Ok I am personally an avid fan of tool, and i'm assuming that there are a few of you out there just like myself. I saw somebody do this with NIN, and i wanted to get some opinions about the meanings of Tool songs. I'd like to know what everybody thinks the songs mean personally and what they mean to Maynard. I dont' really know where to start so I'll just join in when there are replies Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Schism Well, basically, a schism is a separation, used more or less for the division of someone from a church or a religious group. From the lyrics, one can tell that the guy's talking about breaking away from someone ("Pure intention juxtaposed will set two lovers souls in motion", "The light that fueled our fire then has burned a hole between us so/We cannot see to reach an end crippling our communication") or something ("watch the temple topple over"), and how he doesn't feel anger about the breakup, because it's something beautiful in itself ("Finding beauty in the dissonance.") Schism I know the pieces fit cuz I watched them fall away Mildewed and smoldering. Fundamental differing. Pure intention juxtaposed will set two lovers souls in motion Disintegrating as it goes testing our communication The light that fueled our fire then has burned a hole between us so We cannot see to reach an end crippling our communication. I know the pieces fit cuz I watched them tumble down No fault, none to blame it doesn't mean I don't desire to Point the finger, blame the other, watch the temple topple over. To bring the pieces back together, rediscover communication The poetry that comes from the squaring off between, And the circling is worth it. Finding beauty in the dissonance. There was a time that the pieces fit, but I watched them fall away. Mildewed and smoldering, strangled by our coveting I've done the math enough to know the dangers of our second guessing Doomed to crumble unless we grow, and strengthen our communication. Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any Sense of compassion Between supposed lovers/brothers
Lateralus Well, this song is pretty much self-explanatory. Journey of self, discovery of the world ("Black then white are all I see in my infancy/red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me/lets me see"), the ever-shifting and expansion of mind and thought ("Spiral out. Keep going..."), and the acceptance of everything ("I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm.......and still be a human"). Tool's lyrics are such beautiful poems, eh? Other lyrics pale in comparison. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Lateralus Black then white are all I see in my infancy. red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me. lets me see. As below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn beyond the lines of reason. Push the envelope. Watch it bend. Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind. Withering my intuition, missing opportunities and I must Feed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines. Black then white are all I see in my infancy. red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me. lets me see there is so much more and beckons me to look through to these infinite possibilities. As below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn outside the lines of reason. Push the envelope. Watch it bend. Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind. Withering my intuition leaving all these opportunities behind. Feed my will to feel this moment urging me to cross the line. Reaching out to embrace the random. Reaching out to embrace whatever may come. I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm, to feel connected enough to step aside and weep like a widow to feel inspired, to fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human. With my feet upon the ground I lose myself between the sounds and open wide to suck it in. I feel it move across my skin. I'm reaching up and reaching out. I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me. And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been. We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been. Spiral out. Keep going...
Excellent thread! <a href="http://www.toolband.com/album/index.html">Here</a> is where you can find the lyrics to the songs, but I'm sure you guys knew that. I actually didn't know what this song was about until my then-girlfriend told me. Suffice to say that the borderline has to do with a certain female body part? I like the <i>("Not enough, I need more")</i> because that speaks to me about how sometimes I do things just because of a need to feel alive. That and the riff change (?) towards the end really builds the climax they were evidently trying to put into this particular song. <b>Stinkfist</b> Something has to change. Undeniable dilemma. Boredom's not a burden anyone should bear. Constant over stimulation numbs me and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's not enough. I need more. Nothing seems to satisfy. I don't want it. I just need it. To feel, to breathe, to know I'm alive. Finger deep within the borderline. Show me that you love me and that we belong together. Relax, turn around and take my hand. I can help you change tired moments into pleasure. Say the word and we'll be well upon our way. Blend and balance pain and comfort deep within you till you will not have me any other way. It's not enough. I need more. Nothing seems to satisfy. I don't want it. I just need it. To feel, to breathe, to know I'm alive. Knuckle deep inside the borderline. This may hurt a little but it's something you'll get used to. Relax. Slip away. Something kinda sad about the way that things have come to be. Desensitized to everything. What became of subtlety? How can it mean anything to me if I really don't feel anything at all? I'll keep digging till I feel something. Elbow deep inside the borderline. Show me that you love me and that we belong together. Shoulder deep within the borderline. Relax, turn around and take my hand.
Impossible Love Pushit I will choke until I swallow... Choke this infant here before me. What is this but my reflection? Who am I to judge and strike you down? But you're Pushing and shoving me. You still love me and you pushit on me. Rest your trigger on my finger, bang my head upon the fault line. Take care not to make me enter. 'cause if I do we both may disappear. But you're pushing me, Shoving me. Pushit on me. Slipping back into the gap again. I'm alive when you're touching me, Alive when you're shoving me down. But i'd trade it all For just a little bit of Piece of mind. Put me somewhere I don't wanna be. Seeing someplace I don't wanna see. Never wanna see that place again. Saw that gap again today As you were begging me to stay. Managed to push myself away, And you, as well. If, when I say I may fade like a sigh if I stay, You minimize my movement anyway, I must persuade you another way. There's no love in fear. Staring down the hole again. Hands upon my back again. Survival is my only friend. Terrified of what may come. Just remember I will always love you, Even as I tear your fucking throat away. But it will end no other way. ...and our relationship with God: Third Eye Dreaming of that face again. It's bright and blue and shimmering. Grinning wide And comforting me with it's three warm and wild eyes. On my back and tumbling Down that hole and back again Rising up And wiping the webs and the dew from my withered eye. In... Out... In... Out... In... Out... A child's rhyme stuck in my head. It said that life is but a dream. I've spent so many years in question to find I've known this all along. "So good to see you. I've missed you so much. So glad it's over. I've missed you so much Came out to watch you play. Why are you running?" Shroud-ing all the ground around me Is this holy crow above me. Black as holes within a memory And blue as our new second sun. I stick my hand into his shadow To pull the pieces from the sand. Which I attempt to reassemble To see just who I might have been. I do not recognize the vessel, But the eyes seem so familiar. Like phosphorescent desert buttons Singing one familiar song... "So good to see you. I've missed you so much. So glad it's over. I've missed you so much. Came out to watch you play. Why are you running away?" Prying open my third eye. So good to see you once again. I thought that you were hiding. And you thought that I had run away. Chasing the tail of dogma. I opened my eye and there we were. So good to see you once again I thought that you were hiding from me. And you thought that I had run away. Chasing a trail of smoke and reason. Prying open my third eye.
Eep. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! lol Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! It's not really that deep is it? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I wonder why it's called Stinkfist though? Is it because of the action it's doing, or ...? Hey, another insight to Lateralus. I just discovered it's not even English, it's Latin. (sp=Lateralis) It means of or relating to the side; situated on, directed toward, or coming from the side; extending from side to side <lateral axis of an airplane>. How that relates to the lyrics? Because of the lateral movement, it spreads itself out. I guess the singer (what's his name?) means that his thinking has extended beyond the simple "Black then white" of his mental "infancy", and is beginning to see multitudes of colour, so that "Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind/Withering my intuition leaving all these opportunities behind" doesn't happen. This part -"Push the envelope. Watch it bend."- is about coming out of the envelope/classification, and separating himself from conformity. "Watch it bend." reminds me of the Matrix, with the little boy bending the spoon. So maybe the singer's talking about his growing insight and mental ability, and how he's able to bend a spoon with just the power of his mind.
I thought that Stinkfist was about getting a fist up the arse to at least feel something. Nothing to do with girls... And I explain the stink part better Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! EDIT meant stinkfist all along. Pushit is impossible (or very difficult) Love.
Nah, I think Pushit's about resent with love. Like when my mum berates me, I resent her, but I know it's for my own good. Though...the stink part is better explained. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Oooh, I like Third Eye. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Especially: "Prying open my third eye. So good to see you once again. I thought that you were hiding. And you thought that I had run away. Chasing the tail of dogma. I opened my eye and there we were. So good to see you once again I thought that you were hiding from me. And you thought that I had run away. Chasing a trail of smoke and reason. Prying open my third eye."
Oops, did you just edit it? Because I'm having problems with SciForums lately...seems like the new posts never seem to make it when I hit Refresh, so I'm a bit behind.
Well, I'll just repeat: I think stinkfist is about getting a fist up the arse as a symbol of extreme measures to at least feel something. Nothing to do with girls or their specific parts... Explains the stink better too. There you go! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I stand corrected, <b>A4Ever</b>. Your interpretation, I admit, does fit better with the song. Especially the part where: "<i>Relax, turn around and take my hand.</i>" That part doesn't necessarily need to deal with women, but it does go with some of Tool's other themes in their songs, namely <i>Prison Sex</i>. Thanks! prag
You're welcome. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
This? It took so long to remember just what happened. I was so young and vestal then, you know it hurt me, but I'm breathing so I guess I'm still alive even if signs seem to tell me otherwise. I've got my hands bound, my head down, my eyes closed, and my throat wide open. Do unto others what has been done to you x2 I'm treading water, I need to sleep a while. My lamb and martyr, you look so precious. Won't you come a bit closer, close enough so I can smell you. I need you to feel this, I can't stand to burn too long. Released in this sodomy. For one sweet moment I am whole. Do unto you now what has been done to me x2 You're breathing so I guess you're still alive even if signs seem to tell me otherwise. Won't you come just a bit closer, close enough so I can smell you. I need you to feel this. I need this to make me whole. There's release in this sodomy. For I am your witness that blood and flesh can be trusted. And only this one holy medium brings me piece of mind. Got your hands bound, your head down, your eyes closed. You look so precious now. I have found some kind of temporary sanity in this shit blood and cum on my hands. I've come round full circle. My lamb and martyr, this will be over soon. You look so precious. Disturbing, no? I think it's one of the few songs about child abuse that have become semi-popular.
Great Scott! Wow, that's an entirely different take on the song than I <i>used</i> to associate it with. Hmm, may have to rethink some things. Korn has one called <i>Daddy</i> off of their self-titled album that deals with sexual child-abuse. But his vein of singing is about how no one was there and all his trust was shattered and such. I don't think he's trying to glorify it the way that Tool apparently is? In <i>Prison Sex</i>, this line: "<i>I've come round full circle.</i>" seems to indicate that he recognizes that what has been done to him he now perpetrates on others. The cycle of child abuse, yes, but the cycle of any bad habits committed by parents on their children. I was using the example of <i>Prison Sex</i> for something very different, although I suppose I should actually ponder the lyrics of the music I listen to.
I personally think that stinkfist has the obvious meaning of fisting. What i think is more meant by the song is that it has a metaphorical meaning. "This may hurt a little but it's something you'll get used to." I think that it is aimed at society, saying that we need to change. It may suck for some of you at first but you'll get used to it.... The Patient A groan of tedium escapes me, Startling the fearful. Is this a test? It has to be, Otherwise I can't go on. Draining patience, drain vitality. This paranoid, paralyzed vampire act's a little old. But I'm still right here Giving blood, keeping faith And I'm still right here. Wait it out, Gonna wait it out, Be patient (wait it out) If there were no rewards to reap, No loving embrace to see me through This tedious path I've chosen here, I certainly would've walked away by now. Gonna wait it out. If there were no desire to heal The damaged and broken met along This tedious path I've chosen here I certainly would've walked away by now. And I still may ... (sigh) ... I still may. Be patient. I must keep reminding myself of this. And if there were no rewards to reap, No loving embrace to see me through This tedious path I've chosen here, I certainly would've walked away by now. And I still may. Gonna wait it out. i love this song. Talks about the choices he's made and that he knows that they will work out all the time fighting off the urge to quit. dunno that' just what i think
"Aenima" Some say the end is near. Some say we'll see armageddon soon. I certainly hope we will. I sure could use a vacation from this Bullshit three ring circus sideshow of Freaks Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call LA The only way to fix it is to flush it all away. Any fucking time. Any fucking day. Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona bay. Fret for your figure and Fret for your latte and Fret for your hairpiece and Fret for your lawsuit and Fret for your prozac and Fret for your pilot and Fret for your contract and Fret for your car. It's a Bullshit three ring circus sideshow of Freaks Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call LA The only way to fix it is to flush it all away. Any fucking time. Any fucking day. Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona bay. Some say a comet will fall from the sky. Followed by meteor showers and tidal waves. Followed by faultlines that cannot sit still. Followed by millions of dumbfounded dipshits. Some say the end is near. Some say we'll see armageddon soon. I certainly hope we will cuz I sure could use a vacation from this Silly shit, stupid shit... One great big festering neon distraction, I've a suggestion to keep you all occupied. Learn to swim. Mom's gonna fix it all soon. Mom's comin' round to put it back the way it ought to be. Learn to swim. Fuck L Ron Hubbard and Fuck all his clones. Fuck all those gun-toting Hip gangster wannabes. Learn to swim. Fuck retro anything. Fuck your tattoos. Fuck all you junkies and Fuck your short memory. Learn to swim. Fuck smiley glad-hands With hidden agendas. Fuck these dysfunctional, Insecure actresses. Learn to swim. Cuz I'm praying for rain And I'm praying for tidal waves I wanna see the ground give way. I wanna watch it all go down. Mom please flush it all away. I wanna watch it go right in and down. I wanna watch it go right in. Watch you flush it all away. Time to bring it down again. Don't just call me pessimist. Try and read between the lines. I can't imagine why you wouldn't Welcome any change, my friend. I wanna see it all come down. suck it down. flush it down. I like this. Most "pop-culture sucks" songs, well, they suck. But this sort of nausea is just perfect.
I think it's pretty self-explanatory but I always liked this song. Opiate Choices always were a problem for you. What you need is someone strong to guide you. Deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow, what you need is someone strong to use you... like me, like me. If you want to get your soul to heaven, trust in me. Don't judge or question. You are broken now, but faith can heal you. Just do everything I tell you to do. Deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow. Let me lay my holy hand upon you. My God's will becomes me. When he speaks out, he speaks through me. He has needs like I do. We both want to rape you. Jesus Christ, why don't you come save my life. Open my eyes and blind me with your light and your lies.
