What I think Tool Meant by the Patient

[Jutti]

This song is about Maynards path, a path of self realization, oneness, some call it enlightenment. He begins the song with "Is this a test, it has to be otherwise i cant go on" This test he speaks of is every single moment of his life (and everyone elses as this really does apply to everyone), if every single moment is not a test of his patience and his will to starve the vampire that drains him of his energy and vitality than he is the most supreme being possible, but obviously he is not, for he states "it has to be otherwise i cant go on" There would be no room to grow if every moment of his life was not a test. the next line is "draining patience, vitality this paralyzed paranoid vampire acts a little old" The vampire is symbolic of the part of his self that drains his own energy, the part that want to indulge in external desires, mostly the mind, the part that dramatizes, rearranges and over analyzes. He expresss his own frustration, of this vampires routine patterns that are truly getting old, yet he must have the patience to not give in, to not indulge to not give the vampire his daily meal, then the vampire will eventually be gone altogether. " but im still right here, giving blood keeping faith, but im still right here" This part shows us where he is at, that he is still feeding this vampire" this part of the song makes me think that it was written to ask for patience needed to get rid of that feeding of the vampire, a call to him self, to make sure he doesnt forget. "if there were no rewards to reap, knowing embrace the same thing through, this tedious path ive chosen here, certainly would have walked away by now" He is saying here that he must do things without expecting reward, this is his only way to go on without the ego, without the vampire. he then goes on to say "but i still may, but i still may" he is saying that he still may walk away from the path, this part stirs something in my heart,then from out of nowhere comes his absolutely determined force of danny carrey and the rest of the band, and its like "NO!" we are stronger than that, we can do this. Its very inspiring and powerful, it shows the band members own personl power. "I must keep reminding myself of this" this verse goes back to what isaid before about maynard asking for patience and making sure he doesnt forget. This song is absolutely enriching, very positive, and again, another exercize in transformation for tool and anyone else who cares utilize it

[Pierre-Paul]

I like your point. It is close to reality and it would make sens that Maynard meant this while writing the song.

But, since you called the tread "what I think tool meant by the patient", I feel like I want to say what *I* think about the song.

For me, this song is about love.
Maybe about someone loving another one that does not know about it. The fact that he has to keep this to himself it is the "vampire" draining his energy and paralysing him.

But he still "gives blood", (gives efforts to get noticed) and "keep faith" (that the other person will feel the same way.)

He is "waiting out" the opportunity of letting his live go, of telling his feelings.
"the reward" of course is love. He must get reminded sometimes that his patience will be rewarded.

Anyway, I won't do it line by line, but I feel that it relates to the song.

[replica]

nice thoughts.

i don't know if you have thought this or what, but every album seems to be a different part of maynard's/the band's journey.
opiate starts it all off
undertow: getting closer.......
aenima seems to be the sumit
lateralus seems to be looking back on this journey, i don't think its the end of it, but i could be wrong. i guess we will have to wait for the next album, if there is one. to see whether or not the band is gonna take us further into it or is gonna end it, or start a new one, who knows? only they do

[Metatron's Cube]

I dont think its too wrong to try and guess what Tool meant by the lyrics, its kind of the fun of it, you think they are speaking directly to parts of you that agree with them. In the end though, Im sure they were trying to mean many of those our ideas all at the same time, and stir up these discussions and questioning in you in the first place. To provide a mirror to look at yourself and figure out what you feel about these things.

Im my mind, what Maynard means when he sings this song is a bit similar, but different. I think this song is about the thought process of looking at life as a struggle, hopefully with some kind of eternal reward at the end. Looking at it like this you grudgingly go on, hoping it will all be worth it in the end. "if there were no rewards to reap, knowing embrace the same thing through, this tedious path I’ve chosen here, certainly would have walked away by now." But instead, he “waits it out”, I think by the end of the album, it becomes obvious this is flawed thinking. The path IS the purpose.

There dosent have to be a reward to reap, and the process of realization is foreshadowed in lines like. “If there were no desire to heal, The damaged and broken met along, This tedious path I've chosen here” . The first half of that phrase negates the last half, it makes the path not tedious, this hasn’t been realized by the yet "narrator" of this story of self realization.

I dont think that “The vampire is symbolic of the part of his self that drains his own energy, the part that want to indulge in external desires” as Jutti said. I think that desires are to be indulged, and that is the whole point of songs like Lateralus. To live for the living, in such a way that the purpose of it IS the living, and the less you “over-analyze”, and step outside of your preconceived notion of it, the more you get it right.

[Apologetic Lie]

I think the song can definitly be about how you have to be patient with everything you go through. But I also think this song could also relate to the whole trouble Tool had to go through with the making of Lateralus, such as the court ordeal and everything else that goes into making an album, all the arguments that occur, etc. But when the end product turns out the way Tool's songs do, it's all worth it. Patience is definitly a key to making an album.

[Jutti]

hey i like ur follow up and it made me realize that i didnt express things as impeccably as i should have. Your right about how desires should be indulged, and the way i think about it now that i have read what u had to say, i really mean the vampire would be the symbolic part that drains the self, by HAVING desires, not by indulging in them, but instead to not have them at all, denying desires is no good ur right. I find that what u have written in ur follow up reflects what i think about the song but didnt express straight up. -Jutti

[freedom]

i like Perrie-Paul's idea it's new... Maybe when he says be patient he means be the patient. You will be healed. the song talks about how he(maynard,God) knows you've suffered..."Giving Blood..." and he knows that you've been "keeping faith..." And he knows that you are impatient "but im still right here..." The song DOES mean be patient but it also means that you are the patient and to be patient because you will heal...

[Faaip_de_Oiad]

Personally, I believe this song is about a person who has just gotten out of a tough relationship. I believe its about someone trying get back up on their feet and try again, and to try to change everything that has gone to shit but its so frustrating and draining. The "vampire act" has gotten a little old. So the person thinks positive thoughts and tells himself to "be patient" and "wait it out", because things will get better. After all, if there was no reward to reap (which would be some sort of loving relationship or embrace) what would be the point of even trying? He definately would have walked away if not for the potential great reward. So he must be patient and constantly remind himself to be patient, because in the end it will all work out.

[mjkane14]

Oddly enough the thought process of Pierre-Paul was the exact same as mine the first time I heard this song. "The Patient" seems to be one of those songs that relates directly to me. The situation constantly comes up in my life where I find myself doing anything for someone, wanting more then what I'm getting in return, but not saying anything about it. I try to tell myself that I should just let out all my feelings, however I listen to "The Patient" and remember that I really should be patient and if something is going to happen it will.

[sinthasis]

I agree with Metatron's Cube; but, I thought the lyrics were "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." I guess I could be wrong.
In a way, "The Patient" is a rare Tool song; it's one in which hope for mankind is restored. I can listen to this song and gain the strength to pick up and move on with my day. At the most crucial moments, the soothing lyrics of "The Patient" envelope you with hope and reason. It's a beautiful experience.

[unumveritas]

I think that Maynard refers to a certain "vampire act" that Bill Hicks had mentioned in "Rant in E Minor." Bill Hicks was poking fun at the Catholic faith saying that their "vampire priests sink their twin fangs of fear and guilt into you, sucking out the joy.....etc." Hence the "paranoid, paralysed" line. Being paranoid is the caused by feelings of guilt, and we are all familiar with the phrase "paralysed by fear."
I find more than a few correlations between the work of Bill Hicks and the work of Tool. I think Maynard, like Hicks, is "pounding his [views] on the American mentality." I think that's what this song is about. It's about how he sees his body of work as a "tool" that we could use to "wake up." And he will continue to give blood (his essence, his art) and keep faith that it will come to something, if anything. To evolve past this stumbling block that is religion: the opiate of the masses. We can be spiritual without adhering to a politically-charged dogma that is meant to put chains on our spirit.
Osho (the spiritually-incorrect mystic) states that it is the business of the church to make one feel guilty, since it is this emotion more than any other, that makes the people continue to attend church. Make no mistake: the church is a business like any other. That their product is abstract and subjective is what distacts us from this truth.
This is a vein that runs throughout the album. A spirituality that is borne out of love, not fear.

[matt]

does anyone see that Maynard is speakin of his path as a lead singer of TOOL? It's clear to me that he is referring to his life as the inspirer of so many lives. He's thought of walking away but our loving embrace sees him through. His vampire act is getting old but he's being patient. He has been through alot but he knows that the reward to reap is his ability to help our healing. Is this a test? Yes. Be patient, Maynard. Don't walk away.

[aeternus0]

"i must keep reminding myself of this ..." - 4

does anyone else find this to be the climactic moment in the song, where the final and most difficult struggle takes place?

i see it as a representation of Life, a Life which is all to often dulled down and passes by unnoticed. i becomes 'tedius', drained of all its 'vitality', as we become apathetic to the world around us.

waking up from this seeming slumber i have found to be one of the hardest things to accomplish ... these moments of clarity seem never to last more than a few moments, before a kind of laziness brings us back onto our tedius path.

just a little friendly interpretation :)