saut
05-17-2004, 05:42 PM
This is taken from a thread in the general Lateralus discussion board. I'm posting it here so that more people can be aware of it.
It has been theorized that the significance of the colors black, white, red, and yellow is that those are the first colors to be seen by new-born children. I, however, pose a different theory -- one that is backed by Maynard himself in this interview: http://cdicarlo.com/paper_04maynard.htm
The following excerpt from the above interview is where I derived my theory:
In the song "Lateralus" you refer to the origins of perceptual observation i.e. "Black then white are all I see in my infancy", "red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me, lets me see". Again, is this more of a metaphor or are you being literal? The reason I ask is because human developmental reasoning is one of my areas of research. That is, to what degree are we born with human propensities for perception, speech, responses, etc., and to what extent are these learned behaviours?
MK: "I use the archetype stories of North American aboriginals and the themes or colours which appear over and over again in the oral stories handed down through generations. Black, white, red, and yellow play very heavily in aboriginal stories of creation."
Here, Maynard shoots down the idea of the colors being symbolic of human development. He instead refers to Native American mythology as the source.
What significance do these colors have in NA mythology?
Black symbolizes: introspection and reflection
White symbolizes: wisdom and knowledge
Red symbolizes: passion and emotions
Yellow symbolizes: the dawning of a new day and inspiration
(I knew taking that course in American mythology would come in handy one day!)
Applying these symbolic meanings to the lyrics of Lateralus, I have come to the following conclusions:
At first "black and white is all I see" -- perhaps introspection and reflection through meditation, which in turn leads to a gain in wisdom and knowledge of oneself.
After this new knowledge is acheived, "red and yellow come to be" -- the coming of emotion, passion, and the dawning of a new day. "Embrace the desire to feel the rhythm...to feel inspired... to witness the beauty... " These lines in particular heavily reflect emotion. It is finally through emotion and passion that the breakthrough occurs -- perhaps a higher state of conciousness achieved. The dawning of a new day and inspiration.
I apologize that my thoughts are a little jumbled toward the end, but I hope I'm getting my point across. I'm not 100% sure that this is what Tool intended, but it seems extremely plausable, especially in light of the above interview excerpt. Please share your thoughts.
It has been theorized that the significance of the colors black, white, red, and yellow is that those are the first colors to be seen by new-born children. I, however, pose a different theory -- one that is backed by Maynard himself in this interview: http://cdicarlo.com/paper_04maynard.htm
The following excerpt from the above interview is where I derived my theory:
In the song "Lateralus" you refer to the origins of perceptual observation i.e. "Black then white are all I see in my infancy", "red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me, lets me see". Again, is this more of a metaphor or are you being literal? The reason I ask is because human developmental reasoning is one of my areas of research. That is, to what degree are we born with human propensities for perception, speech, responses, etc., and to what extent are these learned behaviours?
MK: "I use the archetype stories of North American aboriginals and the themes or colours which appear over and over again in the oral stories handed down through generations. Black, white, red, and yellow play very heavily in aboriginal stories of creation."
Here, Maynard shoots down the idea of the colors being symbolic of human development. He instead refers to Native American mythology as the source.
What significance do these colors have in NA mythology?
Black symbolizes: introspection and reflection
White symbolizes: wisdom and knowledge
Red symbolizes: passion and emotions
Yellow symbolizes: the dawning of a new day and inspiration
(I knew taking that course in American mythology would come in handy one day!)
Applying these symbolic meanings to the lyrics of Lateralus, I have come to the following conclusions:
At first "black and white is all I see" -- perhaps introspection and reflection through meditation, which in turn leads to a gain in wisdom and knowledge of oneself.
After this new knowledge is acheived, "red and yellow come to be" -- the coming of emotion, passion, and the dawning of a new day. "Embrace the desire to feel the rhythm...to feel inspired... to witness the beauty... " These lines in particular heavily reflect emotion. It is finally through emotion and passion that the breakthrough occurs -- perhaps a higher state of conciousness achieved. The dawning of a new day and inspiration.
I apologize that my thoughts are a little jumbled toward the end, but I hope I'm getting my point across. I'm not 100% sure that this is what Tool intended, but it seems extremely plausable, especially in light of the above interview excerpt. Please share your thoughts.