iS!
12-05-2002, 04:40 PM
Okay. I wrote a paper for a poetry class in May/June of this year, in which I analyzed the lyrics of this song. I came upon a startling discovery on a possible interpretation beneath the surface of the lyrics. Unfortunately, I turned in what I believe was the only hard copy of it, and the only soft copy I knew existed (I e-mailed it to a friend, but I doubt he has kept it) was only recently swallowed up into the spaces between silicon atoms. However, all the thoughts are here, so I'll do the best I can.
We all know what the lyrics are on the surface—an incredible, poetic description of the cycle of abuse. Let me talk for a bit about child sexual abuse and prison sex, so that I may contrast them. Sexual abuse on a child, as it would seem from victims' descriptions, is not met with a whole lot of resistance because they don't understand it. They don't know how wrong and disgusting it is, or really what's going on, so they are extremely vulnerable to it. In contrast, prison sex is much more violent because the victim is aware of all this. The victim has to have his resistance broken down; he must be incapacitated however possible.
Now. Thinking about the lyrics before I realized this possibility I'm about to give you in detail, I wasn't sure what my paper would be about. I ran the lyrics through my head. BOOM! I suddenly realized that there were many religious references in the song:
"...so young and vestal then." Vestal refers to purity and virginity, but it comes from Vesta, a Roman goddess.
"Got my hands bound, my head down, and my eyes closed." Standard praying position.
"Do unto others what has been done to you." Obvious retooling of the Golden Rule.
"I'm treading water." (This wasn't actually in my paper, but I have since considered the possibility of a reference to baptism.)
"My lamb and martyr..." Both words have been used many times to refer to Jesus.
"I can't stand to burn too long." Possible hell reference.
"I am your witness that blood and flesh can be trusted." Blood and flesh: the Eucharist.
"Only this one holy medium brings me peace of mind." "Holy medium" is pretty obvious.
Let's go back to the sexual abuse/prison sex comparison. How does religion spread? Parents are obliged to pass it to their children, and missionaries are obliged to force it on aboriginal peoples. To these missionaries, they are pagans (vestal). And children are pure and religionless. The natives must be scourged into prayer, and children obey helplessly (hands bound, head down, eyes closed). Their throats are wide open as the religious shove religion down. And these inductees into the religion now are made to feel the same obligation to pass it on (to do unto others what has been done to them). They are overwhelmed and almost swallowed up by their entry into religious living (I'm treading water), all because parents or missionaries want them to be like Jesus (lambs and martyrs). The missionaries and parents fear God and the possibility of eternal damnation if they don't put others in God's way (can't stand to burn). They want to show that it is the right way (blood and flesh can be trusted), and they feel satisfied, if temporarily, by fulfilling their duty (this holy medium brings peace of mind).
There's another religious reference that doesn't seem as such until you take other Tool stuff into account: "I'm/You're breathing so I guess I'm/you're still alive, even if signs seem to tell me otherwise." Here's a quote from the Ænima liner notes now: "Beliefs allow a mind to stop functioning. A non-functioning mind is clinically dead." The signs that seem to tell that the person is not still alive are the beliefs.
If this were a paper, I'd type a conclusion here, but everything is in the paragraphs above, and I want to keep the information density high. All I'll say is that the two layers, religion and abuse, fit together well. And good poetry allows for all sorts of interpretations to be offered.
We all know what the lyrics are on the surface—an incredible, poetic description of the cycle of abuse. Let me talk for a bit about child sexual abuse and prison sex, so that I may contrast them. Sexual abuse on a child, as it would seem from victims' descriptions, is not met with a whole lot of resistance because they don't understand it. They don't know how wrong and disgusting it is, or really what's going on, so they are extremely vulnerable to it. In contrast, prison sex is much more violent because the victim is aware of all this. The victim has to have his resistance broken down; he must be incapacitated however possible.
Now. Thinking about the lyrics before I realized this possibility I'm about to give you in detail, I wasn't sure what my paper would be about. I ran the lyrics through my head. BOOM! I suddenly realized that there were many religious references in the song:
"...so young and vestal then." Vestal refers to purity and virginity, but it comes from Vesta, a Roman goddess.
"Got my hands bound, my head down, and my eyes closed." Standard praying position.
"Do unto others what has been done to you." Obvious retooling of the Golden Rule.
"I'm treading water." (This wasn't actually in my paper, but I have since considered the possibility of a reference to baptism.)
"My lamb and martyr..." Both words have been used many times to refer to Jesus.
"I can't stand to burn too long." Possible hell reference.
"I am your witness that blood and flesh can be trusted." Blood and flesh: the Eucharist.
"Only this one holy medium brings me peace of mind." "Holy medium" is pretty obvious.
Let's go back to the sexual abuse/prison sex comparison. How does religion spread? Parents are obliged to pass it to their children, and missionaries are obliged to force it on aboriginal peoples. To these missionaries, they are pagans (vestal). And children are pure and religionless. The natives must be scourged into prayer, and children obey helplessly (hands bound, head down, eyes closed). Their throats are wide open as the religious shove religion down. And these inductees into the religion now are made to feel the same obligation to pass it on (to do unto others what has been done to them). They are overwhelmed and almost swallowed up by their entry into religious living (I'm treading water), all because parents or missionaries want them to be like Jesus (lambs and martyrs). The missionaries and parents fear God and the possibility of eternal damnation if they don't put others in God's way (can't stand to burn). They want to show that it is the right way (blood and flesh can be trusted), and they feel satisfied, if temporarily, by fulfilling their duty (this holy medium brings peace of mind).
There's another religious reference that doesn't seem as such until you take other Tool stuff into account: "I'm/You're breathing so I guess I'm/you're still alive, even if signs seem to tell me otherwise." Here's a quote from the Ænima liner notes now: "Beliefs allow a mind to stop functioning. A non-functioning mind is clinically dead." The signs that seem to tell that the person is not still alive are the beliefs.
If this were a paper, I'd type a conclusion here, but everything is in the paragraphs above, and I want to keep the information density high. All I'll say is that the two layers, religion and abuse, fit together well. And good poetry allows for all sorts of interpretations to be offered.