Chomsky
04-26-2006, 07:42 PM
Well, since we all (in theory) have a particular place in our hearts for Tool and what their lyrics mean to us, I thought I'd share my immediate perception (after deciphering the lyrics (helped by this forum) and what relevance it has to me.
This is merely conjecture, I may be right, I may be wrong, in reality it matters little as long as I feel I have taken a lot from the song, which I have.
Anyone is free to disagree and anyone is free to contribute, I love the fact we can all take something seperate from this.
I am going to go with what *appears* to be the most full conclusion of lyrics printed on the board so far and run with it.
Who are you to wave your finger?
You must've been out your head
Eye-ball deep in muddy waters
You practically raised the dead
Rob the grave to snow the cradle
Then burn the evidence down
Soapbox house of cards and glass so
Dont go tossing your stones around
You must've been high
You must've been high
You must've been
Foot in mouth and head up ass
So what ya talking bout?
Difficult to dance round this one
'Till you pull it out, boy
You must've been so high
You must've been so high
Steal, borrow, reap and save your shady inference
Kangaroo done hung the jury with the innocent
Now you're weeping shades of chosen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle
You must've been high, high
You must've been high, high
Who are you to wave your finger? So full of it
Eyeballs deep in muddy waters, fucking hypocrite
Liar, lawyer, mirror, show me, whats the difference?
Kangaroo done hung the guilty with the innocent
Now you're weeping shades of chosen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle
You must've been
So who are you to wave your finger?
Who are you to wave your fatty fingers at me?
You must have been out your mind
Weeping shades of indigo
Trapped without a reason
Weeping shades of indigo
Liar, lawyer, mirror, for you, whats the difference?
Kangaroo be stoned, he's guilty as the government
Now you're weeping shades of chosen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye, eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle
You must've been high, high, high, high
Eyeballs deep in muddy waters
Elbows deep in muddy waters
Catch up with lies
You must have been out your mind
I am fully aware the lyrics could be very different, but they are close enough, and with time we will learn the true lyrics (although the intention may continue to be open for debate...forever).
To me, this seems like a personal attack on someone, the general consensus being the US government, I can see that point of view but I think it can also be construed in a different light.
Have you ever been in a situation, whereby a friend, maybe even a fellow tool fan, has turned his back on this open minded, transcendental, optimistic and driven point of view in favour of the "accepted norms of society".
I'll provide an analogy.
In 1984, Winston Smith eventually ends up believing that 2+2=5, after having his sense and reason and love of the human spirit beaten out of him.
I for one have witnessed various men fall by the roadside, on the ultimate path to open minded reason, due to their cowardice when facing up to society, and the pressures it exerts upon people, specifically intellectually minded people who wish for it to change (which in a sense, can be compared with the US oil analogy - in a roundabout way, although much deeper and more profoundly impacting on our psyche's).
Anyway, having watched various men fall to this "normal" way of life, to the point in which they sacrificed their own beliefs; even their own minds almost, in favour of the "2.4 children, government is good, adulthood is about living in "reality" instead of hope etc"
One specifically stands out, a particularly close friend of mine, this song constantly draws parallels regarding my feelings towards his hypocritical and cowardly shift from believing in a more anarchic way (hoping for change, for love of humanity, for understanding that balance and compassion is needed) (if that is really anarchic) towards a more defeatist, judgemental, selfish perception of the world.
A sad thing of course, however, let me go on!
Now, as someone who I used to smoke a lot of pot with (we have, at this point, both stopped), he tends to be extremely judgemental about anything closely resembling free will, open mindedness, positive change and anyone who dares question the status quo. (Rob the grave to snow the cradle). He now professes to feel better than he ever did (You must've been high)
In short, he embraced evil (in my eyes - a spiritual, personal, immoral evil) for an "easy life". (Foot in mouth and head up ass So what ya talking bout?)
His opinionated shit towards a new dawn of thought among men, enlightened men and an enlightened world, suffocated due to fear and cowardice, causes him to essentially judge anyone now with the previous opinions he once shared. (maybe out of resentment at their strength or his own fear)
In short - a fucking hypocrite.
Also ties in with the whole "pot calling the kettle black" base of the song and the "Trapped without a reason" bit.
The thing is, he knows it, but he's made his choice.
In my eyes at least this song can have meanings beyond the current oil obsession (which in fairness is probably what the song is about), to me however, it will take on a duel message of anger of both those who love the oil and will kill for it in their stupid, evil ways, and those who will turn their back on the very change Tool promotes and hopes for in favour of these fucks who are ruining this society we live in.
I guess it just shows how fantastic the lyrics are that MJK comes up with. Every Tool song pretty much affects people for different reasons. All brilliant lyricists have that effect. :)
The worst thing, my "friend" still listens to Tool and claims to love it, yet couldn't give you one formulative conclusion in the last few years about what any lyrics from Lateralus or this album may be.
I'm not saying I'm right, and maybe I'm completely wrong and I just have a retarded friend, but I thought I may as well throw it into the fray for the sake of discussion for anyone to read and percieve.
Good luck fellow tool fans!
This is merely conjecture, I may be right, I may be wrong, in reality it matters little as long as I feel I have taken a lot from the song, which I have.
Anyone is free to disagree and anyone is free to contribute, I love the fact we can all take something seperate from this.
I am going to go with what *appears* to be the most full conclusion of lyrics printed on the board so far and run with it.
Who are you to wave your finger?
You must've been out your head
Eye-ball deep in muddy waters
You practically raised the dead
Rob the grave to snow the cradle
Then burn the evidence down
Soapbox house of cards and glass so
Dont go tossing your stones around
You must've been high
You must've been high
You must've been
Foot in mouth and head up ass
So what ya talking bout?
Difficult to dance round this one
'Till you pull it out, boy
You must've been so high
You must've been so high
Steal, borrow, reap and save your shady inference
Kangaroo done hung the jury with the innocent
Now you're weeping shades of chosen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle
You must've been high, high
You must've been high, high
Who are you to wave your finger? So full of it
Eyeballs deep in muddy waters, fucking hypocrite
Liar, lawyer, mirror, show me, whats the difference?
Kangaroo done hung the guilty with the innocent
Now you're weeping shades of chosen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle
You must've been
So who are you to wave your finger?
Who are you to wave your fatty fingers at me?
You must have been out your mind
Weeping shades of indigo
Trapped without a reason
Weeping shades of indigo
Liar, lawyer, mirror, for you, whats the difference?
Kangaroo be stoned, he's guilty as the government
Now you're weeping shades of chosen indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye, eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle
You must've been high, high, high, high
Eyeballs deep in muddy waters
Elbows deep in muddy waters
Catch up with lies
You must have been out your mind
I am fully aware the lyrics could be very different, but they are close enough, and with time we will learn the true lyrics (although the intention may continue to be open for debate...forever).
To me, this seems like a personal attack on someone, the general consensus being the US government, I can see that point of view but I think it can also be construed in a different light.
Have you ever been in a situation, whereby a friend, maybe even a fellow tool fan, has turned his back on this open minded, transcendental, optimistic and driven point of view in favour of the "accepted norms of society".
I'll provide an analogy.
In 1984, Winston Smith eventually ends up believing that 2+2=5, after having his sense and reason and love of the human spirit beaten out of him.
I for one have witnessed various men fall by the roadside, on the ultimate path to open minded reason, due to their cowardice when facing up to society, and the pressures it exerts upon people, specifically intellectually minded people who wish for it to change (which in a sense, can be compared with the US oil analogy - in a roundabout way, although much deeper and more profoundly impacting on our psyche's).
Anyway, having watched various men fall to this "normal" way of life, to the point in which they sacrificed their own beliefs; even their own minds almost, in favour of the "2.4 children, government is good, adulthood is about living in "reality" instead of hope etc"
One specifically stands out, a particularly close friend of mine, this song constantly draws parallels regarding my feelings towards his hypocritical and cowardly shift from believing in a more anarchic way (hoping for change, for love of humanity, for understanding that balance and compassion is needed) (if that is really anarchic) towards a more defeatist, judgemental, selfish perception of the world.
A sad thing of course, however, let me go on!
Now, as someone who I used to smoke a lot of pot with (we have, at this point, both stopped), he tends to be extremely judgemental about anything closely resembling free will, open mindedness, positive change and anyone who dares question the status quo. (Rob the grave to snow the cradle). He now professes to feel better than he ever did (You must've been high)
In short, he embraced evil (in my eyes - a spiritual, personal, immoral evil) for an "easy life". (Foot in mouth and head up ass So what ya talking bout?)
His opinionated shit towards a new dawn of thought among men, enlightened men and an enlightened world, suffocated due to fear and cowardice, causes him to essentially judge anyone now with the previous opinions he once shared. (maybe out of resentment at their strength or his own fear)
In short - a fucking hypocrite.
Also ties in with the whole "pot calling the kettle black" base of the song and the "Trapped without a reason" bit.
The thing is, he knows it, but he's made his choice.
In my eyes at least this song can have meanings beyond the current oil obsession (which in fairness is probably what the song is about), to me however, it will take on a duel message of anger of both those who love the oil and will kill for it in their stupid, evil ways, and those who will turn their back on the very change Tool promotes and hopes for in favour of these fucks who are ruining this society we live in.
I guess it just shows how fantastic the lyrics are that MJK comes up with. Every Tool song pretty much affects people for different reasons. All brilliant lyricists have that effect. :)
The worst thing, my "friend" still listens to Tool and claims to love it, yet couldn't give you one formulative conclusion in the last few years about what any lyrics from Lateralus or this album may be.
I'm not saying I'm right, and maybe I'm completely wrong and I just have a retarded friend, but I thought I may as well throw it into the fray for the sake of discussion for anyone to read and percieve.
Good luck fellow tool fans!