘protect’ you from using your discernment to ascertain reality based on a variety of information sources and making decisions and accepting responsibility for the consequences including learning from your mistakes…they want you asleep to the true nature of their intentions and kept under their mesmerising spell, compliant and obedient, not an adult with god-given sovereignty and the maturity to understand our obligation and responsibility to protect the precious freedoms that were wrested from tyrants with blood. They want you trust government and WEF and the corporate captured public institutions to look after your best interests, to keep you in a childlike state of dependence, the last thing they want is mature adults who are confident in their ability to survive and thrive outside their control. Pay no mind to the rabble, they don’t want you listening to other independent minded truth seekers, and they will demonise and censor all inconvenient observations and questions because lies do not stand up to the light of truth for long.
The message is their modus operandi, and they’ve become so confident and brazen about it that they simply censor any views contradicting or questioning the inconsistencies in the official narrative openly, calling it misinformation and demonising the ‘rabble’ with slurs like ‘conspiracy theorist’ and ‘anti/vaxxer’ or anti science when the opposite is true. In their Pinocchio world everything is the opposite to reality. Science welcomes being challenged and tested, so what they call ‘following the science’ is actually a faith based cult of conforming results to a preset agenda, the word for that is scientism. They use people’s faith in real science and their lack of awareness at the level of corruption that has infiltrated every level of our system, inculcating trust for authority and the urge to conform to the ‘experts’ they accredit through the ‘education’ system which is really an indoctrination program. That people are hypnotised and in cognitive dissonance is apparent as they continue to trust that the government somehow works for them and has their best interest at heart in the face of constant, long-standing and ongoing demonstrations that dishonesty, self-seeking, power-hunger, immorality, greed and outright criminality are the true motivations of those who since Covid are openly ruling us with out consultation or referendum to even give window dressing of supposed democratic decision making.
Now they have developed the all the technology they need to implement a worldwide totalitarian state that will reduce the majority to the level of serfdom while the 0.001% rule with the help of AI to implement ubiquitous surveillance and eliminate all notion of privacy or human rights, even to the right to think your own thoughts in what used to be the privacy of our own minds.
This is the Global New World Order that Maynard has been trying to warn us about, and addiction is but one arm of this powermad group of billionaires arsenal in its war on humanity. This is a multi-generational plan and is getting close to fruition. Of course Maynard didn’t spell it out because he would be endangering his life and career and those of his loved ones if he openly attacked them, much like people like David Icke and others who have been ridiculed and ‘discredited’ as kooks and others who have lost their lives for threatening the plan in any way- look at Julian Assange, they are doing everything in their power to get him to the US so they can execute him or send him yo Guantamo for exposing how inhumane their military tactics and decision making in the field is - and that’s for just exposing a peripheral detail.
It is no accident that so many people who are enslaved by addictions are those who are the most intelligent, sensitive, spiritual and creative. Addiction is one of their main arsenals to imprison our spiritual growth and atrophy our potential for personal power and growth. Added bonus is that it destroys our health and impairs our mental acuity. The sugar and chemicals in processed and junk foods are a case in point.
They want you isolated, feeling overwhelmed and powerless with nowhere to turn but the government for your needs and manufactured wants. What they DONT WANT is an awake population spreading truth to trigger those still hypnotised by lies to break out controlled propaganda matrix and discover the true nature of their situation. They don’t want people to realise they have been misdirected to fight each other in order to obscure who the true enemy behind the controls are. And most of all they don’t want the population to unite for freedom, truth, justice and God.
Because it would make their plan so much harder to implement against an organised resistance. They’d much rather manipulate people into compliance. Which has proven to be be phenomenally successful in this latest Covid Trojan horse scam to get us all to willingly give up our privacy and freedom of movement and association in the name of ‘safety’ and ‘health’. It’s so sad that people cannot see their so-called concern for our health as the blatant mechanism for implementing new powers that people would otherwise reject. That’s why they don’t teach true history in any official institution of education, because they have used the same playbook over and over and if people knew their history they’d recognise what’s being perpetrated. They’d know that vaccines never eradicated or saved any population from any disease, that celebrated propaganda ‘victories’ like the purported eradication of childhood polio and the dreaded smallpox along with many other diseases were already in decline because of improvements to hygiene practices and the engineering of environmental sanitary improvements like sewerage systems and pest control. I was ignorant as we all have been at some stage because the propaganda is so all pervasive and the evidence to prove malfeasance is actively suppressed. I had been convinced that anti-vaxxers were anti-science kooks too, even after I realised that this latest experimental juice of secret ingredients utilising the utterly novel mRNA technology had to be unsafe to use just with the info they supplied at the start of it being ‘warp speed’ development skipping steps and no medium or long term vetting. They were claiming they knew some thing they couldn’t possibly know. Then the bribes, then the threats - if it works why do they need to bully people, all that is needed is an honest forum of discussion to allay fears or just as importantly confirm them. But lies avoid the light and hence even questioning has become ‘disinformation’. Then I thought they’ve lied about this, what else have they lied about? And yeah, now I know that they had to demonise anti-vaxxers at all costs because again their genuine concern about the safety of these travel and childhood mandated vaccines does not stand up to the scrutiny of questioning and the demand for evidence.
What a rant but here we are. Most people think that all this album is about is one man’s personal experience of drug addiction. They don’t even notice the subtle critique of the only approved faith-based cult ‘treatment’ of this condition, it’s corruption and in efficacy.
Great lyrics and music encapsulate multi-levels of interpretation and changes as the level of our spiritual understanding and life experience grows. That’s why albums and songs like this are true masterpieces, you can go back to them again and again and realise something new.
Hmm. I think this song is about the current state of our country and the war. I can picture Bush singing this to us, asking us to pay no mind to what's going on in the war, and to not bother asking questions-- he'll take care of us, right? Cough sure.... It points out how today's society is asleep, ignorant, and pretty much unaware of what's happening around us. We just kinda go with it and assume it's all for the best.
"... Pay no mind to the rabble..." --would refer to people trying to speak out about what's going on in order to help everyone else see it as well, but we're told to not listen to them.
"...Your enemies and your choices son They're one in the same I must isolate you Isolate and save you from yourself..." -- The speaker asking: Why endanger yourself by risking a bad choice? Let me decide for you, and keep you safe
At first I thought this song was a father (or mother) talking to their child, trying to comfort them and maybe sheltering them a little too much. Kinda gets into the whole "overprotected" thing, but yeah, I'll try and steer away from that subject for now. But the line that changed my mind was "... Swayin to the rhythm of the New World Order..." I dunno, makes sense to me, anyway :)
I hope you know the another version of this song "Counting Bodies Like Sheep" (from eMotive) which actually is about the war, opposite to "Pet" telling the story about the drugs or about the love (maybe that was Maynard's intention - combine love with addiction?).
I hope you know the another version of this song "Counting Bodies Like Sheep" (from eMotive) which actually is about the war, opposite to "Pet" telling the story about the drugs or about the love (maybe that was Maynard's intention - combine love with addiction?).
Tumil's right.. The song 'Pet' is about drugs, love and violence. The video symbolizes that, the words show whats about. ObessiveTendencies you weren't too far of. i like your meaning but its not totally right, he's telling his story through a song (his addiction to drugs).... i dunno if im totally right, but that's what i get from this song..
Tumil's right.. The song 'Pet' is about drugs, love and violence. The video symbolizes that, the words show whats about. ObessiveTendencies you weren't too far of. i like your meaning but its not totally right, he's telling his story through a song (his addiction to drugs).... i dunno if im totally right, but that's what i get from this song..
I also believe that the song is about our current state in world affairs. I do believe maynard has an opinion on these issues because you all know that he is a moral person. He does not have to write about "politics" in order to talk about things that are moral and things that he thinks should be changed or thought into more. That being said I also believe that he writes his songs so that anyone listening to can apply them in a personal way to themselves. That is why we all have grown to love his music with...
I also believe that the song is about our current state in world affairs. I do believe maynard has an opinion on these issues because you all know that he is a moral person. He does not have to write about "politics" in order to talk about things that are moral and things that he thinks should be changed or thought into more. That being said I also believe that he writes his songs so that anyone listening to can apply them in a personal way to themselves. That is why we all have grown to love his music with every project he explores. Apply what it means to you but never shut out other people's opinions. Keep an open mind and consider every possibility.
alright listen guys i cant blam eu for not seing it as clear as i do and imnot bragging because it was the most horriblie expierence ive gone through but ima recovering heroin addict and i will bet my life that this song is being sung by his drug to the user, it is so obvious to me . and also the albym is called the 13th step and every song on there is direectly related with addiction, nothign else and expecially not bush, ILL be the one to protect u from ur will to survive and ur choices son, ur addiction does exactly that it consumes u, i could sit and decode every singgle line for u but think about it as ur addiction, speaking, mocking the user,
tht does make sense but there are lyrics tht contradict it extremely so if u could decode every line tht would make it more believable.
tht does make sense but there are lyrics tht contradict it extremely so if u could decode every line tht would make it more believable.
I have to agree with pikki on this one. Why is everyone trying to nail the songs meaning down to one particular thing? I write lyrics and several of my songs are about more than one subject. They're nowhere near the standard of Maynards lyrics though, who, i'm not ashamed to say, leaves me completely baffled at times. For me its all part of apc's allure. MJK is a phenomenal lyricist, and long may it continue.
Most people think it's about a corrupt government lieing to people. It's not.
That's why APC made "counting bodies like sheep"... to show that they understand how it could be conveyed as a political song... but this is also why they made "counting bodies" a completely "different" song instead of titling it as a "remix". Although the lyrics are comparable, the messages of the two songs have two different contexts.
"Pet" is actually about protecting and preserving the innocence (of our youth and loved ones) by sheltering them from the ugliness of the world.
Pet was written most likely for his (Maynard's) son. It is most likely about the personal conflict he endured sheltering his son from (not only the danger, but the lifestyle associated with) his alter ego as a rock star.
One of the reasons Maynard seems sso frustrated with his fanbase in his interviews is due to the fact that even his most enlightened fans will grab straws at the first metaphore they hear and run with it. (IE: The song Judith DOES NOT try to relay an Anti-Religious theme. It is moreso a song of admiring the strength of faith even after enduring great hardship and tragedy. Specifically his Mother who was wheelchair bound for approximately 10,000 days and remained faithful to God even after enduring that hardship the rest of her earthly life.)
If you listen to the emotion of the instrumentals (and vocals) behind the song Pet, it is moreso about the mood swings (frustration, anger, patience, love, protection) of a parent going to great lengths to protect his/her child. Even the guitar emulates a crying child. The emotional twists in this song portray that innocence is fragile and can be broken at any time if a concerned parent, guardian, or loved one does not remain protective, attentive, and cautious.
If you listen to the emotion behind Counting Bodies, it is dark, as if these emotions depicted in Pet are actually being forced upon you against your will. This is why APC even went to the extent of releasing a music video to reinforce this message. To make it abundantly clear that Counting Bodies is about government tyranny.
Maynard stated in several interviews that the difference between APC and Tool was the emotional context of the two bands, therefore implying that beyond common metaphore, one must also embrace the emotion behind the song to grasp its true meaning.
@ZenAndTranquility Ironically another poster says that Maynard wrote this song about drug addiction, so he must really be frustrated with you. As you not only tell people that their interpretation is wrong and yours is right, whilst suggesting Maynard gets frustrated with people getting different meanings from a song. Yet you are apparently "wrong" too.
@ZenAndTranquility Ironically another poster says that Maynard wrote this song about drug addiction, so he must really be frustrated with you. As you not only tell people that their interpretation is wrong and yours is right, whilst suggesting Maynard gets frustrated with people getting different meanings from a song. Yet you are apparently "wrong" too.
This shows that as an artist you either make sure your lyrics are explicit in their intention or accept that each person will get something different from the song and lyrics.
This shows that as an artist you either make sure your lyrics are explicit in their intention or accept that each person will get something different from the song and lyrics.
My take (so don't bash me for it) on it is that first off, as stated while on tour for this album, Maynard mentioned the album was mostly about an addiction to alcohol. But APC doesn't seem to have a one track mind, do they?
The main clues to the meaning of the song to me are seen in phrases like 'I will protect you from the other ones, the evil ones'. When have drug or alcohol addicts referred to themselves as evil, or even the drugs they do as evil? They'll talk about them negatively all day, but evil?
Moreso than that though, the overprotective metaphors are paired with phrases like 'go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums. Doesn't that sound symbolic of an entity trying to keep a blinder on its 'subject'? The very name of the song itself 'Pet' can be linked with the very basics of submission to another being. Look at our government and how much they keep from us. What tidbits they keep under wraps to 'protect us'. No one in this genre typically likes talking politics, but even then everyone's going to have something to say about it at one point or another, even Maynard. It may not be his cup of tea, but doesn't everyone get tired of bullshit? We have a government that pulls the wool over our eyes frequently, protecting us from what they tell us are the evil ones. And the longer we sleep blindly, the more the bodies will continue to pile up that we know nothing about, hence 'counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drum'.
I have been in a position where it seemed necessary to respond to (one sided) political issues and I hate talking politics normally. But take this for face value, it's just my opinion. I could be wrong, but I like the song myself for my interpretation.
This song is about smothering parenthood.
Spot on!
Spot on!