schism

[aeon blue]

makes me think of rage against the machine. about the lack of communication involved in the later life of that band being the reason for the pieces 'falling away'.

and maynard is watching this, this band whom tool have grown up with, a band that was one of tool's true contemporaries, and he knows 'the pieces fit'- because of the wonderful music the members ofratm have made together.

"The light that fueled our fire then has burned a hole between us so
We cannot see to reach an end crippling our communication."

the making of Rage's second album was frought with tension and in fighting. The anger and passion about the musical styles each band member favoured, with communication, they found a way through it, and they each brought their anger and passion into it, producing a fantastic record. That anger and passion was the light which fueled their fire, and it later destroyed them because they couldnt communicate, couldnt accept their differances.

Due to the Lovers/Brothers line, I'm inclined to believe that this song has a dualistic meaning. That the same message of communication is being applied twice, to different circumstances. At it's simplest, its about relationships breaking down, and the neccessity for communication.

[Dr Vagynilbyrne]

To me this song is a basic truth. At least in my experiences. Without communication, on many levels, things break down. Relationships crumble, barriers are built up, misunderstanding is born and bad things happen as the result of all of the above, and more.

What this song signifies for myself is that communication is quite possibly one of--if not the--most important tool we as humans have between and with one another. There also needs to be the three basics of communication (talking, listening and understanding; and there are probably more, but those are our basics) and without one of those communication can cease to be and the individuals fall into a "cold" silence.

More directly, a lot of the lyrics and meaning within this song dealt with Tool on a personal level. In many interviews that I've read with the band there was a general lack of communication going on between the band members since their last show, the creation of A Perfect Circle, and other things, up until the band finally got back together to record Lateralus. This song is an observation of that, I think. When they were communicating, things were wonderful; when they weren't things were rocky; and now that they're communicating again, so on and so forth.

The lovers/brothers line in the song makes it universal. Brothers/friends' relationships cannot function without communication, and neither can the relationship between lovers.

[Hurt]

"Cold, cold, cold, cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion."

The repetition of "cold," could, to a degree, show that some people have trouble communicating through their entire lives and as a result have to studder. The studdering brings a shame, and they stop talking altogether.

The line itself has a common message: If no one understands, if no one listens, if no one speaks, then there is no compassion. There's no understanding.

Coolio: "If they don't understand, then how can they reach me? I guess they can't. I guess they won't."

Skold: "It's dark and I'm lonely, so cold, so alone. All that I know now, I should have known then."

Tool: "Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion."

If you see the link I'm making, it'll make sense. If not, then think about it all for yourself.

[hyeboy]

Think of communication as a muscle. Let's say you've broken your leg, and it is in a cast for a month. When the cast comes of, you have no strength in the muscles from lack of use. All those things that came to you second nature are now a struggle. It's almost as if you have to learn everything all over again.

Same goes for communication. When there is none, you basically become numb. The lack of use makes it so that you forget compasion and understanding. Once you start to communicated again, these things have to be re-discovered. Communication has to be exercised in order to stay in condition.

I have read time and again how everything is a struggle for this band. So much thought and spiritual currency coming from four different angles will surely lead to burning a hole between those four angles. Thankfully, Tool over came that atrophy before it completely dismantled the band like so many of thier contemporaries. Hmmm.....maybe there IS a God ;)

[J1516]

I really like this song. The first half of the lyrics are great (right up until "ive done the math..."). My favorites are "pure intention juxtaposed will set two lovers souls in motion, desintigrating as it goes" "the light that fueled our fire then has burned a whole between us" and "no fault, none to blame it doesn't mean I don't desire to point the finger, blame the other, watch the temple topple over, to bring the pieces back together" because they talk about the beginning and end of a relationship. At first two very different people come together, but as time goes by the passion heated by their differences has torn them apart. The very thing that creates the relationship seems to be what destroys it. But usually it's really nobodies fault when the relationship ends, but the pain is there, and you still think you could get things to work. The best part is when the guitar and bass do their solos. They sound so beautiful. It's like you're watching the tearing apart of the pieces that held you together.
The song also deals with the isolation that comes in the destruction of this relationship. The reason that the relationship didn't work out and there was o communication is due to self isolation. The isolation doesn't just affect the relationship, as you are also affected by the lonliness. You feel like you're drifting away from everything for a while. At the end he struggles to fix this but ultimately nothing can be done because of the isolation and lack of communication.
For some reason it reminds me of this (I think maybe the mom and dad are the two grown lovers in the song):
"And this is the room
One afternoon I knew I could love you
And from above you how I sank into your soul
Into that secret place where no one dares to go
And your mom would sink until she was no longer speaking
And dad would dream of all the different ways to die
Each one a little more than he could dare to try"
-Jeff Magnum

[RandomJohnson]

Though the song can have meanings regarding anything to do with communication between any persons, I agree with the point brought out in the original post - about how the song is about the communication between the band members. I saw an interview with the band prior to the release of lateralus, and the guys spoke of some disagreements in the song writing process, but how they were able to get through and get past that, unlike some of the bands they "grew up" with back in the early 90s - Rage especially.

[Rhymic]

Maynard is so good at predicting things it's kinda funny. In Schism he says that it takes a temple to topple over to bring people back together and rediscover communication. Do you remember how patriotic everyone became after the 9/11 attacks? It was hard to find anything to buy that had red, white, and blue on it for a while.
What's great about pretty much any Tool song is that you can use any song as a metaphor for what happens in your own life. Schism seems like it can be the story of the band, person to person relationships, and global unity all at once. But it may even have a meaning that's not thought of yet.
I think that the global unity one is the one to look at though. If we communicate as humans from country to country we can become one, instead of keeping ourselves separate from one another because of cultures and such. If we can become one, then we can be so much more. Then the words of Reflection come to mind where we can all become one mind.
Maybe Tool wants people to think and over analyze their music so they can sit back and laugh at people's ideas. Who knows?