The Title of the song

[Cylith]

I was wondering what everyone thinks of the title of this song.

Some people seem to think "The Patient" as in "That is the hospital patient." This would be the noun form.

Other people seem to think "The Patient" as in "We are the patient ones." This would be the adjective form. (This is the form I tend to think about when listening to the song.)

What does anyone else think? Any other thoughts on the title of the song besides just thinking noun vs. adjective?

[Handsome B Wonderful]

I always thought the title sounded slightly misleading given the lyrics.

[Windir]

Yeah, the title makes you think of a 'Patient', like Cylith said, as one person or as all the people in the world, but in the song MJK sings:
"Wait it out,
Gonna wait it out,
Be patient (wait it out)."

It's very missleading.

[Cylith]

I think that the title could mean both ways (noun or adjective), but in the song is seems to be more of an adjective.

[Handsome B Wonderful]

I think that the title could mean both ways (noun or adjective), but in the song is seems to be more of an adjective.

I just think it doesn't fit. The title suggests a patient, while the lyrics are about patience.

[Cylith]

I think the title suggests a patient to you. (This is an opinion forum, therefore you are not right or wrong.)

To me, since the song is about being patient, it makes a lot of sense for the title to be so as well. Like in the sentence "We are The Patient ones." (That right there could be the meaning of the title.)

[Mehhico]

I had always related it to The Grudge, in that The Grudge may refer to a great, or major grudge of history (possibly Gods grudge against the fallen angels?). I think The Patient refers to a significant time in history where someone had to be, or was forced to be, patient.

Take care,
Andy

[Choise]

I was wondering what everyone thinks of the title of this song.

After looking at all the 'good' ideas about what this song is about I concluded two good ones. I will start off with The Patient meaning 'the recipient of any of various personal services'. The best thing you can possibly be handed is the word The, it narrows the field 200%.

One of the better explanations of this song is that people hold onto lots of things that are worthless because we are told that is how we should live by society. Not many people tell you to question or to step outside the norm. We are The Patient of out society and it is holding us down. Kinda like the idea The Matrix is expressing. I mean really if you see the word The before something it really means a lot.

Second The Patient as in 'manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain'. This would mean that even though it is tough to step outside the box and try questioning things you should because there are rewards to reap, there is a loving embrace to see me through. I mean hell why do you think they call it philosophy - Love of Wisdom.

These two explanations are complementary to each other, one is an observation of an ignorant life and the other is an observation of an open life. The name fits to both and makes the song complete.

[UncnciousShadow]

Patient: Capable of calmly awaiting an outcome or result; not hasty or impulsive.

I think The Patient, as with many Tool songs, can be summed up in one word; religion. Anyways, due to personal experiences, this is how I view alot of Tool songs. In my opinion, The Patient is about how its hard to be patient when following a religion, it can be frustrating, I used to be religious, but after following my religion for so long i realized that I wasnt getting anything back for my time and dedication. -
"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."
-and I decided to question whether or not I should keep bieng faithful. So there you go, in my opinion, the title relates to bieng patient with religion.

[lostintrancendense]

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT RELIGION BUT A BREAK FROM THE WHOLE COLLECTIVE OF HUMAN CONCIOUSNESS AND IT'S BOUNDARIES BY ALLOWING ONES SELF TO TRANCEND OUR VASTLY LIMITED REALITIES WE CAN EASILY LET CRUMBLE,SIMPLY BY CLOSING YOUR EYES THEN RELAX, AND JUST BREAK AWAY FOR NOW.

[Cylith]

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT RELIGION BUT A BREAK FROM THE WHOLE COLLECTIVE OF HUMAN CONCIOUSNESS AND IT'S BOUNDARIES BY ALLOWING ONES SELF TO TRANCEND OUR VASTLY LIMITED REALITIES WE CAN EASILY LET CRUMBLE,SIMPLY BY CLOSING YOUR EYES THEN RELAX, AND JUST BREAK AWAY FOR NOW.

Capitol letters symbolize yelling usually. Just thought I'd let you know.

[Cylith]

This is something short I wrote in another thread about the song as a whole:

"This song has so many meanings...

Whenever there is a time in my life where I'm having difficulties, this song seems to fit perfectly.

This song's meaning is what you make of it, no matter what the members of Tool were thinking when they wrote it."

[diedtolive]

noun or adj. i think its the same. a patient in a hospital or any patient for that matter needs to have patience. the patient of anything and the patience for anything. so i think either way u look at it. its still the same.

[Secrets&Stilettos]

Both. As died said. In order to be labeled a patient, you are obviously experiencing a weakness of some sort. You can give up, think it's hopeless, and fade away or you can be patient....

[Machiavelli70]

I think the two different interperetations are complimentary -- certainly not an accident on behalf of Tool. Obviously, "The Patient" is on one hand the plural noun, the collective of those who are patient. Just like Stinkfist and Prison Sex, it's an examination of a human trait (tolerance instead of addiction or indoctrination) from the first person. Also, it could be the singular noun referring to a person receiving services for health-related reasons. The "vampire act" -- giving blood for the sake of another, to receive a reward or "loving embrace" is part of it. This is the opposite to The Grudge and and Intolerance. It also raises the question of "Why do we help others?" To reap our own rewards, even if it's their "loving embrace." And there's no commandment with this, like there is with The Grudge. It's just an examination. The ability to examine impartially is one thing I admire Tool for.

So yeah, a lot of reiteration there, but I did it for continuity's sake, rather than exceeding 10 characters.

[forty6n2]

i think you all are overcomplicating the title. it seems the song is talking about life in general in my perception. but i believe Maynard means it as his music career. how tedious it can be but the rewards keep him going even though there is frustration and complications in his life. the title is referring to a group of people who are Patient, and thats it. he is one of the patient because he sticks to his bands and writes hit songs and performs them no matter how much shit people give him cos there are many people that hate TOOL and just dont understand. maybe hes just being patient with the bullshit. adjective for sure

[Archetype]

I think both noun and adj.
"Be Patient" is adj and the title "The Patient" is noun.

[astaroth]

Yeah, the title makes you think of a 'Patient', like Cylith said, as one person or as all the people in the world, but in the song MJK sings:
"Wait it out,
Gonna wait it out,
Be patient (wait it out)."

It's very missleading.
N a i disagree, i believe that what the title is saying is a state that the person is in e.g. The grudge is about letting go of "the grudge"

look at the title in a similar context to that of say a deck of tarot cards with all they're names starting with The......

Say for instance The Watcher......denotes someone who watches

in that light The Patient denotes someone who is patient

[Machiavelli70]

It does denounce patience in the face of being able to do something. By GOD I hate how true this song is -- it applies to some very, very hard issues in my life, especially where other people just subject themselves to torture, as they're too afraid to end it. They just "wait it out" and have a "desire to heal" which (mis)guides them into just taking all that damage.

I still think "The Patient" is a plural noun, and the song is a description (and criticism) of them.

[Choise]

N a i disagree, i believe that what the title is saying is a state that the person is in e.g. The grudge is about letting go of "the grudge"

look at the title in a similar context to that of say a deck of tarot cards with all they're names starting with The......

Say for instance The Watcher......denotes someone who watches

in that light The Patient denotes someone who is patient

The patient, would be talking about a classification of people who are patient, when The Patient can also talk about a single person who is under the 'care' of another. I have to disagree with you saying the title of The Grudge implies that The Patient is also being used in the same way. Also we are talking about the title, and the title of The Grudge, I think I can safely say is talking about the grudge which dominates a persons life. Its not a grudge its The Grudge.
Also I don't know anything about tarot cards, but The Watcher would be talking about either the most important watcher, or the watcher who was inquired about. ie. Is that the gardener, the chef, or the watcher?

[beastenick]

I always thought the title sounded slightly misleading given the lyrics.

i think its pretty straightforward..... christian nomenclature: the meek, the humble, the patient. the song is all about patience, and the patient are those who are patient. nothing to do with hospitals.

[dsl]

MJK reiterating an old proverb: good things come to those who wait.

[Archaeologist]

Frankly, I think that the title is used more as a verb. The feeling of the song suggests patience as a state rather than a description or a thing. I know if you check the dictionary you won't find patient as a verb, but I still think it's possible.

[svet-am]

Frankly, I think that the title is used more as a verb. The feeling of the song suggests patience as a state rather than a description or a thing. I know if you check the dictionary you won't find patient as a verb, but I still think it's possible.


I read it as being both noun and verb. The subject of the song is both the 'patient' as in 'person under the supervision of a caregiver/experimenter' of the relationship as a whole and what is doing to him/her.

I also read it as being 'the patient' as in being the plural of 'those who are willing to wait'. In this context, the subject of the song is simply waiting and waiting for things to get better in the relationship because he/she does not see it as being totally unworthy of saving, but increasingly getting to the point of flushing the whole thing down the drain.

To me, this is just another classical example of TOOL embedding double entendres in damn near everything they do.

[Archaeologist]

I read it as being both noun and verb. The subject of the song is both the 'patient' as in 'person under the supervision of a caregiver/experimenter' of the relationship as a whole and what is doing to him/her.

I also read it as being 'the patient' as in being the plural of 'those who are willing to wait'. In this context, the subject of the song is simply waiting and waiting for things to get better in the relationship because he/she does not see it as being totally unworthy of saving, but increasingly getting to the point of flushing the whole thing down the drain.

To me, this is just another classical example of TOOL embedding double entendres in damn near everything they do.


I agree entirely, and put so eloquently as well! Personally, the verb/plural meaning speaks to me loudest throughout the song, but duality is definitely present in the meaning. Another one of those traditional Tool elements that we (hopefully) all know and love!

[Cylith]

I know if you check the dictionary you won't find patient as a verb, but I still think it's possible.

I found both verb and adjective forms in the dictionary...

[Machiavelli70]

It's adjective/noun -- no verb. You do not "patient", nor do you "patient" someone (in proper english). One thing that really impressed me was the fact that this song was an -examination- of the human phenomenon of patience, neither supporting nor denouncing it overall. That is one thing I often find hard to do -- write about a subject without bias. We keep bleeding ourselves waiting, but then again, if there was nothing to wait for, we wouldn't wait. You can see it a lot in interpersonal relationships -- people take huge amounts of bullets and shit from others because of their "desire to heal the damaged and broken met."

On the other hand, I believe you could also consider it a satirical examination of waiting -- the end of the song supports this with "I certainly would have walked away by now, and I still may." Also, the "If there was no reward to reap" could be taken as a rhetorical question of sorts: If there's no rewards to reap, why the fuck am I waiting through all this punishment?

And that last is very, very important in life.

[ÆnimaticEnigma]

I think it means the adjective form... just like The Young & Restless (uhh... thats CLEARLY lack of a better example)... Because he isn't a patient... but he's trying to be patient

[findmyself]

I think that maynard is talking to his fellow band members, or his "brothers". It think it was very hard for him, and he might have felt guilty even, about putting TOOL on hold to be a part of APC. I think that the song is about being patient. He is asking for them to be patient, and reassuring them that he is "still right here" and if he wanted to leave on a more permanent level, he would have done it by now. The patient refers to the band in that they are/were patient, and later on he asks them to be patient. Just wait, it will be worth it in the end. Then, later on, comes the song Lateralus, and of course D/R/T.