Re: the new Tool album is finally upon us...
[quote=jeffrey collins]Go and really listen to their lyrics, they are self depreciating. Everything from their last album was messed up. Along with the one before that. It seems as if their songs are about them really wanting to kill themselves.
Great pics of the liveshow.[/quote]
I don't know if you've noticed, but i'm not exactly a casual observer of the band. been a fan for more than a decade
maynard is completely anti-suicide as seen in his lyrics from the apc song 'the outsider'
[quote]Disconnect and self destruct, one bullet at a time
What's your hurry, everyone will have his day to die
If you choose to pull the trigger, should your drama prove sincere,
Do it somewhere far away from here[/quote]
secondly, i have read all their lyrics many times as well as having researched their meanings. here are some from the two albums you mentioned...
[B]the grudge[/B]
Much as "Eulogy" is very subjective, this song can be interpreted to be about any two people who have had a falling out. It is not officially about any two people.
specific lyric analysis:
where he sings "saturn ascends, comes back round again"
-saturn ascending is an occult philosophy/astology idea that is summed up by
"Ascending to Saturn, we increase our understanding of spiritual goals and intentions. We realize why we act for what is best for the evolution of the world, and not for our own good. . . . Our past life is seen as a reproach. We become painfully aware of our failure to live up to our intended goals. " As well, saturn ascending is involved with life changing experiences.
- a scarlet letterman: a literary reference to a book by Nathaniel Hawthorne called the scarlet letter...unable to forgive someone who has branded you as something negative.
[B]Schism[/B]
is about the separation of the catholic and orthodox churches, and a theme of reconcilliation (which is present throughout the album).
[B]parabol/parabola[/B]
a mathematical shape, its thought that the title implies the shape of two bodies together, as in the lyrics of the song.
[B]Lateralus[/B]
The Lyrics of the main "chorus" of Lateralus are phonetically spoken (sung)
in the fibonacci sequence (we all should know the fibonacci sequence thanks to sasha and bt)
Black | 1
Then | 1
White are | 2
All I See | 3
In my infancy | 5
Red and yellow then came to be | 8
reaching out to me | 5
Lets me see | 3
There is |2
So | 1
Much | 1
More and | 2
Beckons me | 3
To look through to these | 5
Infinite possibilit*ies | 8
As below, so above and beyond, I imagine | 13
Drawn outside the lines of reason | 8
Push the Envel*ope | 5
watch it bend | 3
what maynard had to say about the album: "Lateralus itself is actually a muscle and although the title does have something to do with the muscle, it's more about lateral thinking and how the only way to really evolve as an artist -- or as a human, I think -- is to start trying to think outside of the lines and push your boundaries. Kind of take yourself where you haven't been and put yourself in different shoes; all of those cliches" ----doesnt sound very suicidal, now does it??
i could do Aenima, but i'm too tired right now...
ohh, and alot of that was taken from the tool faq, as well as some of my own reasearch