Fear Inoculum

My interpretation is that the character woke up to a more truthful reality, in a close parallelism to the Allegory of the Cave by Plato. The world has been crushed by a populism wave, more particularly some countries in Europe and the USA, where radicalized people have come to power. People get contaminated by their inflamed speeches, ideas and the fear they raise (contagion) and enter in a state of euphoria (venom in mania) that blinds them into following the populist leader/system (the deceiver). The populist leaders/systems want people to follow them blindly and that's what empowers them; so they manipulate and censure information, specially by raising fear among the population:

"The deceiver says, he says You belong to me You don't wanna breathe the light of the others (the knowledge of the ones that are not contaminated) Fear the light, fear the breath Fear the others for eternity".

The character is finally being able free himself from the system (immunity long overdue) and see a different reality; a reality that is not affected by the deceiver:

"But I hear them (the ones that aren't caught in or part of the system) now, inhale the clarity (reality outside the cave created by the deceiver) Hear the venom (the lies, the fear created to rule), the venom in What you say inoculated (what affected people end up preaching when they've been injected by the poison of the deceiver) Bless this immunity (the character is thankful to being able to see through the deceiver's manipulation)".

In the chorus, the awoken character, that is now free from the influence of the deceiver, cries for people to throw away the venom in them ( Exhale, expel) and to be preachers of the truth against the deceiver (Recast my tale). Actually, the chorus is an actual cry for the real humanity as the writer asks for us all to continue passing along his message - the message he puts out through a sad fable (allegorical elegy) - while making it stronger by doing it all together (weave).

"Enumerate all that I'm to do Calculating steps away from you (planning on how to escape the web of the deceiver) My own mitosis (planning how to make more and more people see the light as he/she did, like a cell divides itself in two equal ones and those divide themselves, spreading) Growing through delusion from mania (being able to break free of the state of euphoria that the followers of the deceiver are in due to it's venom, like a drug addict is for drugs)"

The bridge of the song is the character liberating himself from all the evil of the deceiver and telling others to do so too.

"Unveil now, lift away (marks the moment to set free, get all together and go against the deceiver) I see you runnin' (the deceiver doesn't have the support of the majority so it lost all its power and has to run away) Deceiver chased away A long time comin' (it's about time to expel the deceiver already, we've waited too long)"

I interpret this song as being very closely related to politics, ideology and even religiousness, more concretely being a cry for those that were able to set themselves free from the herds of followers to unite and fight against the deceivers of the world.

The members of Tool themselves have discussed the overall meaning of this new album "Fear Inoculum" and that the subject matter centers on the effects of growing older and becoming wiser as a result. I think that is true of this song & makes sense as I review the lyrics. Though Tool songs in my opinion almost always feature layers of depth to wade through & process, my general analysis is that this song is about the aging process, not just of the body, but of the mind and spirit. How the coming of age so to speak can either handicap or empower us, that is we can chose to succumb to it or forge through & allow ourselves to become transformed by it in an emancipated, unrepressed fashion.

To me this song is about a person overcoming a deep psychological fear of connecting with others and becoming immune to it, effectively growing and solving this issue.

The fear is metaphorized as a contagion, a venom, a disease and a deceiver which tries to convince the person to fear others. The person then achieves clarity, growth and gains immunity to this fear.

I like how Tool managed to keep their ominous vibe but deliver a profoundly positive message in this song.

This song came out shortly after I finished therapy for PTSD from an insidiously abusive relationship and I was nearly in tears listening to it the first time. I had chills. It's a perfect account of escaping an abuser/toxic person and becoming a stronger, better version of yourself. Tool's music has always felt somewhat therapeutic for me, but this song hit me particularly hard.

In the open lines, something has finally been overcome, moved on from or healed from. Immunity from this "contagion" is long overdue. The contagion is exhaled; it is released and let go of.

Immunity long overdue Contagion I exhale you Lying I opened up to you Venom in mania

"Mania, also known as manic syndrome, is a state of abnormally elevated arousal, affect, and energy level, or "a state of heightened overall activation with enhanced affective expression together with lability of affect."

In the mental health world, mania is often referred to as the opposite of depression in Bi-Polar Disorder. Mania comes with drastic and impulsive life decisions that someone wouldn't otherwise make. Symptoms include rapid speech, impulsive spending and delusions of grandeur. In a crisis situation, mania is referred to as a state of mind where a person is delusional and out of control.

When I hear "venom in mania", I consider the context in the lyrics of immunity to a contagion. I believe in this case, mania is referred to as the venom and is therefore the contagion that immunity has achieved release from.

I feel that mania is more metaphoric and less direct in its meaning here. Given the varying meanings behind the word depending on use, mania could also refer to the exaggerated emotions of anger and fear. Seeing as though fear is mentioned in the song title and also the album title, fear should be on the forefront of interpretation.

Now, contagion I exhale you

Next, something or someone is referred to as "the deceiver." While it's clear that the deceiver isn't the narrator, it is my belief that the deceiver refers to the shadow side of the narrator and also the shadow side that all of us experience.

The deceiver he says you belong to me

Consider that the deceiver (the shadow) has long made the subject believe that they are its slave; that they are one in the same and cannot be separated. The deceiver doesn't want to accept the light of others; it wants to exude its dark shadow. It wants to fear the life, fear the breath and fear others forever.

The deceiver he says you belong to me You don’t want to breathe the light of the others Fear the light Fear the breathe Fear the others for eternity

If a person's shadow was to own and control a person in this way, they would see themselves as drastically separate from others. They would hide and cocoon and isolate. They would be filled with fear and darkness.

But I hear them now inhale the clarity Hear the venom the venom in what you say — inoculated Bless this immunity

Finally, the subject has grown to a point of being able to fully open up to others and inhale the clarity and truth that exists outside of their shadow self. The subject hears the venom in what the shadow has been leading them to believe for so long; fear. But that fear has acted as an inoculate; and the subject has now become immune.

"Inoculate: The act or an instance of inoculating, especially the introduction of an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease."

Exhale, expel Recast my tale

The subject is finally able to truly breath, to see the truth and to be free of fear. They can now recast their story.

Weave my allegorical elegy

"While an allegory is a story, poem, or picture, it's used to reveal a hidden meaning or message, like the moral. Allegories are exciting because they use characters and events to convey a meaning. They don't just come right out and say it."

"An elegy is a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. Although a speech at a funeral is an eulogy, you might later compose an elegy to someone you have loved and lost to the grave. The purpose of this kind of poem is to express feelings rather than tell a story."

The subject is able to recast their story in a way that looks back poetically at the shadow self that is being let go of; much like a death. Their life story has taken on an entirely new perspective and meaning and is perhaps viewed anew for the first time.

I believe the song itself is the allegorical elegy and perhaps, this entire album as a whole. Given themes in other songs revealed such as Invincible and Descending, we are set to explore concepts of growth, letting go, moving on and breaking free.

Enumerate All that I’m to do Calculating steps away from you

Enumerating is when you mention or establish a number of things one by one. The subject is, or has, calculated the steps it will take, one by one, to finally let go of fear.

My own mitosis Growing through delusion from mania

Mitosis is a cell division where a cell divides into two new cells that are identical. In this case, I believe that the subject is able to divide oneself to create a clear separation and destination between the self and its shadow.

Mania is again mentioned as the source of delusion that the subject has finally grown through. Again, I feel that mania is being referenced along side the fear and the shadow that is being expelled.

Exhale, expel Recast my tale with my allegorical elegy

Forfeit all control You poison You spectacle

In these lines and the lines that follow, it is much like a chant, an incantation, to rid oneself of fear. Asking or demanding that the fear, the shadow, forfeit its control, its poison and its spectacle. It is no coincidence that this section of lyrics is sung the way it is.

Exorcise the spectacle Exorcise the malady Exorcise the disparate Poison for eternity Purge me and evacuate The venom and the fear that binds me

Exorcise is a process of exorcising to drive out an evil spirit from a person or place. This term makes sense due to the chant and incantation nature of those lyrics and the way they are sung.

And here we also see the subject refer specifically to fear as the poison, the spectacle, the malady and the disparate that is being purged.

Unveil now Lift away I see you running Deceiver chased away A long time coming

The truth and clarity can finally be unveiled and lifted away. The deceiver, the shadow, the fear has finally been chased away. It has been a long time coming.

Quite simple, this song is about finally discovering that you've been lied to, deceived, brainwashed, and used as a useful idiot from propaganda machine that is the mainstream media. They have been inoculated (reverse brainwashed) from the venom (entertainment media) and have purged all the hate (malady) from their mind.

I agree with EternalTearsOf Sorrow. When Maynard sings about his own mitosis he might be singing about parting from his old self, who's afraid of what one might think (the venom). The venom, deceiver,contagion are all methaphors of one being preoccupied with what the world thinks of you. When he sings "Calculating steps away from you" he might refer to his "old self". As if he's leaving his old self behind and is more confident now. The immunity reffered to may be a sort of "I don't give a shit" that comes with aging. Exhale could be a reference to being able to breath freely after letting go of what the world thinks. Just my thoughts...

One interpretation of this song is getting out of a cult- or getting out of an oppressive upbringing or religion.

These lyrics hone in on it:

The deceiver says, he says You belong to me You don't wanna breathe the light of the others Fear the light Fear the breath Fear the others for eternity

Humans are susceptible to imprinting, maybe less so, as animals are, and these lyrics suggest imprinting on children in order to prevent them from socializing outside their family/cult/religion/social group by using fear.

The song proceeds through an awakening of the individual by releasing these false notions. There is the sense that the leader of the group is expelled and all others are awakening...

I agree with Syndesmotic42.

I get a vibe from the whole album that is it very deeply based or inspired by a view on religion.

I feel the viewpoint is that religion, as we know it is on the decline, The fear that religion uses to trap its followers can be overcome, and inoculated against with knowledge.

"Bless this immunity" may be an explanation of how religious leaders are safe from the legal systems that the rest of us must abide.

"Exorcise the spectacle Exorcise the malady Exorcise the disparate Poison for eternity Purge me and evacuate The venom and the fear that binds me"

The thing that is being exorcised, is the variety of bullshit that is preached by the religious leaders. (in my opinion)

"Deceiver Chased away A long time Coming"

As we humans are becoming more and more intelligent, we don't believe the lies anymore, so the deceiver can be chased away.

Every line has a representation that I can see relates to the distrust of religion. I'll let you ponder the rest.

Pav

To me this song represents growing out of a limiting belief that shaped the character's reality for a long time. They're finally able to see through the delusion and hence, gain immunity to it.

Although the delusion has a negative connotation throughout the song, the necessity of it is recognized in these verses:

"Enumerate All that I'm to do Calculating steps away from you My own Mitosis Growing through Delusion from mania"

The liberation from the delusion opens up opportunities for new experiences and a new, broader perspective; ability to plan and reach beyond the old self. However, the delusion is recognized as the very catalyst for growth. Every achievement ever made was realized out of a desire fueled by the lack of that which was realized in the end. Immunity cannot be achieved without exposure.