All righty then
Picture this if you will

10 to 2 am, X, yogi DMT, and a box of krispy kreme's in my "need to know" pose just outside of area 51, contemplating the whole chosen people thingy when just then a flaming stealth banana split the sky like one would hope but never really expect to see in a place like this. Cutting right angle donuts on a dime and stopping right at my birkinstocks, and me yelping "holy fuckin' shit!"

Then the X file being, looking like some kinda blue green Jackie chan, with Isabella Rossellini lips, and breath that reeked of vanilla chig champa, did a slow mo matrix decent outta the butt end of the banana vessel, and hovered above my bug eyes, my gaping jaw, and my sweaty L. Ron Hubbard upper lip and all I could think was, "I hope uncle martin here doesn't notice that I pissed my fuckin pants!!"

So light in his way, like an apparition, he'd had me crying out...
"Fuck me!
It's gotta be
The dead head
Chemistry
The blotter got right on top o' me
Got me seeing E mutha fuckin T!"

And after calming me down with some orange slices and some fetal spooning, E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose. He said. "you are the chosen one. The one who will deliver the message. A message of hope for those who choose to hear it, and a warning for those who do not." Me! The chosen one. They chose me!!!! And I didn't even graduate from fuckin' high school!!

(You'd better listen)

Then he looked right through me with somniferous almond eyes
Don't even know what that means
Must remember to write it down
This is so real
Like the time Dave floated away
See, my heart is pounding cuz this shit never happens to me.

Can't breathe right now.

It was so real
Like I woke up in Wonderland
All sorta terrifying
I don't wanna be all alone
While I tell this story
And can anyone tell me why y'all sound like peanuts parents?
Will I ever be coming down?
This is so real
Finally it's my lucky day
See, my heart is racing cuz this shit never happens to me

Can't breathe right now.

You believe me don't you?
Please believe what I've just said
See, the dead ain't touring and this wasn't all in my head
See they took me by the hand
And invited me right in
Then they showed me something
I don't even know where to begin

Strapped down to my bed
Feet cold and eyes red
I'm out of my head
Am I alive? Am I dead?
Can't remember what they said
God damn, shit the bed

Overwhelmed as one would be placed in my position
Such a heavy burden now to be the one
Born to bear and bring to all the details of our ending
To write it down for all the world to see
But I forgot my pen
Shit the bed again
Typical


Strapped down to my bed
Feet cold and eyes red
I'm out of my head
Am I alive? Am I dead.
Sunkist and Sudafed
Gyroscopes and infrared
Won't help. I'm brain dead
Can't remember what they said
God damn, shit the bed


Can't remember what they said to me
Can't remember what they said to make me out to be a hero
Can't remember what they said
Bob help me
Can't remember what they said


We don't know and we won't know
God damn shit the bed


Lyrics submitted by Solarius, edited by Kyralik, merarkil, BrainBaked

Rosetta Stoned song meanings
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  • +4
    General Comment

    This is what I get from it, it may not be what you get, and that’s totally fine. Keeping in mind the three languages on the Rosetta Stone and the above quotation.

    There are three narratives that need to be deciphered in this song. At the beginning we have the narrative of events told by the guy who is still suffering the effects of LSD to the doctors. The garbled sound of the lyrics seems to accentuate the nonsensical lyrics themselves. Then we get the second narrative, his inner thoughts. This helps us understand the first narrative, he cant explain himself because he is still really stoned, but what he has to say does make some sense. We are missing a third narrative, which is that of the aliens.
    So then what is the Rosetta Stone, his key to unlocking the cryptic message? The title suggests it’s the LSD. It is what allowed for the alien experience and makes the first nonsensical narrative possible, then the second more rational narrative. The reason we are missing the alien narrative is because we have an unprepared individual with no frame of reference, he forgot his pen. So he ends up missing the point. You get what you can from the Rosetta Stone (LSD or the actual stone used to decrypt the hieroglyphs) but once you decrypt, you don’t need the Rosetta Stone anymore. Once you figure out how to read Hieroglyphs you don’t need to translate through the stone again, you do it because you understand it. Much like once you reach a bit of spiritual enlightenment you can “get there again” because you understand it. The story teller was not prepared and therefore did not have the frame of reference to understand the new perspectives he encountered. It becomes a sort of response to “Third Eye.”

    What makes this song cool to me is the humor used to poke fun at the stereotypical high school drop out that trips out just to trip out. Tool makes some great stuff.

    nonetospeakofon May 02, 2006   Link

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