Jimmy - Wings for Marie - 10,000 Days Analysis

[subtlefury]

First of all, I read on purpose only the threads with the lyrics in order to form opinion on my own. So if something overlaps with someone else’s take on the songs, sorry for that, but I’d be glad if other people see them the same way.

JIMMY

I’m not gonna make any big analysis of “Jimmy”, since we all know what’s it generally about. Just a brief resume to set up for the two parts of Wings, and outline the obvious links.

So in Jimmy we have the singer (Maynard) looking back to a traumatic event in his childhood (losing “the face of his own stability” - his mother Judith, left with “the dead and hopeless” ), trying to establish link with the child in him (Jimmy a.k.a. Eleven) who has stayed there frozen in time - “under a dead Ohio sky, Eleven has been and will be waiting”, “sleeping, lost and numb”. The Jimmy from when Keenan was eleven has something very precious - a light, but Maynard probably was so much hurt that he put all his memories in a dusty corner of his mind and forgot all about it. Now he calls for Jimmy to hold this light and guide him “through each gentle step by step by inch by loaded memory”, so that he can re-live again his memories, find his former self, and his two parts - the child and the adult “reunite and both move on together”. Sweet.

And now we also move on together to…


WINGS FOR MARIE (PT 1)

You…you
You believed
You believed in moments not conceived (none could see or none conceived or God conceived)
You believed in me

A patient in spirit (or a passionate spirit?)
Uncompromised
Boundless and open
A light in your eyes that
Ends all lies

A memento of his mother, actually this whole song is a memento. It is set up in the same past time mentioned in “Jimmy” - when Maynard was eleven.

Vacant, broken
Fell at the hands of those moments
That I wouldn’t see

And now the inevitable has happened, Judith Marie Garrison has suffered a stroke and is left “broken down and paralyzed” (A Perfect Circle - “Judith”). “Fell at the hands of those moments that I wouldn’t see” definitely ties with the first 4 lines of the song, but how exactly is hard for me to say since I still can’t figure out which of the suggested above is the real one he sings…

It was you who prayed for me so
What have I done?
To be a son to an angel
What have I done?
To be worthy

Probably the first time the singer asks himself what has he done to deserve such a mother, not realizing what he’s had until he lost it. Interestingly this one ties with the first paragraph too. His mother believed in him and prayed for him?

Daylight dims leaving cold fluorescence
Difficult to see with this light
Please forgive this selfish question, but
What am I to say to all these ghouls tonight

See now, that’s what I meant when I called the song a memento - this is the same scene as the one depictioned in the first verses of “Jimmy” (What was it like to see, The face of your own stability, Suddenly look away, Leaving you with the dead and hopeless?) The character left with the same dead and hopeless - the ghouls that from now on are going to feed on his mother’s paralyzed body, and another meaning - the child left alone in the dark with its fears.

She never told a lie
Well might have told a lie
But never lived one
Didn’t have a life
Didn’t have a life
But surely saved one
So… I am… alright
Now it’s time for us to let you go

Saving one life, probably refers to Maynard’s as we’ll see later.
The last two lines maybe imply that though the character is back in the past, now he’s not the same vulnerable child from “Jimmy”. The fusion between adult and child that he sang about then, has already happened, they are now as one, and jimmy has coped with his past fears already. This whole memento was not pointed towards the eleven year-old, it’s towards his mother this time, and now it’s time to let her go, to move on with…

[subtlefury]

10,000 DAYS (WINGS PT 2)

listen to the tales and romanticize
how we follow the path of the hero

Romanticize = lie to ourselves that we are walking the right path to salvation.
I guess the “hero” here is Jesus, but the reference is used with some irony, especially having in mind that Maynard’s talking about “tales”. I mean, who would call Jesus a “hero”??? “Savior”, “Redeemer”, “Messiah” - ok, but “hero”? O_o
In that line of thought the “tales” could be the Bible.

boast about the day when the rivers overrun
how we rise to the height of our halo

Could be reference to the Judgement Day, and how most people are overconfident about how righteous they are.

listen to the tales as we all rationalize
our way into the arms of the savior
fading all the trials and the tribulations

I figure that one’s against organized religion, against the same overconfident people thinking that going once a week a church or participating in some other religious rite makes them “true believers” and would surely grant them salvation. Following the “Achieve Redemption in 7 easy steps” approach would not only lead you to nowhere, but would also leave you blind for the real trials and tribulations one should pass.

none of us have actually been there
not like you

And none of us have really walked that way,
not like people as Judith who were put to the ultimate test of faith.

ignorant fibbers in the congregation
gather around spewing sympathy
spare me
none of them can even hold a candle up to you
blinded by choices hypocrites won’t ( see / seek )
but, enough about the collective Judas
who could deny you were the one who illuminated
your little piece of the divine

Now we understand where this song is set - Judith’s funeral, attended by a bunch of hypocrites (most likely the same “dead and hopeless” and “ghouls” from the previous songs), people not worthy to hold a candle or to express their sympathies, but still doing it.
So the song could as well be named “10000 days later”, because that’s exactly where in time it takes part, compared to the other two, digging mostly in the past events.
That’s also where the song starts building up, and the rain sound effects kick in. “Blood like rain fallin down, drum on grave and ground…”, remember?
The dead ohio sky has finally raged into a storm, the heavens now ready to except the martyr of her cross.

this little light of mine
the gift you passed onto me
i’ll let it shine
to guide you safely on your way
your way home

That I believe is the reason Maynard sang earlier (and will sing one more time in the outro) that his mother surely saved one life. His one that is, I think. Now we also get to know more about the light that first was mentioned in “Jimmy”. Hard to say if it is just a metaphor for something else, like the way his mother taught him to live his life or the sparkle of life mother gives to a child, but probably this light is the reason Maynard considers his life saved by Judith. A light is mentioned in other Tool songs, bur most notably in “Reflection”, where it bears similar conception to the soul, a piece of the divine reflected in each of us.
And now that the singer has already reunited with the child using that divine light as guidance to put his life together and get back home (again in “Jimmy”), and he has realized it is a gift passed from his mother, he will try to use it once more. But this time it will guide his mother on her last trip home - be it Heaven, some collective conscious, or simply her own “little piece of the divine”.

what are they going to do when the lights go down
without you to guide them home to Zion
what are they going to do when the river is overrun
other than tremble incessantly

Once again a reference to those “dead and hopeless”. They can “romanticize”, ”rationalize” and “boast” as much as they want, but they’ve already lost “the light and the way” that could save them in the end, unlike Maynard who has found it with the help of his mother and thus he is the one saved by her.


high is the way, but our lives are up on the ground. (or “high [is the/as a] wave, but I’ll rise up on the ground”? - reference to flood?aenema?)
you are the light and the way, they’ll only read about
i only pray heaven knows when to lift you out
ten thousand days in the fire is long enough
you’re going home

“Heaven knows when to lift you out”, “you’re going home”
So (for Judith) Heaven is the home she is now heading to.

you’re the only one who can hold your head up high
shake your fists at the gates sayin
“i have come home now!
fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father
tell them their pillar of faith has ascended
it’s time now! My time now!
give me my, give me my wings!”

As the song reaches its climax there’s not much to do but sit back and enjoy that really epic part of it.
As many pointed out it’s not (heh-heh) very common in religion for one to be demanding things from hers/his deity, especially shaking fists and with such a tone. Makes you think how seriously the singer takes that certain deity, doesn’t it?
So in short Maynard’s thoughts are that if Heaven and the Trinity really exist , his mother who has devoted her life in belief (“their pillar of faith”) and has suffered long enough (“ten thousand days in the fire”) deserves to step through the gates. (and get a pair of nifty wings as well)

give me my x5
give me my wings!
you are the light and way that
they will only read about

set as I am in my ways and my arrogance
burning all truth tossed upon the believers
you were my witness
my eyes, my evidence
Judith Marie, unconditional one!

And no matter that Maynard has now set on his own way, that he looks down on all the organized religion and laughs at all “truth” tossed upon the sheep by it. His mother and the light she gave him were the only things that could break through his defense, his lack of faith. The divine isn’t achieved by following blindly the rules set by the hard line religions, it is found within each one of us and people can reach it just as his mother did, no matter the religion, he says.

I just love the way he sings that part, really changes the mood of the song. Just as if the singer tunes in from a different time, to share us his revelation, the reason why he wanted us to witness all he pictured up till now… (very much like the revelation about the light in Reflection)

daylight dims leaving cold fluorescence
difficult to see you in this light
please forgive this bold suggestion
should you see your maker’s face tonight
look him in the eye
look him in the eye, and tell him
“i never lived a lie
never took a life
but surely saved one
hallelujah, its time for you to bring me home”

…and then he addresses his mother again, bidding his farewell with her, finishing what he started in the end of “Wings for Marie”.

The last line bugged me for a while, but I believe it means now that his mother has ascended, no longer imprisoned in her broken shell, they will be able to communicate again, and now she can continue the process of elevating him, things will carry on from where they stopped 27 years ago.


_________


And to all of you who would think Maynard embraces Christianity with that last one, think again, the guy sings “should you see your maker’s face tonight”, so he’s clearly referencing his mother’s beliefs, and still is with a good degree of doubt. (and besides - remember 2005’s April Fools joke… ;) )

btw - To further the “wings” theme - there is a faint sound in the end of “10000 Days” as well in the beginning of “Wings for Marie” that reminds me of wings flapping. The same sound but much louder and clearer is in most of “Viginti Tres” so there is probably link to that track too.
And just to stretch it a bit farther - the flapping stops after the strange god-like voice (“Faaip De Oiad”, anyone?) speaks something unintelligible in “Viginti Tres”, so we can speculate that represents Judith Marie meeting her maker at last.


Oh yeah, the lyrics are compiled from around the forum, about a week ago, and i changed some parts to what i hear, so feel free to disagree with some of the stuff... :)

[soulslot]

I fucking love this song. End of story.

[anajberg]

something worth noting for those of you who believe this is a reflects a change of heart in Maynard towards Christianity - note the way in which he portrays the relationship between Judith Marie and her "maker" - he clearly instills a great degree of personal will and strength of human identity - her goodness makes it right for her to raise her fists to the gate of heaven and demand her wings - and at the end that she has the power to state her case in absolutes - the divine is present in the individual in a way that certainly does not mesh with the teachings of christianity.

What I find most powerful about this is not the power that his mother has in this scene but the desperation on the part of maynard that he reflects by instilling her with this power. Clearly, he'd like nothing more to imagine that there is a heaven and that she is going there, but the doubt is extremely resonant in the nature of the demand.

[Rezbit]

Wow, I thought I liked this song! That is pretty intense.

[AMF]

Unbelievable post.

[subtlefury]

Unbelievable post.

?

[Godbluff]

If only everyone were this thorough in the analysis :) Great job. Very well put together.

[xPOGOx]

Unbelievable post.
Unbelievably long post.

[Jorram]

If only everyone were this thorough in the analysis :) Great job. Very well put together.

My opinion, too :) Congratulations to the author, it manages to perfectly convey your thesis and make it sounding doubtlessly correct

[Oberon]

Unbelievably long post.

hey, its all colorful and well thought out. SOME people CONTRIBUTE rather than just posting a whole lot all day.




/me weeps for hours.

[Locarius]

I agree for the most part. I think these songs are pretty straight forward given the family history... however:

And no matter that Maynard has now set on his own way, that he looks down on all the organized religion and laughs at all “truth” tossed upon the sheep by it. His mother and the light she gave him were the only things that could break through his defense, his lack of faith. The divine isn’t found by following blindly the rules of some high priest, it is within each one of us and people can reach it just as his mother did, no matter the religion, he says.

I don't see this anywhere. He questions the sheep because they have no life experience to juxtapose their beliefs to. They hide in churches because they fear that 'real life' might bring into question their beliefs. I think the conclusions you have jumped to are being projected from your personal beliefs.

[NurseJanet]

Brilliant post. These two songs- 10,000 Days especially - move me, in the listens I've had since getting the new CD. It resonates with my own conflcts of belief, having lost my mother to stroke and brother to cancer. Much as I cannot find logic in religious concepts of life and afterlife, I've witnessed occurrences related to death that are nothing but mystical. The Whole Thing is bigger than what our feeble minds can conceive, to paraphrase Einstein...
I work on a neuro unit and daily I see the agony of patients and their loved ones. Strokes, brain tumors, and other neuro disorders rob people of their minds and bodies in some of the most insidious ways. Many '10,000 Days' are being lived out everywhere...

[ParisD]

...Many '10,000 Days' are being lived out everywhere...

Not to make this a great big REM "Everybody Hurts" stop the freeway weep fest or anything like that, but honestly this is the first Tool song that ever made me cry. Everyone will loose their loved ones and be lost to a loved one. Most of us will have horrible experiences in this regard. The naked pain and respect expressed in this song is as deeply touching as the cynicism is painfully familiar.

[subtlefury]

Unbelievably long post.

agreed :)

[PhillyBoyTempe]

I commend you on this unbelievable post...It's obvious you put in alot of time an effort to decifer the meaning of the work. Nicely done!

[dysthymia2001]

This is a great song because it brings out emotion in the listener. Does anyone else hear the anger Maynard is expressing toward "god" when he demands that Judith get her due? It appears to me that Maynard still has the anger he expresses in "Judith" but it is tempered with the grief of losing his mother and the deep respect he has for her faith. He said "Fuck your god." in Judith and I think he still feels this way. This song pays tribute to Judith Marie's faith and demands that god (if there is a god) reward her.

P.S. I could be wrong on this. I thought "Aenema" was a cautionary tale about letting children swim without proper floatation devices.

[lordofspasms]

If you ever come back home late one night, slightly drunk, switch off the lights and play this song fairly loud (preferably in headphones). The effect is amazing - so many emotions passed through me the first time I did this it was unbelievable.

[troutp]

IT's also unbelievable when you look at the pictures in the booklet while high...try it ;)

[subtlefury]

hey, its all colorful and well thought out. SOME people CONTRIBUTE rather than just posting a whole lot all day.


thanks

About an year ago I read here an opinion about "Pushit", the guy (i don't remember his nick sorry) had outdone himself - he wrote an essay based on the live version of the song featured on Salival. And while the post was waaay long (probably twice my analysis), i liked it a lot, it conveyed all his thoughts and emotions about the song.

So i tried to write something similar for those 3 songs too, though i know it won't be as detailed and emotional, especially since i've been listening to the album for less than a month now, and some of the lyrics might be incorrect/misheard.

But hey it's just my take on the meaning, i wanted to write sth more consolidated, express all my thoughts about it, and if some of you find it too long - well it is . :]

...mainly due to including lyrics, but it makes more sense that way.

[xPOGOx]

hey, its all colorful and well thought out. SOME people CONTRIBUTE rather than just posting a whole lot all day.




/me weeps for hours.
These people are not us.

EDIT: By the way, I do appreciate the organization, colors, and paragraphization (it's a word now, bitch) of the original post though. It's better than me scrolling down for ages and just looking at a block of text.

[clandestine]

..... especially since i've been listening to the album for less than a month now, and some of the lyrics might be incorrect/misheard.
.

So you downloaded it.......... DISSAPOINTED

[I_Zombi]

Great analysis; a lot of food for thought here.


but, enough about the collective judas
who could deny you were the one who would have made it
you’ll have a piece of the divine


I disagree slightly with this interpretation of the lyrics. At least to me, these last two lines sound like:

Who could deny you were the one who illuminated
Your little piece of the divine

When I heard it, I got the sense Maynard was her "little piece of the divine" and the way she lived her life "illuminated" or saved him in some way.

[desertone]

btw - To further the “wings” theme - there is a faint sound in the end of “10000 Days” as well in the beginning of “Wings for Marie” that reminds me of wings flapping. The same sound but much louder and clearer is in most of “Viginti Tres” so there is probably link to that track too.
And just to stretch it a bit farther - the flapping stops after the strange god-like voice (“Faaip De Oiad”, anyone?) speaks something unintelligible in “Viginti Tres”, so we can speculate that’s represents Judith Marie meeting her maker at last.

Excellent post and well thought out! One minor thought, I've been doing an analysis of "Viginti Tres" and the unintelligible word / sound with music sampling tools. With minor manipultion it clearly sounds like "Francisco". A little more research turned up a stunning amount on an artist named Francisco de Goya who was known best for his art depicting man's inhumanity to man as well as Saturn (remember Lateralis). This is a direct tie in to the previous song Right in Two as well as the anti-war covers APC released. Check out the Franco threads for Viginti and the links on Franco de Goya. It seems a very plausible connection, especially with Danny's well publicized interest in "special" art and collectibles.

Other than that minor point, I think your hypothesis is dead on. If anything, whether it was their intent or not, I get the same meaning as you do. Tool has to be happy that so many people are exploring the music, sharing ideas, and thinking for themselves.

-Peace

[subtlefury]

So you downloaded it.......... DISSAPOINTED

well things tend come here with a little lag, and i had some problems raisin money recently :/

but whatever that's not a big excuse, so next week i'm going hunting some of the local stores, having some hope that this time i'll find somethin more than the usual pop-shit

and if that doesn't work out, i guess it's the good ol' Amazon and two weeks of waiting again

[subtlefury]

Now the revised version of the analysis is up, i've put some new parts, hope u like the ideas. Paraflux's fantastic analysis of the album - The fluxerpretation of 10,000 Days (http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=46306) served me as a great catalyst.

Thanks a lot to swaps (http://toolnavy.com/member.php?u=10), who moderated the first two posts in order to replace the old version.

[Pierre-Paul]

I'd say it's a pretty dead-on analysis. Congrats!

[subtlefury]

I've written here - http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=46306&page=11 , kind of theory about the whole album, just 3-4 lines about "Wings / 10,000 Days", but a general opinion how it and the other tracks tie in the album and to other songs, especially Reflection, in case anyone is interested...

.
.

In case not (and that makes you a lazy asshole who doesn't want to read... :] ) - here's the exact quote relating those 2 songs to lyrics from Reflection:


...
[Wings for Marie / 10,000 Days]

I’ve covered them enough in my thread, but here’s another tie-in that just came to mind:

And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping
The moon tells me a secret – my confidant…

…moving from the mourning, desperation, to a sudden revelation extracted by it, using it as an example.
...

[insaner]

10,000 DAYS (WINGS PT 2)


boast about the day when the rivers overrun
how we rise to the height of our halo

Could be reference to the Judgement Day, and how most people are overconfident about how righteous they are.

listen to the tales as we all rationalize
our way into the arms of the savior
fading all the trials and the tribulations

I figure that one’s against organized religion, against the same overconfident people thinking that going once a week a church or participating in some other religious rite makes them “true believers” and would surely grant them salvation. Following the “Achieve Redemption in 7 easy steps” approach would not only lead you to nowhere, but would also leave you blind for the real trials and tribulations one should pass.

none of us have actually been there
not like you

And none of us have really walked that way,
not like people as Judith who were put to the ultimate test of faith.




first off, cool post.

i would like to throw in my two cents though, and say that i think this line is about how these people pretend to overocme these hardships, all trying to rationalize their existence in the framework of xtianity, and how they get the jesus complex and think they have endured their problems with dignity, and this maynard calling them out as hypocrites and explaining that you think you had it bad, but this woman had it real bad.

fading can mean beating, like in dice. like they took on these problems and faded them.

[The Dharma Bum]

very close to what I posted in the "hypocritical" thread, only I didn't bother to go through it line for line, because I was just trying to illustrate a point.

I think when he sings "this little light of mine" he is talking about his art
and "I'm going to let shine" means I sing this song for you, but that's just my interpretation.

Good job, It is not exactly what I came up with, but close enough that I no longer feel any need to post my interpretation.

[research]

Thorough, insightful and beautifully interpreted. An artist would appreciate the depth you have delved to view their creation. As all should do that with the fifteen years of artwork the band has given the world.

[jim39n]

listen to the tales as we all rationalize
our way into the arms of the savior
fading all the trials and the tribulations

I figure that one’s against organized religion, against the same overconfident people thinking that going once a week a church or participating in some other religious rite makes them “true believers” and would surely grant them salvation. Following the “Achieve Redemption in 7 easy steps” approach would not only lead you to nowhere, but would also leave you blind for the real trials and tribulations one should pass.

[QUOTE=subtlefury]

i really thing he said "feigning all the trials and the tribulations" as in the masses pretending that their lives are so hard, when really most of them live in relative comfort compared to judith marie who had "actually been there"


high is the way, but our lives are up on the ground. (or “high [is the/as a] wave, but I’ll rise up on the ground”? - reference to flood?aenema?)
you are the light and the way, they’ll only read about
i only pray heaven knows when to lift you out
ten thousand days in the fire is long enough
you’re going home

i think the line is "high is the way but all eyes are upon the ground" meaning that the divine is what matters but everyone is to focused on the material to realize it

[pickle]

Really good post was trying to get my head around this song and youv'e helped thanks a lot. I think as the meaning of this song comes out more and more the song will only start to sound better..

[ebo]

Thanks for this thorough analysis! Very interesting read, and it helped me
see some aspects of the song more clearly. Thanks for the effort!

[subtlefury]

np

if you have any interesting thoughts of your own about Wings/10k, feel free to post them here, i would love to discuss any new ideas

[subtlefury]

whic reminds me i didn't answer this (sorry about that):

I agree for the most part. I think these songs are pretty straight forward given the family history... however:

And no matter that Maynard has now set on his own way, that he looks down on all the organized religion and laughs at all “truth” tossed upon the sheep by it. His mother and the light she gave him were the only things that could break through his defense, his lack of faith. The divine isn’t found by following blindly the rules of some high priest, it is within each one of us and people can reach it just as his mother did, no matter the religion, he says.

I don't see this anywhere. He questions the sheep because they have no life experience to juxtapose their beliefs to. They hide in churches because they fear that 'real life' might bring into question their beliefs. I think the conclusions you have jumped to are being projected from your personal beliefs.

Yes now that i revise what i've written, i do tend to project my beliefs, seeing how he talks in almost the whole song about the sheep only.

But i think in...

burning all truth tossed upon the believers (over which which i made the initial comment about orgaznized religion)

...he says that also against the ones that toss their "truth" upon others, not only the sheep that buy it. Makes sense with what he sings in Eulogy anyway.

[orangedarkblue]

Hi there.

Excellent unfolding work, nothing to add on that note. What strikes me though is that apparently none of you guys (I could be wrong here, I just dont have the time to go over all the threads) have read the 10,000 days lyric in a wider, more spiritual sense. Judith Marie can also be understood as the Universal Mother, claiming back her own at the Gates of a religion that has been dewomanized for centuries. Maynard calling upon Mary Star of the Sea through his mum would add up with the other 'personal but universal' stuff like vicarious and lost keys/rosetta stoned.

Incidentally, 10,000 days is also by proxy the time Saturn takes to orbit the sun. The exact number of days is (29 * 365.25) + 148 = 10,740 days, which is nearer to 11,000 of course. But knowing MJK's interest in astrosophy, i.e. logy and nomy, and Saturn being his pet planet, a connection is readily made, in a 'Be patient' sense.

[Judi]

10,000 DAYS (WINGS PT 2)

listen to the tales and romanticize
how we follow the path of the hero

Romanticize = lie to ourselves that we are walking the right path to salvation.
I guess the “hero” here is Jesus, but the reference is used with some irony, especially having in mind that Maynard’s talking about “tales”. I mean, who would call Jesus a “hero”??? “Savior”, “Redeemer”, “Messiah” - ok, but “hero”? O_o
In that line of thought the “tales” could be the Bible.

boast about the day when the rivers overrun
how we rise to the height of our halo

Could be reference to the Judgement Day, and how most people are overconfident about how righteous they are.

listen to the tales as we all rationalize
our way into the arms of the savior
fading all the trials and the tribulations

I figure that one’s against organized religion, against the same overconfident people thinking that going once a week a church or participating in some other religious rite makes them “true believers” and would surely grant them salvation. Following the “Achieve Redemption in 7 easy steps” approach would not only lead you to nowhere, but would also leave you blind for the real trials and tribulations one should pass.

none of us have actually been there
not like you

And none of us have really walked that way,
not like people as Judith who were put to the ultimate test of faith.

ignorant fibbers in the congregation
gather around spewing sympathy
spare me
none of them can even hold a candle up to you
blinded by choices hypocrites won’t ( see / seek )
but, enough about the collective Judas
who could deny you were the one who illuminated
your little piece of the divine

Now we understand where this song is set - Judith’s funeral, attended by a bunch of hypocrites (most likely the same “dead and hopeless” and “ghouls” from the previous songs), people not worthy to hold a candle or to express their sympathies, but still doing it.
So the song could as well be named “10000 days later”, because that’s exactly where in time it takes part, compared to the other two, digging mostly in the past events.
That’s also where the song starts building up, and the rain sound effects kick in. “Blood like rain fallin down, drum on grave and ground…”, remember?
The dead ohio sky has finally raged into a storm, the heavens now ready to except the martyr of her cross.

this little light of mine
the gift you passed onto me
i’ll let it shine
to guide you safely on your way
your way home

That I believe is the reason Maynard sang earlier (and will sing one more time in the outro) that his mother surely saved one life. His one that is, I think. Now we also get to know more about the light that first was mentioned in “Jimmy”. Hard to say if it is just a metaphor for something else, like the way his mother taught him to live his life or the sparkle of life mother gives to a child, but probably this light is the reason Maynard considers his life saved by Judith. A light is mentioned in other Tool songs, bur most notably in “Reflection”, where it bears similar conception to the soul, a piece of the divine reflected in each of us.
And now that the singer has already reunited with the child using that divine light as guidance to put his life together and get back home (again in “Jimmy”), and he has realized it is a gift passed from his mother, he will try to use it once more. But this time it will guide his mother on her last trip home - be it Heaven, some collective conscious, or simply her own “little piece of the divine”.

what are they going to do when the lights go down
without you to guide them home to Zion
what are they going to do when the river is overrun
other than tremble incessantly

Once again a reference to those “dead and hopeless”. They can “romanticize”, ”rationalize” and “boast” as much as they want, but they’ve already lost “the light and the way” that could save them in the end, unlike Maynard who has found it with the help of his mother and thus he is the one saved by her.


high is the way, but our lives are up on the ground. (or “high [is the/as a] wave, but I’ll rise up on the ground”? - reference to flood?aenema?)
you are the light and the way, they’ll only read about
i only pray heaven knows when to lift you out
ten thousand days in the fire is long enough
you’re going home

“Heaven knows when to lift you out”, “you’re going home”
So (for Judith) Heaven is the home she is now heading to.

you’re the only one who can hold your head up high
shake your fists at the gates sayin
“i have come home now!
fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father
tell them their pillar of faith has ascended
it’s time now! My time now!
give me my, give me my wings!”

As the song reaches its climax there’s not much to do but sit back and enjoy that really epic part of it.
As many pointed out it’s not (heh-heh) very common in religion for one to be demanding things from hers/his deity, especially shaking fists and with such a tone. Makes you think how seriously the singer takes that certain deity, doesn’t it?
So in short Maynard’s thoughts are that if Heaven and the Trinity really exist , his mother who has devoted her life in belief (“their pillar of faith”) and has suffered long enough (“ten thousand days in the fire”) deserves to step through the gates. (and get a pair of nifty wings as well)

give me my x5
give me my wings!
you are the light and way that
they will only read about

set as I am in my ways and my arrogance
burning all truth tossed upon the believers
you were my witness
my eyes, my evidence
Judith Marie, unconditional one!

And no matter that Maynard has now set on his own way, that he looks down on all the organized religion and laughs at all “truth” tossed upon the sheep by it. His mother and the light she gave him were the only things that could break through his defense, his lack of faith. The divine isn’t achieved by following blindly the rules set by the hard line religions, it is found within each one of us and people can reach it just as his mother did, no matter the religion, he says.

I just love the way he sings that part, really changes the mood of the song. Just as if the singer tunes in from a different time, to share us his revelation, the reason why he wanted us to witness all he pictured up till now… (very much like the revelation about the light in Reflection)

daylight dims leaving cold fluorescence
difficult to see you in this light
please forgive this bold suggestion
should you see your maker’s face tonight
look him in the eye
look him in the eye, and tell him
“i never lived a lie
never took a life
but surely saved one
hallelujah, its time for you to bring me home”

…and then he addresses his mother again, bidding his farewell with her, finishing what he started in the end of “Wings for Marie”.

The last line bugged me for a while, but I believe it means now that his mother has ascended, no longer imprisoned in her broken shell, they will be able to communicate again, and now she can continue the process of elevating him, things will carry on from where they stopped 27 years ago.


_________


And to all of you who would think Maynard embraces Christianity with that last one, think again, the guy sings “should you see your maker’s face tonight”, so he’s clearly referencing his mother’s beliefs, and still is with a good degree of doubt. (and besides - remember 2005’s April Fools joke… ;) )

btw - To further the “wings” theme - there is a faint sound in the end of “10000 Days” as well in the beginning of “Wings for Marie” that reminds me of wings flapping. The same sound but much louder and clearer is in most of “Viginti Tres” so there is probably link to that track too.
And just to stretch it a bit farther - the flapping stops after the strange god-like voice (“Faaip De Oiad”, anyone?) speaks something unintelligible in “Viginti Tres”, so we can speculate that represents Judith Marie meeting her maker at last.


Oh yeah, the lyrics are compiled from around the forum, about a week ago, and i changed some parts to what i hear, so feel free to disagree with some of the stuff... :)

OH MY Goodness. why is everyone so worried about Maynard's religious views. Why are you worried that he may be religious? Who cares???!??!?!?!!
Why is religion such a terrifying thought? oh well.
Judith

[subtlefury]

It's just that, well wouldn't it be kinda hypocritical of him to flame the poor christians and the organized religion in most of his previous songs and then come up with something like "hey, i've found jesus"? >:]

I'm not that worried about his religious views though, I know he's religious one way or another, everyone believes in his own thing etc., but there were shallow minded people who actually blamed him in hipocrisy when the album got out ( http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=42460 for example) and i just responded to that.

[TWENTY-THREE]

Couldn't have said it any better myself.

[subtlefury]

Hi there.

Excellent unfolding work, nothing to add on that note. What strikes me though is that apparently none of you guys (I could be wrong here, I just dont have the time to go over all the threads) have read the 10,000 days lyric in a wider, more spiritual sense. Judith Marie can also be understood as the Universal Mother, claiming back her own at the Gates of a religion that has been dewomanized for centuries. Maynard calling upon Mary Star of the Sea through his mum would add up with the other 'personal but universal' stuff like vicarious and lost keys/rosetta stoned.

Incidentally, 10,000 days is also by proxy the time Saturn takes to orbit the sun. The exact number of days is (29 * 365.25) + 148 = 10,740 days, which is nearer to 11,000 of course. But knowing MJK's interest in astrosophy, i.e. logy and nomy, and Saturn being his pet planet, a connection is readily made, in a 'Be patient' sense.

Those are interesting thoughts, especially the one about Saturn. I also just read "10,000 days" = 1 Saturn revolution (http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=56773) which makes connection with the Grudge and its Saturn theme too. Coincidence? Hmm, it's hard to use that word with Tool and particularly MJK. :]