Tool

[ToolOwnsYou]

Ok guys, here is your "Official" Tool thread. Anything Tool related belongs here, don't create new threads. Also feel free to Discuss A Perfect Circle, Pigmy Love Circus, Zaum, or any other projects the guys from Tool work on. If you post something negative about Tool post up why you think and feel that way. If you post up "Tool Sucks" and don't give your reasoning your not gonna like the consequences.

Ok, lets have some good conversation and everyone enjoy. SFK.





TOOL Music Theory.

This is my attempt to make a decent thread where TOOL fans can come and discuss
What they think TOOL song(s) mean to them, or what message was the band trying to get across.
As the band put it, in an interview, TOOL likes to leave their message hard to grab, they
want you to use your brain. TOOL wants you to make your own meaning of the song, or grasp
what the song means to them.

Im looking for theory/opinion, lyrical/musical breakdown of a song, Please dont spam this thread by writing about how you feel about any certain band member, who best or better, any A Perfect Circle/Tool relations lets try to keep this theory, and theory only. (i.e. Maynard is so cool! Danny is the best! A Perfect Circle is better then TOOL etc etc etc.)

If you are going to post, please no your theory on Aenima, was lame if you are going to post that, please have enough thinking power, to post your own theory if you feel something was incorrect. Intelligence is the key factor for this thread!!! If you are missing a few bolts upstairs, save yourself from the humiliation, and save us the wasted time that we had to use to read your meaningless post. If you are doing a breakdown of a song, please quote lyrics, so everyone can be on the same page. An overview is acceptable also..

Here is an example of what I am looking for.


Album:Opiate
Track: Opiate


I feel this track is being narrated through a pastor/preachers point of view. There is always controversy about if this song is to make you look down, or not believe in Christ. My opinion is the song is talking down about Christ in a sarcastic way

Jesus Christ, why don't you
come save my life.
Open my eyes and blind me
with your light
and your lies.


On top of that Maynard is making fun of religion, by calling a religious person blind, deaf, dumb, & born to follow.


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.


Meaning Christians, or a religious person cannot guide themselves in their own direction in life, they cant make their own choices to be happy in life, they have to follow someone to have any sense or happiness in their life. Or the metaphor blind, deaf, dumb meaning a person who doesnt see through lies or gimmicks, yet sees millions of other doing it, so he/she follows.


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.


Back to how I was saying this song is through a pastors point of view, I feel the needs he speaks of, is money. And raping you would be you sitting there believing lies so he can take all your donation money.


Welp there ya go.. there is a basic outline of "opiate" hope this works out the way I plan... happy posting...

:evil:

[nosferatu_man]

Wow, nice thread/post man! I kinda had an idea Tool were a really deep band, but I've never really been absolutely in love with them enough to get that much out of their songs. I've heared Maynard in a couple of interviews, and he sounds like a pretty philosophical guy. I think I'll hafta buy some of their albums and check out their lyrics, etc.

I hope this post hasn't been spam.

[KoRnyToOL]

Hey. The Tool Theory is very interesting. I found out that the Lateralus album was inspired by another theory to do with planet X. If u havent heard about this go and find it out. Crazy ****. Also with the whole using your brain thing, there is a special code playlist in lateralus that if u play the tracks in a different order correctly it like opens your eyes to sum other message. Havent tried it yet but I am dying to although it does freak me out a bit. Dunno why just that feeln you get with listening to tool, you know? Maynards lyrics are the most thought provoking i've come across and i won't even try explaining his songs. Am not sure if they are fully meant to be explained but good luck trying. There is a site sumwhere about tool theorys i cant remember what it is but if u type planet x and tool you'll get there. Lets hope for a continuation of this good thread.

Sorry if this wasnt what you were lookin for.

[ToolOwnsYou]

Ok. here is a HUGE helpful thing for you guys to check out. It's where everything you need to know about tool is.

http://toolshed.down.net/faq/faq.html

read it. You will save yourself from alot of stupid questions.

Thats nice, yet you must not be catching on. I said you explain your opinion.. not give links to what others think..

[ToolOwnsYou]

wow, I thought this thread would of done good.... none of you are big enough tool fans to use your brains? what am I missing here...

[Adam Jones is GOD]

wow, I thought this thread would of done good.... none of you are big enough tool fans to use your brains? what am I missing here...

Dont worry, there are a few genuine fans around, although like you said, Tool threads always end up getting ruined by stupid comments in some ways.

On your review of opiate, I find the great thing about that song is the fact that so many people have taken a positive message towards Christianity from it. i remember in one interview Adam mentioned that a fan had come up to him praising him on how the song had converted him towards the religious life.
But as Tool always say, any reactions to their songs are good if they're positive

[Cicatriz-ESP]

I know what the song "Stinkfist" is about, its about Anal Fisting -_0

[clearvision]

I can't pronounce myself as i only started listening last month. I've really been trying to find out the meaning of Eulogy. This song seems their most contraversial as on the surface seems to be about jesus. However i believe it is about Martin Luther king. He is seen as a Martyr and apparently nailed something to a church. Which can tie into the lyrics. I make this opinion based on reading some of the threads ont hat toolshed site. If you want some real deep and complex ideas i suggest checking on there.

[ToolOwnsYou]

Track: Eulogy
Album: Aenima


This is what the song means to me.. I could be right, I could be wrong.. Usually with TOOL there is no wrong answer. Anyways!

Here is the dictionary Definition of Eulogy:

Eulogy - A laudatory speech or written tribute, especially one praising someone who has died.?


This song can be used towards anyone with power, such as a dictator, president, GOD, etc..
For conversation sake, lets use god. Maynard takes a sarcastic approach in this track, going back and fourth
From being serious, back to sarcastic remarks, lets look at how the song starts

Eulogy Being the bible in this case.


He had alot to say.
He had alot of nothing to say.
We'll miss him.

So long.
We wish you well.
You told us how you weren't afraid to die.
Well then, so long.
Don't cry.
Or feel too down.
Not all martyrs see divinity.
But at least you tried.

Standing above the crowd,
He had a voice that was strong and loud.
We'll miss him.
Ranting and pointing his finger
At everything but his heart.
We'll miss him.


Maynard sets the theme, of someone powerful standing over a crowd.. I picture the time of Christ, people in robes, with god preaching to people hungry for the word of god. Yet all he is saying was just a waste of breath, a waste of time. Hence Not all martyrs see divinity, But at least you tried.â I picture this good ol cartoon act. the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, arguing between each other, just for better understanding. Hence he had a lot to say then he had a lot of nothing to say. The last verse make me picture god, because if you have ever read the bible it describes, that no one is perfect, but Christ. ranting and pointing his finger at everything but his heart.


Standing above the crowd,
He had a voice so strong and loud and I
Swallowed his facade cuz I'm so
Eager to identify with
Someone above the ground,
Someone who seemed to feel the same,
Someone prepared to lead the way, with
Someone who would die for me.


Back to the devil/angel theory.. This person is lost, so he looks for someone to lead the way for eternity. Some one that could relate to him. And someone above the ground (all the features of Christ) so this person believes in christ, for help. For guidance, yet he is stabbed in the back rather then being at peace.
Facade, stands for a face of a building as in God shows his face, all beautiful and perfect, but when you enter the building its thrashed and messy


Will you? Will you now?
Would you die for me?
Don't you f*ckin lie.

Don't you step out of line.
Don't you f*ckin lie.


The messy building reflects his lies.. Picture it as if the person has fallen for the beginning message, yet finds out everything he knew or was told were all lies.


Come down.
Get off your f*ckin cross.
We need the f*ckin space to nail the next fool martyr.

To ascend you must die.
You must be crucified
For your sins and your lies.
Goodbye...

I feel this is after he understands that you dont have to be a follower to have eternal happiness. And is somewhat just making fun of the whole situation.

Welp.. there it is hopefully it makes sense, it does to me. And like I has said before I could be totally wrong.

:evil:

[clearvision]

Hey dude, some interesting points there. Didn't maynard say the song wasn't about god and jesus? I know this doesn't affect your interpretation but to get the 'true' meaning sureley we have to look somewhere else. I find this incredibly hard when in the lyrics it mentions crosses :angry:

Well int he first stanza you picked out the lines 'he had alot to say, he had alot of nothing to say' i find these lines could talk about Martin luther king (now to be called MLK) You see he tried to change or reform america into a non racist nation. He had many things to say, which may have become reptitive, hence maynards contradiction.

The next point i recieved from this guy called 'mstajduh' on the toolshed forums. in the line 'We need the f*ckin space to nail the next fool martyr the explanation the guy gave was "He was the one doing the nailing his 95 thesis on the corrupt catholic church in wittenburg" this makes sense, Maynard could be using a complex metaphor, but maybe im mistaken. These are the two main arguments i have. Has anyone got any othe rideas on 'eulogy'?

[Iai]

I worte something very similar to this about Sober once.....just let me go and find it....

[Iai]

Sober, by Tool.

May I just note before I start that what I present is not the definitive lyric. Maynard oftens changes the words when he sings live, and some parts of the song have two or more possible transcriptions. Here, however, is what I hear and how I interpret it -


There's a shadow just behind me
Shrouding every breath I take
Making every promise empty
Pointing every finger at me
Waiting like a stalking butler
Who upon the finger rests
Murder now the path called "must we"
Just before the sun has come

Jesus, won't you ****ing whistle
Something but the past and done?
Jesus, won't you ****ing whistle
Something but the past and done?

Why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start this over
Why can't we drink forever?
I just want to start things over

I am just a worthless liar
I am just an imbecile
I will only complicate you
Trust in me and fall as well
I will find a center in you
I will chew it up and leave
I will work to elevate you
Just enough to bring you down

Mother Mary won't you whisper
Something but what's past and done?
Mother Mary won't you whisper
Something but what's past and done?

Trust me

Why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start this over
Why can't we sleep forever?
I just want to start things over

Trust me

I am just a worthless liar
I am just an imbecile
I will only complicate you
Trust me
Trust me
Trust me
Trust me

Why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start this over
Why can't we sleep forever?
I just want to start things over

I want what I want

I see this song to be about religious persecution and the differences that can spring up between people when their faiths contradict each other. This is a topic Maynard would revisit later in Schism.

As far as I am aware, both Maynard and Danny Carey (the drummer)are, like myself, Satanists. I think this is a major point to recognize when interpreting the song; the concluding line, "I want what I want", is reflective of many of the core beliefs to Satanism - mainly individualism and the embracing of the traditional Christian sins, which stems from a disbelief in the afterlife. As in "We shall never repent for these sins, therefore we are free to indulge as long as nobody in this life is harmed."

The song begins with some very dark thoughts; these lead me to believe that the song may be referring in some way to the ages where Christianity was the only accepted religion and anyone who held ANY other belief was ridiculed, feared, hanged, et cetera. "There's a shadow just behind me/Shrouding every step I take/Making every promise empty/Pointing every finger at me" would therefore refer to the stigma attached to the subject's individualism. In the witch-burning times, it was common to blame the devil for anything and everything, and anyone who was not a Christian was immediately associated with that. However, I am unclear as to exactly what "Making every promise empty" refers to. Perhaps the man is tempted to betray his beliefs (his promises to himself) to seek acceptance?

"Waiting like a stalking butler" could be a sly dig at organized religion - a butler is a servant. "Who upon the finger rests" is interesting - taken as a statement, it implies an accusation levelled at the religious people; perhaps because they are part of the herd this is some way makes them the evil ones. However, I'm pretty sure it is intended as a question, which throws it out into the open. Just who is in the wrong?

The bridge (the "Jesus/Mary" bit) is bringing the song into the modern age, suggesting that nothing has changed since those times. While Jesus is whistling his merry tune of persecution from ages past, most have moved on and the song is old and no longer relevant to a society that - at least in theory - embraces all peoples.

The chorus at first seems to beg the question 'What are they drinking?', but I think it's much more important to ask why. The subject wants to drink to forget; to forget about the past and bring the religion into the 20th century (the song was released in '92). This is re-enforced when the lyric changed from "drink forever" to "sleep forever"; sleep it off and in the morning you'll remember nothing. Or maybe it means to lay the feelings to sleep forever and never mention them again. Even, if you want to be spectacularly sinister, "sleep forever" could equal "death".

The "I am...." section brings to mind the scenes in A Clockwork Orange where the main character is tied down, has his eyes clamped open, and is forced to watch the abuse he has dished out on others. From becoming a participator to becoming a spectator, the feelings change completely. One of the two parties in the song could therefore have switched sides, so to speak, and has now used the new perspective to see how wrong they were. Of course, it could just be sarcastic; this actually ties in with the lyric better. "I will only complicate you" is a sideswipe at the simplicity most people choose; to just believe what others tellyoudo and turn a blind eye to anything else that may complicate your blind faith. The "center in you", I feel I barely need to mention, is the soul. The last two lines again express a cynicism regarding the afterlife; religion raises people's hopes of going to Heaven/Nirvana/whatever, onlyfor them to be brought down when they discover there is no afterlife, or even brought down to hell when they find out they were born into the wrong religion.

Were it not at that time in the morning when you start reciting South Park jokes, I probably wouldn't have spotted that.

So that just about concludes it. As I said, Tool would re-visit this theme three albums down the line, in Schism. However, there is a very nice theory concerning Lateralus and Kabbalah....but I'll save that for another day.

I fully suggest everybody look for hidden meanings in Maynard's lyrics between the hours of 4 and 6 in the morning. It's a great experience.

************************************************** ***********

Bear in mind this was written more than a year ago, for my diary. Is that the sort of thing you're after?

[Iai]

I found out later the Satanist thing above is wrong, but they're fans of Aleister Crowley, so the theory stands. And I think the release date is wrong.

[HeReTik]

hmmm...

I think Eulogy is about people standing up over everyone, with a voice so high and a meaning so strong, that he affects the weaker crowd to follow him and his opinion..

Thats what I think after reading the lyrics, but hey, im only fifteen.

Nice song btw.
Anyone figured Schism?

[Adam Jones is GOD]

Schisim was supposedly about the problems between the Catholic and protestant churches, and how 'rediscovering communication' would help the two re-unite and realise they have a common goal. The split is also seen to be something that only occured through peoples arrogance, and that there is no big difference between the two 'I know the pieces fit'.
And it has the greatest Tool lyric for me 'Cold silence has a tendancy to atrophy any sense of compassion' -Another reference to the lack of communication between the two and how it has stopped any common ground forming

[Adam Jones is GOD]

hmmm...

I think Eulogy is about people standing up over everyone, with a voice so high and a meaning so strong, that he affects the weaker crowd to follow him and his opinion..


I was under the impression the first time i heard Eulogy that it was a tribute of sorts to Bill Hicks. Anyone else find this?

[Iai]

It's pretty obvious that Schism is about warring religions - but I didn't know it was about those two, specifically. That makes a lot of sense, thanks for sharing.

[Iai]

I was under the impression the first time i heard Eulogy that it was a tribute of sorts to Bill Hicks. Anyone else find this?

I think most of Aenima is a tribute of sorts to Bill Hicks, his humour, and his beliefs - hence his picture in the inlay and his sample on Third Eye. It's more pronounced on Eulogy than on most songs. However it's not necessarily about him....more from his view.

[Samm]

I've see Schism as the breakdown of a relationship between two people... It's kind of a simple theory but it ties in with a theory about Lateralus as a whole ablum that I'm currently developing...

Lateralus talks of Spirals so i'm guessing all the songs are linked... and (whoa i just thought right this second) maybe the alternative tracklist can help me theory complete my theory...

[Adam Jones is GOD]

I've see Schism as the breakdown of a relationship between two people... It's kind of a simple theory but it ties in with a theory about Lateralus as a whole ablum that I'm currently developing...

Lateralus talks of Spirals so i'm guessing all the songs are linked... and (whoa i just thought right this second) maybe the alternative tracklist can help me theory complete my theory...

Someone gave a great insight into the alternative tracklist, although it can be hard to do, if you read
http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/question/insight7.html

[vixfinger11metallica20]

You know I have always noticed that Tool do not confine themselves to the boundries of religion...they are pretty free in expressing their thoughts..which I agree with most of the times. I wouldn't call them Satanic. I think they just disagree with what most people think. These guys get their thoughts across in an ambiguous manner...it's always open to more than one interpretation.

Tool make beautiful instrumental music. Their music along with Maynard's voice...pure heaven. I really like Adam Jones .. I don't know why many people think he is the weakest link. Can any one tell me why if they feel the same??


P.S : this is all my opinion.

[Adam Jones is GOD]

Tool make beautiful instrumental music. Their music along with Maynard's voice...pure heaven. I really like Adam Jones .. I don't know why many people think he is the weakest link. Can any one tell me why if they feel the same??
P.S : this is all my opinion.

people always criticise Adam as he uses a lot of effects and people say he doesn't have much skill as a guitarist (although anyone who hears his amazing tremelos/speed picking will know otherwise).

I (obviously) think he's great. Its not just guitaring, it's also his videos and artwork that helps make Tool great

[bob dole]

this is kinda spam but id like to thank you guys for making me want to start listening to tool. it seems as though they are one of the few bands that puts real meaning in their songs and would never have realized it 'till i rea this thread

[Iai]

I (obviously) think he's great. Its not just guitaring, it's also his videos and artwork that helps make Tool great

Yes. It's for that exact reason that Adam Jones is an indispensible member of Tool - he is, in effect, their public image. When people think of Tool, do they see Maynard's face, or do they see the videos playing in their minds? My guess, for most, is the latter.

[Atreyu346]

about tool i will say they like to speak there mind about religion, religion is a big topic in alot of there lyrics on what toolownsyou said and that alot of the words that you probely never heard of are religious based like schism which means to break apart from a church but if you did not know that you would think it is something diffrent meaning your intake on the song well for all tool songs there is always diffrent meanings and i think what tool relates to is there and what the person listening to it relates to

[Adam Jones is GOD]

this is kinda spam but id like to thank you guys for making me want to start listening to tool. it seems as though they are one of the few bands that puts real meaning in their songs and would never have realized it 'till i rea this thread

Its not spam, its a nice compliment :thumb:

*adds another to conversion list*

[Iai]

Its not spam, its a nice compliment :thumb:

*adds another to conversion list*

This is a kind of n00bish thing to do, but just what is the conversion list?

[Adam Jones is GOD]

This is a kind of n00bish thing to do, but just what is the conversion list?

Nothing thats official, i just like it when another person is turned towards Tool. I count it as a personal goal to make people listen to them, hnce the (fictional) list

[Iai]

Nothing thats official, i just like it when another person is turned towards Tool. I count it as a personal goal to make people listen to them, hnce the (fictional) list

I'm sure I saw it on user profiles....

*goes to check*

Oh, I'm thinking of referrals. Never mind.

[Antennas to Heaven]

The next point i recieved from this guy called 'mstajduh' on the toolshed forums. in the line 'We need the f*ckin space to nail the next fool martyr the explanation the guy gave was "He was the one doing the nailing his 95 thesis on the corrupt catholic church in wittenburg" this makes sense, Maynard could be using a complex metaphor, but maybe im mistaken. These are the two main arguments i have. Has anyone got any othe rideas on 'eulogy'?

Although I wouldn't say your interperetation is "bad", Martin Luther King Jr. wasnt the one who nailed the 95 theses to the front of the church door. The man was Martin Luther, who disagreed with the church, and gave 95 reasons for a reform, several hundred years ago. This created Lutheran following, and open the flood gates for other Roman Catholic "spin-off" sects.

[bob dole]

ok i am now a first time tool listener and ive found i really enjoy their music. here is my interpretation of the song reflection.

"I have come curiously close to the end, down
Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole.
Defeated, Concede and move closer. I may find comfort here
I may find peace within the emptiness.
How pitiful."

there i found they are curious about sucide while still trying to live with the nothing he has been left with.

"And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping.
The moon tells me a secret.
My confidant.
As full and bright as I am, this light is not my own
A million light reflections
pass over me
It's source is bright and endless. She resuscitates the hopeless.
Without her we are lifeless satellites drifting."

there it's stating that even during the hardest of times there is always one thing or person tha will bring hope and light into your life.

"So crucify the ego before it's far too late
To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical
And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
Just let the light touch you and let the words spill through
Just let them pass right through, bringing out our hope and reason."

you have to leave your ego before you lose the things you do have in life. you just need to make things right and life will go back to the way it used to be.

[Believeless]

^^^ Antennas to heaven, you beat me to it. Anyway, I got a very strong message from the hidden track on Undertow, although its not very figurative. Its basically a kermit the frog like voice preaching in the typical sermon manner. I wont type the whole thing, but he goes on about how he heard the carrots on his farm screaming and crying, and comparing their harvest to a holocaust. The song then breaks into a rhythmic tribal beat with the lyrics "this is necessary, life feeds on life" repeated. From this, I get the impression that pain and murder are an unavoidable part of nature. These "activists" preach animal rights, but what about the plants?? They could very well feel as much pain as humans or animals. If anyone gets anything out of the last part of the track, be free to share becaus Im stuck there.

[ThePanicInNeedlePark]

Adam jones is GOD, that link you gave all us lucky people was really intreeging, its a shame the guys email adress doesnt work, but really more links like that would be greatly apreciated :D

[Metal!]

you mean the part that says "satan, satan", and fades off and then the stories about extacy and acid? lol kinda obvious drug induced antics.................love it lol

[Adam Jones is GOD]

you mean the part that says "satan, satan", and fades off and then the stories about extacy and acid? lol kinda obvious drug induced antics.................love it lol

Very funny song, and if you haven't noticed, the track is at 6 minutes and 66 seconds on track 6 (although it varies at points depending on your CD player).
The same with other hidden tracks on the other albums.

[clearvision]

Although I wouldn't say your interperetation is "bad", Martin Luther King Jr. wasnt the one who nailed the 95 theses to the front of the church door. The man was Martin Luther, who disagreed with the church, and gave 95 reasons for a reform, several hundred years ago. This created Lutheran following, and open the flood gates for other Roman Catholic "spin-off" sects.

Thanks dude, I only know from what i read, maybe that dude was talking about the older ML. My interpretation now doesn't make too much sense. It is so difficult to explain the crucifiction and get off your f*cking cross bits without talking about jesus.

[metally_mental]

A guy way back there said that 'Stinkfist' is about anal fisting.

How wrong you are. I read something about Stinkfist somewhere, and it is now what I believe the song is about.

What i believe, is that Stinkfist is about the desensitisation of the human race. For example, back in the 1970's it was shocking to put certain things on television, like nudity, drugs etc. Nowadays, people dont 'want more', they 'need more' to be stimulated. It's ok to show that stuff now as we are used to it. We, the human race are becoming desensitised. "Knuckle/Fist/Shoulder deep within the borderline". This is saying that we need more and more to stimulate us, and each time we want to get it as close to the borderline (past that being too far) as we can without going over it. Another example would be taking as much heroin as you can to get as stimulated as you can without overdosing.

[ToolOwnsYou]

this is kinda spam but id like to thank you guys for making me want to start listening to tool. it seems as though they are one of the few bands that puts real meaning in their songs and would never have realized it 'till i rea this thread

Thanks.
My goal is the same as "adam jones is GOD" to spread the word of Rev. Maynard & TOOL. Alot of people dont like the band, because they dont understand them. they are "too weird, too satanic" which I feel is totally wrong. if you actually try understanding lyrics, and making sense of their music as a whole... you cant help but love them... very funny, very intelligent.

Lets try keeping this thread alive, by not spaming & trying to keep the theorys flowing. keep rockin!

[ToolOwnsYou]

A guy way back there said that 'Stinkfist' is about anal fisting.

How wrong you are. I read something about Stinkfist somewhere, and it is now what I believe the song is about.

What i believe, is that Stinkfist is about the desensitisation of the human race. For example, back in the 1970's it was shocking to put certain things on television, like nudity, drugs etc. Nowadays, people dont 'want more', they 'need more' to be stimulated. It's ok to show that stuff now as we are used to it. We, the human race are becoming desensitised. "Knuckle/Fist/Shoulder deep within the borderline". This is saying that we need more and more to stimulate us, and each time we want to get it as close to the borderline (past that being too far) as we can without going over it. Another example would be taking as much heroin as you can to get as stimulated as you can without overdosing.

hm.. good theory. I agree with you.it makes alot of sense.
where he says...

"Something has to change.
Un-deniable dilemma.
Boredom's not a burden
Anyone should bear.

Constant over stimu-lation numbs me
and I wouldn't have
It any other way."

"Boredom's not a burden anyone should bear." goes back almost exactly like you were saying america have been desensitised, it takes more to "stimulate" the mind. good ol' "Leave it to Beaver" just aint cutting it anymore.


"Blend and balance
Pain and comfort
Deep within you
Till you will not have me any other way"


Pain = Murder/Violence; Comfort- Sex/Drugs.
Till you will not have me any other way = If you fill the human mind with sex, drugs, murder, hate.. then removed it all, and air old re-runs of Happy Days, Leave it to Beaver, the Three Stooges etc, what do you then would happen to the Ratings? just imangine alot of pissed off people.



" Shoulder deep within the borderline.
Relax. Turn around and take my hand."

"Knuckle deep inside the borderline.
This may hurt a little but it's something you'll get used to.
Relax. Slip away."



I'd say this is the view of the major television networks, Basicly anal fisting/raping you, sucking you into the grime of american t.v.

The end.. im at work and I gotta get busy.. I could keep going but i'll save you, and save myself from getting yelled at by the boss for not working.. Thats my view on the track, basically the same as metally_mental, enjoy!

:evil:

[Adam Jones is GOD]

I agree with the previous comments on Stinkfist, i used to view it as a song about drug addiction, and how to get the desired effect each time, more is needed, but the views of the media images etc is one that I now see as the overall meaning.
This theme seems to be tied in with the video well, there are a few scenes, for example, the breathing apparatus could be seen as the need for more stimulation, something that is everyday and can be done anywhere fed through a single source. I interpret this as the media delievering ideas and themes that we could find anywhere in day to day life, but being fed to us through them.
Another scene where to two people's heads a fused together is a way of showing how it has caused all our minds to be on the same level, and how independent thought is being removed.
This would also explain the end well, as the character peels away his skin, and returns to colour, not the blue complextion, shows the independence and non conformity that the band itself has adopted, breaking away from the rest. The creature on his shoulder at the end represents the fact that no matter how we change, there will always be something there to curse us, constantly on our back, attempting to manipulate us.

Once again, this is just my opinion, Tool videos are even more open ended than lyrics, it often is Adam's take on the songs, and his interpretation of them, and (apart from probably Hush) there could be a dozen different views on them from different fans.

[Wanker]

A guy way back there said that 'Stinkfist' is about anal fisting.

How wrong you are. I read something about Stinkfist somewhere, and it is now what I believe the song is about.

What i believe, is that Stinkfist is about the desensitisation of the human race. For example, back in the 1970's it was shocking to put certain things on television, like nudity, drugs etc. Nowadays, people dont 'want more', they 'need more' to be stimulated. It's ok to show that stuff now as we are used to it. We, the human race are becoming desensitised. "Knuckle/Fist/Shoulder deep within the borderline". This is saying that we need more and more to stimulate us, and each time we want to get it as close to the borderline (past that being too far) as we can without going over it. Another example would be taking as much heroin as you can to get as stimulated as you can without overdosing.

if thats what the song's about, then whats with the line "show me that you love me/and the pieces come together" ?

anyways, im a huge Tool fan. i've even got the golden spiral as my avatar (well, because of Tool and the movie Pi). but yeah, i'll probably get around to personally interpreting one of their songs in the near future.

[metally_mental]

^^
ok, firstly its "show me that you love me and that we belong together". i don't know how this could tie into the song, other than just going along with the metaphorical meaning of the song, anal fisting. i would be interested on on peoples interpretation of that particular line though because im sure it has more meaning than that.

[metally_mental]

ok "Forty-six and Two".
great song but wtf does it mean??

i read somewhere that its about humans evolving, leaving our primal ways behind... "stepping through the shadow, coming out the other side". before analysing id like to say that maynard is a big fan of the psychoanalyst, Carl Jung. His theory of the "shadow" is in this song. Jung argued that the shadow is our alter ego.. everything we hate about ourselves, formed into this despicable dark counterpart of our psyche, that we resent in ourselves.

"shadows shedding skin, ive been pickin scabs again.
ive been digging through my old muscles, looking for a clue."

Maynard is saying he is looking through himself, looking at his past and how he has changed, and looking at everything he dislikes in himself, and is now ready to move on. he is saying his shadow is shedding things he used to hate about himself, because he is past all that now and more mature.

"ive been crawlin on my belly, clearing out what could have been.
ive been wallowing in my own confused and, insecure delusions"

talking about the past still, realising how stupid he used to be eg. maynard in the army?? lol. clearing out means forgetting old dreams of a conformed lifestyle.

"For a piece to cross me over, or a word to guide me in.
I wanna feel the changes coming down.
I wanna know what I've been hiding in, my shadow."

for a piece, i think could mean just a piece of inspiration, be it music, art anything. anything to inspire him to take another look at himself, and the world around him. he is saying he is ready to feel the changes, and ready to face everything he has resented and hidden away in his alter ego, his shadow.

now about the forty-six and two bit. apparently, there used to be this guy who believed that there were three different kinds of humans, with different chromosomes. the aboriginals of australia supposedly has less than us, 36 or something. this being determined by their lifestyle and beliefs. the other group i forget now, but us has 42 and 2 i think*. not important anyway because all humans have the same chromosomes (except for people with down syndrome who are either missing one or have an extra one, i forget now.) but, supposedly we were supposed to evolve, and gain more chromosomes, presenting us with new abilities as humans. a nice theory, but all a lot of bull5hit in reality. but hey, it made for a great song and maynard just used it as an example of evolution in ourselves, and the process of 'individualisation'. another one of jungs theories. This song not being specific to that theory, just using it as a guideline to get his message across.

now, the rest of the song is just about maynard being ready to experience the world in a new light, and to be open to everything the world throws at him. "to be paranoid and to lie". he is even ready to face it when the world throws s hit in his face, or he does things he doesnt want to do like lie. you get the idea, and this is again, an opinion i stole from someone else because i otherwise would have had no fu ck ing clue about this song. i recognised the carl jung stuff though, and if you want to understand the title aenima, and the song aenema, research his stuff. very interesting reading. cheers... :thumb:

[Adam Jones is GOD]

How has this thread managed to slip onto page 5? I think there are still some interesting point sto be taken from it,and a lot of people ar efinally giving interesting comments on Tool for a change. Although from reading another APC thread, I think it should be extended to discuss APC lyrics too, as they are just as complex as Maynards in Tool.

(although if I get flamed for bumping this, ill let this thread die)

[SonorKen]

This is one of my favorite topics. The beauty of Tool is thier lyrics can mean multiple things to different people. I can't tell you how many hours I have spent chatting with people about Tool lyrics, what they mean, how they arrange and compose thier music. If ya ever get bored and wanna talk shop lemme know! SFK.

[Adam Jones is GOD]

Good to see this thread now had Mod sponsorship of a sorts (Cheers Stagefrightken :thumb:). I figured I should write my own in depth review of a Tool song, and hope the fans will re emerge and discuss.

Tool – The Patient

This is my personal favourite Tool song (that isn’t a live track, at least), and it is also one that is surprisingly thin on lyrics. Again though, it could be interpreted many ways. Here is my interpretation:

A groan of tedium escapes me, startling the fearful.
Is this a test?

I see this as MJK interpreting the reactions that previous comments and lyrics have received off certain people in the media, etc. The groan of tedium being his take on the world (songs like Ænima and Opiate spring to mind), and the criticisms the band has received being the test.

But I'm still right here, giving blood and keeping faith. And I'm still right here.

Going with the theme, it means that he is still making music, and putting his heart into the songs, and believing they are having a positive impact.

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.

The rewards could either be the reactions of the fans, or depending on MJK’s attitude with the song, could be the record sales and profits (He has a tendency to be honest or conformist about trivial matters at times, or do the opposite and creates bizarre but believable hoax versions). The tedious path would refer to the music industry, which we know can be a long road for bands with true talent (and unfortunately, a stroll for those who are deemed ‘the next best thing’).

If there were no desire to heal
The damaged and broken met along this tedious path I've chosen here,

This refers to other artists that Tool has seen along the way that have run into problems or broke up due to the pressures (Tool once said in an interview that all their peers have seemingly gone, eg. RATM, Soundgarden, etc, and it was uup to them to fly the flag), and the desire to show them that there is hope. The healing reference could be their attempt to restore some kind of consistency to real music, and not all these moment of glory pop-punk/emo acts making up the masses.

I certainly would've walked away by now.
And I still may. And I still may. And I still may.

I'm gonna wait it out.


This shows that MJK knows that Tool or any other of his project culd not last forever, and if the current trends continue, there may be no hope for music. But it ends on the positive note that he will continue to create music and see what the end product is.


Discuss or destroy as you will, but please be constructive. (as always, this is merely an opinion, not fact. MJK said himself that most people's interpretations are way off, read it here in the opinions page http://toolshed.down.net/0000.html)

[Everything_and_Nothing_3:15]

So Danny Carey and MJK basically worship the devil in some sort of sense, because MJK makes fun of Jesus Christ in some songs.

[aquamantar]

for all Tool fans!!!

Check this out:
http://www.thirdeyegathering.com
It's a three day festival of Art, Music and Philosophy, formerly known as the Toolgathering.
Hint: use the password "REVE" to get a ticket discount online!

Peace.

[halfdeadhippo]

So Danny Carey and MJK basically worship the devil in some sort of sense, because MJK makes fun of Jesus Christ in some songs.

How does making fun of Jesus imply devil worship? :confused:

[Xdrown6in6bileX]

Well first off Maynard may worship satan because he was the only child of a baptist minister.. Right now I will say I do not know much about religion so he may have been brought up with so many restrictions he sees jesus christ as the "bad guy" and has turned against the religion.

"Die Eier Von Sataan"

is German for the eggs of satan. This song is just a German recipie (sp) about making some kind of tradtional Germanic dish. My stepdad happens to be from Berlin, so he had just told me what it meant, and it was pretty much like they took a page out of a book and translated it into German. This thread has made me want to go and work on a few songs, so I shall post my finding soon.

[twinkles]

Track: The Grudge
Album: Lateralis


My interpritation: Excuse for possibly the most legendary scream in a song EVER!


tool rool

[Everything_and_Nothing_3:15]

How does making fun of Jesus imply devil worship?
Well Jesus Christ is one of the Higher figures in the Christian religion right? Therefore disrestpecting some one of higher power in an organization like christanity shows that you don't care for them and don't like them. So when some one doesnt' like some thing they usually go in the opposite direciton of it, the opposite of christanity being Satanism. For example, someone who doesn't like to drive cars drives a motorcycle.

[eon blue apocolypse]

this is the best thread ever...well i caught on a little late so im gonna make a run through of some things ive noticed and i want to say something about..
Adam Jones is great, everybody thinks good guitar skills are soloing..thats why noone gives much credit to kurt cobain..but making up good guitar riffs is **** hard and they are both good at it.

Maynard is god.

i always pictured eulogy being about hitler..im sure its wrong but, what i saw in my head.

im not much on analyzing tool songs, i just like to read others analyzations cause i figure all of these are probably wrong but Maynard is never gonna tell us what the songs mean anyway, so appreciation of the opinions are highly noted.

Thanks for the awesome thread,and please keep it going
Peace
Jeff

[Everything_and_Nothing_3:15]

What is the song Hooker with a ***** about?

[SonorKen]

Granted Tool has different religous beliefs, that doesnt make them bad people. Thats one of the greatest things about living in the United States, freedom of religion. If they choose to sing about politics, religion, or whatever they don't have to worry about the secret police breaking in and hauling them off.

I don't believe the members of Tool are Satanists at all. I feel they are spiritual people with different beliefs. If anything, and this is a guess, I would say they were Athiest. I have no idea tho, it would be interesting to get into a religious conversation with some of them.....

[Everything_and_Nothing_3:15]

Some one needs to have an interview with the band so we can find out what all there song mean.

[SonorKen]

Eulogy is about Bill Hicks, and Aenema is basically one of Bill Hicks visions about the natural demise of California. I think the song also touches on how the human race has turned life in general into a self centered, self promoting materialistic world with LA being the center of the universe for most of these people. Again, this is the beauty of Tool lyrics, so many people get different things from them...

[rollhockey77]

If I remember correctly, Hooker with a ***** is about a kid goin up to them tellen them that they sold out. Something like that.

[Xdrown6in6bileX]

I am not sure at all...But I think Hooker With a ***** is about the guy on Harry manback...Like I said, I don't know, that is what I thought.

[Xdrown6in6bileX]

this is the best thread ever...well i caught on a little late so im gonna make a run through of some things ive noticed and i want to say something about..
Adam Jones is great, everybody thinks good guitar skills are soloing..thats why noone gives much credit to kurt cobain..but making up good guitar riffs is **** hard and they are both good at it.

Maynard is god.

i always pictured eulogy being about hitler..im sure its wrong but, what i saw in my head.

im not much on analyzing tool songs, i just like to read others analyzations cause i figure all of these are probably wrong but Maynard is never gonna tell us what the songs mean anyway, so appreciation of the opinions are highly noted.

Thanks for the awesome thread,and please keep it going
Peace
Jeff

I completely agree. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

[Five Magics]

Song/Album: Aenima

Basically what I get from here is that we all hear predictions of the world coming to an end or certain areas being naturally devasted and such. And Maynard seems to be saying how really bad of a place L.A. is and the only way to change it is for it to disappear. Just even looking at the CD itself where you see a picture of the USA and then the picture has most of California under water. And this is where the "Learn to Swim" line appeals.



"It's a bull**** three ring circus sideshow of freaks here in this hopeless ****ing hole we call LA The only way to fix it is to flush it all away. Any ****ing time. Any ****ing 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 dip****s. 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 ****, stupid ****..."

[Xdrown6in6bileX]

Album: AEnima
song: H.

I have started just a little bit of this song...I feel it is about Adam and Eve.

What's coming through is alive
what's holding up is a mirror (Adam seeing Eve and knowing she is part of him)
but what's singing songs is a snake (the snake telling them to eat the forbidden fruit)
looking to turn my piss to wine

I only have that little bit...But it does somewhat match up to what I understand of the Adam and Eve story in the bible.

[SilenceNOmorE]

You'll notice each Tool album has at least 1 grand theme to it (Lateralus has about 10, and counting, actually)

Opiate talks alot about Christianity and the way people are control through certain establishments and institutions (This is also the generally accepted interpretation of the meaning of Tool's name)

Undertow follows a water theme. (I'm not sure if there are any other lyrical themes to the album, I don't actually own it, you may throw rocks at me now...)

Adam Jones has said that "Third Eye" is essentially the "extended remix of Aenima," meaning that all the subject matter in the individual songs in Aenima are pretty much reiterated in Third Eye. Also, the album deals alot with the fakery of certain people and how they choose to judge without full knowledge of a situation (See particularly Eulogy, H., Hooker With a *****, Aenema)

Lateralus has the whole qabalistic theme to it, (each song corresponds to a seperate branch of the qabalistic tree of life). I also see the album relating to the aftermath of a relationship The Grudge dealing with bitter feelings just after a break-up, The Patient dealing with being in a relationship that isn't working, yet choosing to "wait it out," Schism dealing with the reunification of a pair of souls, the same goes with Parabol/Parabola (A parabola can be equated to two bodies next to each other "A reminder here that I am not alone/ in this body"), Ticks dealing with more the relationship coming to a close as one person realises they are only contributing, and the other partner just "Sucks and sucks." Lateralus I'm not sure about, Reflection/Disposition/Triad also seems to deal with relationships and loneliness (pine away). There are also other themes to the Lateralus album, including "the holy gift theory" explained at www.angelfire.com/ma4/question/insight7.html

[metally_mental]

i agree with stage, my guess would be that tool are atheists. they wouldnt practice what they preach. tool poke fun at all the holes in religion, so they wouldnt worship satan when satan is a product of RELIGION.

Hooker with a ***** is about a tool fan who maynard met at a concert, well that is my understanding. "OGT". i think this is original gangster tool, as in the original fan "from 92' the first ep". i would also like to hear more about H coz i have no idea, its obvious its not about heroin.

Stage, im curious about your take on eulogy. please explain why you think eulogy is about hicks?? i mean the whole "get off your ****ing cross" thing doesnt work for me, seeing as the bands were big fans of bill.

EDIT: i read another post up there, die eier von satan is actually a recipie for hash cookies, lol and when he yells "..und keine eier" that means "and no eggs". looks like ur old man didnt want to tell you what it really meant lol. :D

[Kage]

Well Jesus Christ is one of the Higher figures in the Christian religion right? Therefore disrestpecting some one of higher power in an organization like christanity shows that you don't care for them and don't like them. So when some one doesnt' like some thing they usually go in the opposite direciton of it, the opposite of christanity being Satanism. For example, someone who doesn't like to drive cars drives a motorcycle.


What are you a ****ing idiot?? Have you ever heard of an Athiest? Someone who doesn't believe in God, but isn't a satan-worshipper. Your comment is the dumbest ****ing thing I've ever heard. You can be neutral, believing in niether God, nor the devil. Or you could believe in God, but not be a Christian because Maynard doesn't believe in organized religion, but who's to say he doesn't think there is a God or worships the devil? God dammit, everything's not so black and white so just keep your dumbass comments to yourself.

[Refl]

Errrmmm, one very important thing to remember is that all the members of tool have a very very twisted sense of humour. take everything you hear from tool with a pinch of salt. Theyre idea of funny is people swapping ideas about hidden and important themes in theyre music when they know there arent any.

Bottom line for me is that tool make some of the best music possibly ever, and they rock totally. :D

[petrucci_wannabee]

ok "Forty-six and Two".
great song but wtf does it mean??

i read somewhere that its about humans evolving, leaving our primal ways behind... "stepping through the shadow, coming out the other side". before analysing id like to say that maynard is a big fan of the psychoanalyst, Carl Jung. His theory of the "shadow" is in this song. Jung argued that the shadow is our alter ego.. everything we hate about ourselves, formed into this despicable dark counterpart of our psyche, that we resent in ourselves.

"shadows shedding skin, ive been pickin scabs again.
ive been digging through my old muscles, looking for a clue."

Maynard is saying he is looking through himself, looking at his past and how he has changed, and looking at everything he dislikes in himself, and is now ready to move on. he is saying his shadow is shedding things he used to hate about himself, because he is past all that now and more mature.

"ive been crawlin on my belly, clearing out what could have been.
ive been wallowing in my own confused and, insecure delusions"

talking about the past still, realising how stupid he used to be eg. maynard in the army?? lol. clearing out means forgetting old dreams of a conformed lifestyle.

"For a piece to cross me over, or a word to guide me in.
I wanna feel the changes coming down.
I wanna know what I've been hiding in, my shadow."

for a piece, i think could mean just a piece of inspiration, be it music, art anything. anything to inspire him to take another look at himself, and the world around him. he is saying he is ready to feel the changes, and ready to face everything he has resented and hidden away in his alter ego, his shadow.

now about the forty-six and two bit. apparently, there used to be this guy who believed that there were three different kinds of humans, with different chromosomes. the aboriginals of australia supposedly has less than us, 36 or something. this being determined by their lifestyle and beliefs. the other group i forget now, but us has 42 and 2 i think*. not important anyway because all humans have the same chromosomes (except for people with down syndrome who are either missing one or have an extra one, i forget now.) but, supposedly we were supposed to evolve, and gain more chromosomes, presenting us with new abilities as humans. a nice theory, but all a lot of bull5hit in reality. but hey, it made for a great song and maynard just used it as an example of evolution in ourselves, and the process of 'individualisation'. another one of jungs theories. This song not being specific to that theory, just using it as a guideline to get his message across.

now, the rest of the song is just about maynard being ready to experience the world in a new light, and to be open to everything the world throws at him. "to be paranoid and to lie". he is even ready to face it when the world throws s hit in his face, or he does things he doesnt want to do like lie. you get the idea, and this is again, an opinion i stole from someone else because i otherwise would have had no fu ck ing clue about this song. i recognised the carl jung stuff though, and if you want to understand the title aenima, and the song aenema, research his stuff. very interesting reading. cheers... :thumb:

Just to clear up the part about the chromosomes, aborigines have 44+2, the moajority of us have 44+2, the song is about trying to achieve 46+2.

Another intereseting point at the start is Maynard whispers 'join me, join me my child as we step through the shadow', but it sounds alot like he's saying something about jungian.

As for the very cool bridge, lying, paranoia etc. are the things you give up when you achieve 46+2, at least that's what I think.

[Adam Jones is GOD]

Somebody mentioned Message To Harry Manback a while ago. From what I know of it, the story is that it was a prank phonecall that was left one someones answering machine, though whether it was sent or recieved by any memeber of Tool (If at all it was them) is a mystery to me. Although the hidden track on the end of Undertow is a phone message left by Adam as a joke, but still contains some in depth meanings.

[Adam Jones is GOD]

Errrmmm, one very important thing to remember is that all the members of tool have a very very twisted sense of humour. take everything you hear from tool with a pinch of salt. :D

Quoted for truth, one thing most people should try and get their heads around before making assumptions

[Xdrown6in6bileX]

i agree with stage, my guess would be that tool are atheists. they wouldnt practice what they preach. tool poke fun at all the holes in religion, so they wouldnt worship satan when satan is a product of RELIGION.

Hooker with a ***** is about a tool fan who maynard met at a concert, well that is my understanding. "OGT". i think this is original gangster tool, as in the original fan "from 92' the first ep". i would also like to hear more about H coz i have no idea, its obvious its not about heroin.

Stage, im curious about your take on eulogy. please explain why you think eulogy is about hicks?? i mean the whole "get off your ****ing cross" thing doesnt work for me, seeing as the bands were big fans of bill.

EDIT: i read another post up there, die eier von satan is actually a recipie for hash cookies, lol and when he yells "..und keine eier" that means "and no eggs". looks like ur old man didnt want to tell you what it really meant lol. :D

Yeah, It keeps saying "..And no eggs" but the song's title does translate to "the eggs of satan"...I am positive about this...Check it out.

[metally_mental]

Just to clear up the part about the chromosomes, aborigines have 44+2, the moajority of us have 44+2, the song is about trying to achieve 46+2.

Another intereseting point at the start is Maynard whispers 'join me, join me my child as we step through the shadow', but it sounds alot like he's saying something about jungian.

As for the very cool bridge, lying, paranoia etc. are the things you give up when you achieve 46+2, at least that's what I think.
ok thanx, i knew it was somewhere around 42/44. one thing though, its impossible to gain more chromosomes scientifically, but a **** good song all the same. i dont think maynard was being very specific about evolution, i think he just used that as a stage to sing about evolution on (if that makes any sense).

[metally_mental]

yeh most of us know that. but why can't we discuss what the songs/albums mean to us? that's what this thread is about isnt it? it was worth mentioning that though for the people who dont know about tool's humour.

[petrucci_wannabee]

ok thanx, i knew it was somewhere around 42/44. one thing though, its impossible to gain more chromosomes scientifically, but a **** good song all the same. i dont think maynard was being very specific about evolution, i think he just used that as a stage to sing about evolution on (if that makes any sense).

I've not really got time to get into this, but read up on Drunvalo Melchizadek and look at http://www.merkaba.co.il/Grid.htm

Warning - This shits hard going

Edit - The bit at the bottom is most relevant

[ThePanicInNeedlePark]

"So Danny Carey and MJK basically worship the devil in some sort of sense, because MJK makes fun of Jesus Christ in some songs."

has to be the most abscent minded thing I have ever heard, have you ever heard of the grey area? for instance does me not agreeing with the war on IRAQ make me a suicide bomber, man how can you be such an idiot, sarcasm is the key to most popular acts not excluding tool.

you guys have failed to mention the soundscapes that apear on the lateralus album. Above all else i believe this album has beautiful music, the songs are stretched to creat wonderful sounds that you can truely loose yourself in, Adam Jones is possibley the best digital delay user i have ever heard along with other effects he uses. Just the sound of Maynards voice is so powerful (not the screams) that you dont even have to know what he is saying to aprecieate it.


The lyrical content is a bonus for me :D

[Kage]

^^Well put

[If man is 5...]

i put the words from 'die eir von satan' into a translator and combined with my own knowledge of german this is what you get:


The Eggs/Balls of Satan

Half a cup of powdered sugar
One quarter teaspoon salt
One knifetip Turkish hash
Half a pound butter
One teaspoon vanilla-sugar
Half a pound flour
150 g ground nuts
A little extra powdered sugar
... and no eggs

Place in a bowl
Add butter
Add the ground nuts and
Knead the dough


Form eyeball-size pieces from the dough
Roll in the powdered sugar
and say the Magic Words:
"Sim sala bim bamba sala do saladim"

Place on a greased baking pan and
Bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes
...AND NO EGGS

Bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes
...and no eggs.



so... looks like a recipe for delicious 'space cakes'. First person to try it wins a gold sticky star....

[Kafkastolemyslippers]

As for the very cool bridge, lying, paranoia etc. are the things you give up when you achieve 46+2, at least that's what I think.

I look at the song as being about people who are rich, famous, powerful, or whatever, who feel somehow superior to everyone else, as if they were a 'higher being', a being that has a basic advantage and is not as simple as a 44+2 person - they feel unaffected by lying paranoia etc because they have entered the realm of 46+2.

I have to go now but when I come back I will look at the lyrics from this light.

[ToolOwnsYou]

Happy to see my thread, somewhat successful.. I have a few more inputs that I will post around noon, today. "Adam jones is GOD" great post on "the Patient" that shed some light on a song I never really pondered too hard on.. makes sense though (IMO) anyways keep rockin guys. you'll hear from me later today.

[christonastick]

Hey dude, some interesting points there. Didn't maynard say the song wasn't about god and jesus? I know this doesn't affect your interpretation but to get the 'true' meaning sureley we have to look somewhere else. I find this incredibly hard when in the lyrics it mentions crosses :angry:

Well int he first stanza you picked out the lines 'he had alot to say, he had alot of nothing to say' i find these lines could talk about Martin luther king (now to be called MLK) You see he tried to change or reform america into a non racist nation. He had many things to say, which may have become reptitive, hence maynards contradiction.

The next point i recieved from this guy called 'mstajduh' on the toolshed forums. in the line 'We need the f*ckin space to nail the next fool martyr the explanation the guy gave was "He was the one doing the nailing his 95 thesis on the corrupt catholic church in wittenburg" this makes sense, Maynard could be using a complex metaphor, but maybe im mistaken. These are the two main arguments i have. Has anyone got any othe rideas on 'eulogy'?

I find it hard to believe that Maynard or Tool would be against anything that Martin Luther King did in his lifetime. The real author of the 95 thesis was Martin Luther an Augustinain (german) monk of the 16th century. He creatred the Lutheran sect of the Catholic Church out of protest of Catholic corruption. He was famous for posting his 95 thesis on the door of the church in Wittenburg and he was also the first ever to translate the Bible to a language besides latin. You should really do some research before posting things you dont know about.

By the way great thread ToolOwnsYou :thumb:

[ToolOwnsYou]

ahh! I never got around to posting yesterday.. oh well i'll complete something before the weekend is over. anyways I just wanted to post something I was thinking about yesterday.. i assume i'm totally off but seemed kinda funny to mention anyways.

When i did my "Stinkfist (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211269&page=2&pp=25)" thoery I was stuck on what "relax, and take my hand" completely meant, so then I was thinking to myself. if he is "knuckle/fist/elbow deep within the borderline" in order to grab his hand. you must also go deep within the borderline. (unless its the other hand of course) Meaning! That the media is fisting you, and so are you. For believing & participating in all the bullsh*t they put on tv/news/radio etc etc etc.. .

For thoes of you that have no idea what in talking about, go back a few pages, and for the rest of you happy trails...

:evil:

[clearvision]

I find it hard to believe that Maynard or Tool would be against anything that Martin Luther King did in his lifetime. The real author of the 95 thesis was Martin Luther an Augustinain (german) monk of the 16th century. He creatred the Lutheran sect of the Catholic Church out of protest of Catholic corruption. He was famous for posting his 95 thesis on the door of the church in Wittenburg and he was also the first ever to translate the Bible to a language besides latin. You should really do some research before posting things you dont know about.

By the way great thread ToolOwnsYou :thumb:

Yeah, some dude corrected me before hand, but hey postcount ++ :thumb:


I'm finding Euology the trickiest of songs to work out, i can only think its about Jesus/God now, i mean who else do you know of got crucified? Yeah it could be a metaphor, but what for? Crucifiction is horrible, but it puts you on show, maybe this could relate to a drug addiction in a weird and twisted way. Then i feel the song can relate to many people in the world that benefit from bad times including addictions in their life and also use their new-found status to voice their opinons. The person/people in question must be quite arrogant and think their take on everything is important, so they might be quite political. I can't think of anyone that may suit this explanation. That is one of my ideas...I guess i'll keep reading up on other peoples opinions and try and get somehtin from it :)

[Mexican Seafood]

I'd just like to add something in response to an issue that came up a few times...beware of any Tool interviews you hear/read-generally they are all pretty sarcastic and like to play with people's heads in the interviews (which is great). In other words, don't take anything they say as a commandment-they're probably just trying to make you use you head. Oh and read the toolshed FAQs for a really good insight into the band...

From a personal point of view, I'd say, yes there are distinct themes in the songwriting, but often they are taken literally when they should be taken metaphorically and vice versa. Also some images may not actually be connected overly with the actual theme of the song, or it could be a development of an idea that takes the song off on a tangent. A fair amount of artistic license can be used as well...
All in all do not be too eager to pin something down as "definite"!

[Riffmeister9]

What i love to do with the Opiate song is take the meaning farther than religion. I find many things in life that the song applies to. Last night I was at a Judas Preist concert and I was thinking that the whole following religion blindly thing isn't just it. People follow rock figures quite blindly as well. If you go to a concert you can see that everyone will listen to what the band has to say and take it in very heavily. I hear the lead singer spouting all of the generic rock crap and it is amazing how mindless people are and they repeat it and cheer. I then thought that he could say anything and they would blindly follow just like Catholics following what ever the pope would say.

[clearvision]

^Amen brother...

Looking through that toolshed site and having eulogy on repeat for 1.5 hours and listening to it for 30 times :amaze: I have come to the conclusion that It's about anyone that wants to be a martyr like christ, my earlier drug thingy was wrong but the rest is ok.
He uses Christ to show the image he wants to be portrayed about those type of people. When he says 'Get off your fu*kin cross', he's like telling people to get off whatever they think makes them better than everyone else. I'm told that this expression is often used for people who think they are better than others.
When he belts out 'You must be crucified' he may just be asking people to die as there is no room for people like that in the world.
However you can see that he's not talking about Jesus where he says somethin like 'Not all martyrs see divinity. But at least you tried.' You see Jesus did see divinity so it kind of rules him out of the equation.

I'm now content with my interpretation of the song, just thought i'd share it with you :) What really did it was reading an interview with MJK and he said it's not to be taken literally, take the whole thign as a metaphor, or thats what he said ment to me anyway, here is the question from an interview in Strobe dec99. Thanks to toolshed, they had the article and gave me loads of info on opinions...

Is it about Kurt Cobain? I wouldn't think you'd be a fan of his.
"I appreciate what he did. I'm not really happy with his professional
widow. The song's about tendencies, not about a specific individual.
It's about tendencies of people wanting to stand on a soap box and
sacrifice themselves in some way. We don't need that process anymore.
You're on your own now."

[TheLorax42]

ok heres the deal :
Sober - Sober is a song about one of the band's friends, who thinks he only writes good when he is high or drunk.

Stinkfist is not about anal fisting, it is using that as a metaphor. I'll give you an example, if somebody said asshole on tv back in the 50's, hospitals would've been flooded with stroke victims. However, today we can see a person eat smashed maggots (fear factor) and not even flinch. This good, it symbolizes progression, and must be continued.

Eulogy is about a man named L. Ron Hubbard. He started a cult called Scientology. Look it up.

46&2. hmmm. I'm not an expert, but I do know what this is about. Don't get mad if I mess up my terminology. The human genome has 44 & 2 chromosomes. Their are still a few groups of humans that have not fully evolved into this state (pygmys, aboriginies), they still have 42&2 chromosomes. The next logical step is 46 & 2.

[ticks_&_leeches]

Tool is just a awesome band all together. It'shard to me to really say one tool song means something because no one can think like Maynard. I just respect their raw talent as musicians and that's all I need. I love APC just the same. Adam Jones is my IDOL!!!!

[christonastick]

Eulogy is about a man named L. Ron Hubbard. He started a cult called Scientology. Look it up.

This is a very possible answer to the origin of the song but I dont think it is truly about a specific person. Rather than being about a person I think it was written as an archetype of a martyr. On the surface the song may seem to be about a specific person but on another level it represents a universal being.

[clearvision]

Yeah, it's what MJK said in that inteview i got the quote from...

[the_Leperakorn]

Tool are incredibly metaphoric, thats what amkes them good.

PRISON SEX

the song is about someone being raped against their own will, being tied down, ruined. But at the end of the song he finds solace within this 'sh*t, blood and c*m'. Maybe its about society screwing us over. We just have to sit there against our will ebing raped in the arse. But at the end of the day we find our loved ones, friends, family all give us that temporary sanity. Theres my 2 cents

[SonorKen]

Ok guys, here is your "Official" Tool thread. Anything Tool related belongs here, don't create new threads. Also feel free to Discuss A Perfect Circle, Pigmy Love Circus, Zaum, or any other projects the guys from Tool work on. If you post something negative about Tool post up why you think and feel that way. If you post up "Tool Sucks" and don't give your reasoning your not gonna like the consequences.

Ok, lets have some good conversation and everyone enjoy. SFK.

[clearvision]

Thanks SFK, has anyone heard passenger by the deftones? It features maynard and sounds cool :thumb:

[vixfinger11metallica20]

Yeah...Passenger is a good song.

Finally it's official.

[ThePanicInNeedlePark]

TheLorax42 I wouldn't say its fair to say "here is the deal" and dictate to us what the songs definatly mean because basically you say so, your missing the point of self expresion and self interpretation, and i thought that was half of tools message? :D

[ToolOwnsYou]

SFK, I'd like to thank you for the "official" on my thread. I'm very appreciative.. I felt I had put in some good hours putting my thoughts into text. :thumb: and by you making it official proves to me that what I & everyone else wrote actually had meaning. Id like to thank everyone that has replied, and everyone that repiles in the future.

I ask since this is "official" lets try to keep the bullsh*t at bare minimum, in other words no spamming, or just being a plain jack@ss. Lets keep this thread clean & informative. Lets make this a TOOL (no pun intended) not a waste of space.

Once again thanks to all that has contributed.....

:evil:

[ToolOwnsYou]

By the way great thread ToolOwnsYou :thumb:

thanks! :thumb:

[ToolOwnsYou]

welp, since this has now changed to an all around tool-related thread. I thought id upload a picture of my signed cd and demo poster for you all to slobber over my Danny Carey autograph I got this at the 6/18/04 Show in San Francisco, CA. (not forgetting I ran ito Mike Patton (Faith no More, Mr Bungle) that same night!! got his autograph too!) enjoy. :lol:

Welp here it is, Plus the autographs of the rest of the band (which are totally f*cking cooL!) Pigmy Love Circus, DC's side project. check em out if you havent already. I got to hang out with all the guys (besides danny) for almost 2hrs in the cold waiting for danny to quiting visitin with a friend, then finally he came out and I was the only fan left outside. got to chat for about 2mins, got his autograph, shook his hand and left. They were all very cool dudes..

*my girlfriend framed all the pieces for me, if any of you care*

** you gotta laugh at Mike Savage's (Vocals) Autograph.. "Kill Brittany [Spears] For me...hahah very cool dude. **

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/gfabre/gregs004.jpg

[Slrainox]

Tool - Lateralus

I think this song is about seeing deeper, and looking past the boarderline of everything. To really stop seeing things as good or bad/black and white. But to also seem them in variety

Black then white are
all I see
in my infancy
red and yellow
then came to be
reaching out to me... Let's me see...

He is saying that in his early stages of life, he only saw things as good or bad, but then he started to see things with color, and this new reaility called for him.

As below so above and beyond I imagine
Drawn beyond the lines of reason
Push the envelope... Watch it bend.

Baisically, the more you push things, more possible things become.

Over thinking, over anaylyzing,
separtes the body from the mind...
Withering my intution
Missing opportunites
and I must...
Feed my will to feel my moment!
drawn

Baisically, if you start to over think things then your body and mind become limited, and you'll miss out on things. To fix this you must have a reason to learn more, and grow

Black then white are
all I see
in my infancy
red and yellow
then came to be
reaching out to me... Let's me see...

Same as first time this was said

There is so much more that beckons me
to look threw to these infinite possibilities!

There is so much to life, and if you are willing to see it, then you will have no limits. If you can dream it, you can do it.

As below so above and beyond I imagine
Drawn beyond the lines of reason
Push the envelope... Watch it bend.

Again, the more you push your mind and open up, the more things become possible

Over thinking, over anaylyzing,
separtes the body from the mind...
Withering my intuition
leaving opportunites behind!

Same as before.

Feed my will to feel this moment!
urging me to cross the lines....

The more you learn, the more you are compelled to learn more. It urges you along.

Reaching out to embrace the random!
Reaching out to embrace whatever may come!

Be prepared for everything, and embrace it, love it. Live it up.

Come embrace my desire to...
come embrace my desire to...
Feel the rythm to...
feel connected... enough to stand beside 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...
To
Swing on the spiral
To.................

You gotta connect with your mind, connect on a higher level. If you accept it, and are willing to learn, then you move onto a higher level of knowledge. Life is a spiral.

Swing on the spiral of our divinty
and still be a human.............!

If you are ready, willing, and capable of moving to another stage of life then you will reach divinty, but you will still be 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
I'm reaching out
I'm reaching for the random
or whatever will bewilder me...
whatever will bewilder me!
FOLLOWING MY WILL AND WIND
WE MAY JUST GO WHERE NO ONES BEEN!
WE'LL RIDE THE SPIRAL TO THE END
WE MAY JUST GO WHERE NO ONES BEEN!

Deepest part in the song. It is encourgaing you to think for yourself, to go find things that will entrance you, entertain you, and whatever will complete you. As long as you keep riding the spiral of life the way you choose, then you will reach a better place.

SPIRAL OUT
KEEP GOING
SPIRAL OUT
KEEP GOING
SPIRAL OUT
KEEP GOING
SPIRAL OUT
KEEP GOING....

Even if you spiral out, you must keep going. It is the only way.

[Drum_and_Bass_Guy89]

yo i wanna find out that specific order of like listen to laterlus in a certain order and stuff happens anyone know where i can find that or like knows about please tell me if ya do

[christonastick]

I just found it last night, its 6,7,5,8,4,9,13,1,12,2,11,3,10. I didnt really find it that amazing no big revelation or anything. Some of the songs do blend well together in that order so who knows.

[SonorKen]

I must admit, this is one of my favorite threads I have ever seen on MX. Lots of intelligent conversation, and when people disagree they post up good explanations. Plus I guess it could also be that Im a HUGE Tool fan, course one would only need to look at my drum set to see that hahaha.

Anyway, keep it up guys and gals, this thread RULES!!

[Drum_and_Bass_Guy89]

thx man im trying it rite know

[Merkaba]

I've not really got time to get into this, but read up on Drunvalo Melchizadek and look at http://www.merkaba.co.il/Grid.htm

Warning - This shits hard going

Edit - The bit at the bottom is most relevant


look at my name.

i do merkaba everyday
it has changed my life

i met drunvalo last year

I am Highly knowledgeable of it and basic spiritual principals.
i had to sign a non disclosure statement when i took the class. one on one teacher.
I am light!
i also practice Astral Projection (which takes an open third eye)
during and around which you can pick up radio waves, and see with your eyes closed, and also see with about four different types of site.
Humans are made up of a sandwich of several bodies that are intertwined together(parabola, spiraling around each other, like dna) you can shift focus to other bodies, each harder to gain access to not by judgment but because its energy is vibrating faster. each an octave apart(today a young man realized all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration...) everything is energy vibrating. and there is another reality right around you that is vibrating at and based on a faster/different frequency, or root note. The universe is mathematically held and so is music. Hence many experiements and ancient text dealing with sounds that activate portals, interspacial and interdimensional travel. and hence the reason for meditational mantras like the common buddhist chant. its all energy being mathematically transmutted. that is life.

Project Philadelphia
the government knows about merkaba
but they dont call it merkaba
it doesnt matter what you call it. its the principals.
The government can tell if youre doing the merkaba, by satelitte. the airforce admitted to it!
The government used to try to shut down the spread of merkaba, but they gave up because many people in israel are hip to it,though it is still closely monitored. . and america is scared to death of israel because they think that israel is chosen by god. but that means god picks favorites. false. the isralites only chose to keep true certain spiritual principals. giving them obvious advantages in spiritually dire times. hence the star of david. which is the two dimensional image of a merkaba(stage one). it gets deep man! first earth age deep! before "adam and eve". which is not a guy and girl. the bible hints to the first two earth ages in GEnesis. but of course it couldnt go deeper than a mention, because then the bible would be useless for control purposes, because the previous earth ages are where you get things like ATlantis, Lemuria, merkaba, etc from.

[SonorKen]

Hey Merkaba, Id like to chat ya sometime and talk about some of this stuff. I have done alot of research on this and would like to hear your thoughts. Check my profile for my AIM info..

[Merkaba]

according to maynard. h is about having the devil angel on one shoulder and the sweet angel on the other. though its not written that way. I've also read that its about him having a near death experience.

you can rarely find a true source to many of their songs.
i hear push it was about him and his child, or him and Tori Amos. the same for Schizm(tori amos). so who knows. i think the song is basically about being pushed until you have to do something. you cant take any more and you have to do something.

Schizm is commonly reffered to in regards to the the void between religion and science. but can be any void between x and z or etc.

i do know jimmy is written in lower case. to signify the younger, nickname of James. when his mother left him with his uncle. who molested him. a wonderful song. one of my faves.

Stinkfist is about not realizing youre being used because youve grown accustomed to it and you've included it in your ways. hence the idea of someone fisting you, you being numb too it, then turning around to take their shltty hand afterwards. the borderline is crossing the line. its not about going deep. you take a little at a time until youre all the way Fvcked but you've been getting so long you cant live without it. finger deep, knuckle deep, elbow deep, shoulder deep. gradually you give more and more and you dont even know it. gettin Fvcked in some kind of way and growing accustomed to it. politics, religion, economy, etc.

46 and 2. Jungian philosophy. thats it. Carl jung is deep, so, enough said.

Third eye is about opening your third eye. Thats it. once you do, you can really appreciate the song more.

Hooker with a peniz. its about what he says in the song. picture it. some guy coming up to him while sporting trends from "The man". the new tatoos trend, the name brand Vans shoes, the name brand levi 501's, the trendy nipple rings, yet he's pointing the finger at maynard saying he sold out to "da man". Ironic huh? ironic as lifting a skirt to find a peniz huh? and equally as perplexing as a male hooker to begin with..hehe. maynard is off the meter lyrically.

btw, tool are not atheists. rather agnostic. but not atheist.

[superpeer]

Bumpz

[clearvision]

SP i'm reporting you for spam, comon man if someones got something to say they will say it...

Merkeba i like your explanations, especialy hooker... :thumb:

[ToolOwnsYou]

Track: Sweat
Album: Opiate


This is one of my many favorites. I feel this song is about drugs, yet I like to keep an open mind on Maynard’s lyrics, so if you feel it’s a different subject, lets hear it. I’ve never done LSD but I have done XTC & Mushrooms. This song can relate pretty well.


“I'm sweating,
and breathing
and staring and thinking
and sinking deeper.
It's almost like I'm swimming.


All symptoms of a really good drug trip.


“The sun is burning hot again
on the hunter
and the fisherman,
and he's trying to remember when,
but it makes him dizzy.�


I take it as “the sun is burning hot again� as a timestamp. That he/she took the drugs in the day, “Hunter� is a metaphor, for seeking something (seeking/exploring your mind. Something Maynard is big on)
“Fisherman� would be a metaphor, for someone that patiently waits for something. As if your mind is the bait, and drugs would be the fish that takes the bait. “trying to remember when� could mean to remember when he/she took the drugs or trying to remember reality, yet the drug takes control and “makes you dizzy�


“Seems like I've been here before.
Seems so familiar.
Seems like I'm slipping
into a dream within a dream.�


I don’t know how many of you have been on an acid/shroom trip.. When you are trippin’ everything you tripped on last time kinda comes into play, yet is fuzzy, and you have new experiences mixed with old, Sometimes even think of sh*t you didn’t want to think about. Making things familiar yet you keep slipping deeper as you continue to peak. (this is where I usually start puking on a shroom trip) as I continue to slip more into my “dream�


“Must be the way you whisper.�


I’m a little confused here… later in the song he goes back to talk about this “whisper� Maybe the whisper is soberness? Reality? Another person? Can’t exactly put my finger on it, yet I think it deals with reality.


“The sun is setting cool again.
I'm the thinker
and the fisherman
and I'm trying to remember when
but it makes me dizzy.
and I'm sweating,
and breathing,
and staring and thinking
and sinking
deeper
and it's almost like I'm swimming.�


back to my “timestamp� suggestion… “the sun is setting cool again� meaning that he has been tripping for hours, and day is turning into night. Same as above for the rest of the chorus.


It's the way you whisper.
It drags me under
and takes me home.


ahhh.. back to “whisper� I have the strong feeling it deals with reality/soberness. Home = sober state of mind? Like I said I’m not sure what this exactly means, if any of you guys/gals have an opinion, don’t be scared to post it.

:evil:

[ToolOwnsYou]

Tool Trivia

I thought this would be fun. I see Trivia floating around the forums, but I wanted to make this just for TOOL. I know there are many search engines out there so Internet Trivia can’t be too competitive, but none the less it’s fun. And maybe, just maybe you’ll learn something new.


Rules:

1. When asking a question, please make sense, please make sure there is a true answer. No “is Maynard gay� etc etc..

2. Before you can ask a new trivia question, you must answer the one above you.

3. You MAY ask TOOL related questions (family, friends, side projects, equipment/gear) but please, nothing too far out of the TOOL atmosphere.

4. Intelligence is the KEY FACTOR to making this successful.

5. No fighting, No name calling, no Spam.

6. The questions may be simple or complex.

7. HAVE FUN!

The rules may vary, based on replies.. if I see something getting out of control, I may change edit the rules to comply. As I said above and as I have posted many many many times… use your brain before posting. Any true TOOL fan knows the band feeds off intelligence, so lets make the boys happy.


I’ll start this off..

“In what year was Maynard James Keenan born, and what City/State was he born in?�

[ToolOwnsYou]

Dont take it as you cant post theory/opinions... keep them comming in... they have all been great contributions to the thread.. keep em up!!@
:evil:

[SuBuCnI420]

I have heard rumors of tools breaking and i have not believed them and i was wondering if anyone new about an upcoming album in the future and if so when is it to be released

[petrucci_wannabee]

Wow, Merkaba, you're now one of my favourite MXer's, great insight there :thumb:

As for the guy that was analyizing Lateralus, that's they way I feel about it aswell, but I'd just like to add that the 'envelope' is another word for how far a human can reach from a point with their arms full extended, maybe Maynard means that because it doesn't really make sense with the other meaning of the word

[ToolOwnsYou]

I have heard rumors of tools breaking and i have not believed them and i was wondering if anyone new about an upcoming album in the future and if so when is it to be released

As been said many times before, take almost everything you hear about TOOL with a grain of salt, even more so when it comes to the band breaking up. Tool is not breaking up, and the new cd will hopefully be released late '04, early '05.

[spiral_within]

everyone should try the alternate order for lateralus. the cd makes much more sense that way, as the songs flow so well together in the different order. the order i tried is 6,7,5,8,4,9,13,1,12,2,11,3,10.

[drummerdunc86]

i think Maynards main goal in his songwriting is to get you to think for yourself.

[Vaelroth]

I may do an analysis of some Tool lyrics one day, not tonight though. Too tired to fiddle with Too.

[lime toast]

the lyrics for the hidden track on opiate are astounding

[Screaming Photo]

I was under the impression the first time i heard Eulogy that it was a tribute of sorts to Bill Hicks. Anyone else find this?


I did too, I heard it was a tribute to Bill Hicks. :thumb:

[Screaming Photo]

i think Maynards main goal in his songwriting is to get you to think for yourself.

If you pay attention to James's Interview's, he does it for himself. To get it out and get it over with. He can't keep writing about the same things, bc. then he never would grow.

[twiggster]

Ok, I'm surprised I haven't seen this mentioned on here 'cause usually I see it on many other Tool boards...Anyway, have any of you heard about the whole Fibonacci sequence being related to the entire album "Laterlaus"? You know, I'm not too sure if this is exactly true or not but I just thought I'd post it...

The drum beat for track #9: Lateralus on the album follows the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci sequence, to summarize, is a mathematical pattern where you add the last two digits of the pattern to get the next (ex.- 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc.). When this pattern is graphed out, it forms a spiral, which is what Lateralus means. Though he looked beyond this and realized that if he were to lay the songs on the graph in accordance with the Fibonacci sequence (this idea is explained further in the link) then he could perhaps come up with an alternate track order. His process began with placing track numbers 6 and 7 in the center of the graph seeing as he knew they had to run together. Then through a process of creating two spirals, he finally found an alternate order to the album that, if they were edited correctly, would make all the tracks run together almost as one song. Suddenly tracks were making much more sense. He discovered that if this new order were to be true, then track #4: Mantra, would go after track #8:Ticks and Leeches. The last line of Ticks and Leeche