Tool in a nutshell... 15 minutes...

[Systolic]

Okay.. this song is about the crap that people will believe. I mean, come on... A guy that had a dream that an angel spoke to him.. and told him to save the carrots... and the crowd in th background is listening to him, then he shoots them...

This is how I interpret it --

1) "The cries of the carrots" -- this is pretty obvious,, the carrots don't want to be cut down.. but why? Look below.

2)"Let the rabbits wear glasses" -- Okay check this out... what does Bugs Bunny do? He eats carrots... What vitamin do carrots have a lot of? Vitamin K... Vitamin K (If I'm not mistaken) helps your eye sight... He saying that as a solution to cutting down the poor, helpless carrots, you can just let rabbits like Bugs Bunny wear glasses and save all of the innoent little carrots in the world. Ridiculous? Yes. Toolish? VERY.

3) "Thank you Jesus" -- This is saying that people will use ANYTHING to get attention. This preacher is accrediting Jesus for telling him this, which would only make a crowd buy into him more.

4) He kills them all -- Obviously the song has a kind of flash-forward in it, and the crowd has bought into what the preacher says, and he is saying that based upon his belief it IS necessary to kill them.. since humans CAN destroy carrots and WILL destroy carrots regardless of what he says.. So he kills them.

Also note that there are sheep bleating in the background. This is saying that people who listen and follow anything tha they hear are just like sheep.. They are like sheep in the fact that they do not think for themselves and only follow the "shepherd" so to speak.

Anwyay, thats what I think. Sorry for taking so long, and I hope you all can see where I'm coming from.

[withered_EYE]

I'd like to know what you make of the last minute or two of the song. I feel at opposite ends with you upon parts of your analysis. I agree that it makes fun of the things that people will believe in, but #3 i would say that just falls into Maynards little fake preacher impression. At the end of or during a sermon the preacher often says "thank you jesus." You should attend a Southern Baptist cermimony, you will get a kick out of it. Can I get an Amen?

[Systolic]

Honestly... I have NO clue as to what the last 2 or 3 minutes are about.. I was hoping someone could enlighten me.

Tool got me there.
Oh, and I *am* a Christian, but on my own terms and I *DO* know how preachers get, but thats beside the point. =P

[crazydiamond]

i think systolic hit the nail right on the head for the first part of this.
perhaps the second part is a commentary on the guy from part 1's life, waking up the day after all the stuff in part one happened, the second part seems somewhat like it is commentating a hangover, slowly remembering the night before. this may not make sense cos im very tired. just a thought

[Cylith]

and the crowd in th background is listening to him, then he shoots them...

4) He kills them all -- Obviously the song has a kind of flash-forward in it, and the crowd has bought into what the preacher says, and he is saying that based upon his belief it IS necessary to kill them.. since humans CAN destroy carrots and WILL destroy carrots regardless of what he says.. So he kills them.

Huh? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?! Where are you getting this part from...It never says he kills them, and I NEVER got that impression from the song. You say he shoots them, but then there would be gunshots, and probably people screaming, etc. There is nothing like that in the song, unless you count some of the drumming and banging as gunshots...but they don't sound like it, and there's still nothing like people screaming.

[Cylith]

I just listened to the song again, and I must admit that some of the banging in the song sounds like gunshots...but only sort of...and there's still no people screaming. Even if it IS supposed to be gunshots (I'm not very convinced), it might be symbolizing something completly different then the killing of the listeners of the speach....Systolic automatically assumes that the speaker is killing the listeners, but there is nothing to back that up, and I'm honestly taken aback a little that Systolic assumed that. (It really did suprise me.) I said before that I never got the impression that the listeners of the speach were being killed...I still don't get that impression.

[UncnciousShadow]

Possibly at the end of the song the high pitched sound is the "cries of the carrots". I dont really think theres a meaning, just showing that maynard has a sense of humour.

[Titan]

actually im pretty sure the high pitched sound is the sound of an injured rabbit.

I always saw discustipation as a comment on who we follow and what we believe.

Most of what systolic said was right except the bit of the last two minutes. I heard that the message was actually a message from the Harry manback guy who was on an acid trip ?

[corps d'allumen]

I just listened to the song again, and I must admit that some of the banging in the song sounds like gunshots...but only sort of...and there's still no people screaming. Even if it IS supposed to be gunshots (I'm not very convinced), it might be symbolizing something completly different then the killing of the listeners of the speach....Systolic automatically assumes that the speaker is killing the listeners, but there is nothing to back that up, and I'm honestly taken aback a little that Systolic assumed that. (It really did suprise me.) I said before that I never got the impression that the listeners of the speach were being killed...I still don't get that impression.

maybe you should try visualizing music a bit more. even from the very first time i heard the song, i saw that in it. the anger builds in the "this is necessary" part until he's screaming it. the hammer of a pistol cocks and BANG! again and again, like he's walking around just randomly taking people out. the last time the hammer cocks, when the music cuts out, he says "life feeds on life" like he's got the gun to his head and BANG! then there's no more screaming... i think it's kind of a throw-back to 'intolerance' with no one being innocent, not even himself.

and by the way, all these posts are assumptions...

[Jesus Christ]

Personally, I think that this song is about patriarchy.
And as i decended cries of inpending doom rose from the soil and i begged, angel of the lord what are these torterous screams and the angel said unto me, these are the cries of the carrots the cries of the carrots you see reverend maynard tomarrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocost and I sprank from my slumber drenched in the sweat of one million terrified brothers and roared here me now i've seen the light they have a consciousness they have a life damn you let the rabbits wear glasses save out brothers can i get a halloluya baaaa can i get an amen baaaa thank you jesus.

"These are the cries of the carrots" - men(What do rabbits eat?)
"Let the rabbit wear glasses"- let the women reach their full potential
"For tomarrow is harvest day and to them this is the holocost"- end of men ruling women

[Ming]

Life feeds on life. It is a necessary rule of survival. There is no avoiding it. Simple. The joy however is in the crytic even comedic telling, not the revelation.

[Chris_Brightwell]

[...] Even if it IS supposed to be gunshots (I'm not very convinced) [...]From http://toolshed.down.net/articles/text/juice.jun.1997.html:[...] "We were asked to do an anti-vivisection show and weíre not anti-vivisection," Jones says. "If using an animal will help solve AIDS or any other disease that kills people, then go for it. Anyway, it was supposed to be an acoustic show and lots of different bands like Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine and Porno For Pyros played. We got out and Maynard just sang, 'This is necessary!' while us and the Rollins Band smashed 30 guitars and played these tribal beats and Maynard shot off a shotgun. We just felt like doing a studio version of it. We'd never even rehearsed it before. We just got up and went for it. No one really got it, you know what I mean? It was anti-anti-vivisection. When we did it live it went for 20 minutes. It seemed like two. It was really fun. We have it on videotape." [...]Hope this helps.

[Cylith]

From http://toolshed.down.net/articles/text/juice.jun.1997.html:Hope this helps.

Yes, it does indeed. Thank you.

It still sounds mostly like banging (like metal on metal) to me, except for near the very end of the "this is necessary" part.

*cleans out ears*

[AllforUnity]

l agree.

[radmanics]

by the end of the sound do you mean the near 7 minutes of.. noise?

cause that sounds rather like grass hopers, crickets etc and other bugs to me.... it just goes on.. rather ominous. Sort of signifies an emptyness to me.. maybe after life has fed on life too much?

[AllforUnity]

The emptiness/void of life itself.

[ÆnimaticEnigma]

This may have been said above, but, K helps your blood clot. I think you're reaching for vitamin C...maybe A, i forget :-\

[bleeding]

has anyone not cinsidered, after reading that article, that it is just simply an "Anti-anti-vivisection" statement. All these Anti-vivisection campaigners are the sort that would try and insist that animals have feelings, that vegetables have feeling, taht carrots have feelings? haha, and that rabbits have feelings? hence, "let the rabbits wear glasses" ? Seeing as it was pretty much a live improvisation in it's first stages, it is unlikely that there is any deeper meaning, apart from the message at the end.

[Raev'n]

It's not Vitamin K guys. Its Vitamin C! Vitamin K I think is something that induces out of body experiences. And maybe the banging at the end of the first bit is them having a kindof shindig? Cause then he wakes up and "waits for his mind to come back to him"

[bleeding]

It's not Vitamin K guys. Its Vitamin C! Vitamin K I think is something that induces out of body experiences. And maybe the banging at the end of the first bit is them having a kindof shindig? Cause then he wakes up and "waits for his mind to come back to him"

That would be Ketamin, but I don't think it is a vitamin. I think it is actualyl what they put in Kellgs Special K, although obviously as a basic placebo....but that could explain why it's supposed to make you feel so good?

[Raev'n]

Isn't it mentioned in the FAQ as Vitamin K though?

[paraflux]

Personally, I think that this song is about patriarchy.
And as i decended cries of inpending doom rose from the soil and i begged, angel of the lord what are these torterous screams and the angel said unto me, these are the cries of the carrots the cries of the carrots you see reverend maynard tomarrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocost and I sprank from my slumber drenched in the sweat of one million terrified brothers and roared here me now i've seen the light they have a consciousness they have a life damn you let the rabbits wear glasses save out brothers can i get a halloluya baaaa can i get an amen baaaa thank you jesus.

"These are the cries of the carrots" - men(What do rabbits eat?)
"Let the rabbit wear glasses"- let the women reach their full potential
"For tomarrow is harvest day and to them this is the holocost"- end of men ruling women

I just found this post, and I think it sounds good but I cant exactly tell why.

[paravariations]

Does anyone know where I can see the video of the "anti-anti-vivisection" Disgustipated performance?

[Ghostwriter]

The "Reverend" Maynard in the opening almost sounds like The Reverend Jim Jones. If you dont know who this guy is look up Jonestown. He demanded to his cult that they all kill themselves by drinking poison or he shot them. This song reminded me of that greatly.

[author of bible]

the latter part kinda gives an impression that the former was some kind of dream
did you guys notice that when he wakes up everything around appears to him as his belonging
your ditch,your grass,tyour sky,your knife,your gravel road,your red car, and finally your red little people...

[Psychotic_Psychedelic]

the latter part kinda gives an impression that the former was some kind of dream
did you guys notice that when he wakes up everything around appears to him as his belonging
your ditch,your grass,tyour sky,your knife,your gravel road,your red car, and finally your red little people...


I agree with you there, but I've always seen it as the subject (whether it be Maynard or not) has woken after a night of tripping. And his sub-conscious is gradually narrating him back to reality.

[Systolic]

Wow.. this thread is still active, after 5 years. :)

[HelenA]

I agree with you there, but I've always seen it as the subject (whether it be Maynard or not) has woken after a night of tripping. And his sub-conscious is gradually narrating him back to reality.

Wow - that is some reality he has going there!!!!!!

[author of bible]

what about the little red people out across the feilds??

[Priapus]

I saw someone explaining the recording at the end on these boards years ago. They said the way the person was taking ownership of the things around him was indicative of the way a psychopath would speak. They have something of a god complex and part of how they rationalise taking a life is that to them it is theirs to take.

As for the former if the article brightwell posted is accurate then I suppose it takes a lot of the guesswork out of the interpretation. Regarding the carrot/vitamin argument I was always told when I was younger to "eat my carrots because they will give me better eyesight" so I assume that its just a play on the rabbits not eating carrots anymore so they need glasses to see better.

[Ghostwriter]

Is Tool anti-vivisection? This reminds me of that disgusting Sick Puppy video...

[tomisatool]

He's killing the rabits.