PDA

View Full Version : Kind of a rip off, but cut me some slack


Thimble in sea
11-24-2002, 12:30 AM
(I hope no one wrote this before i did, but I'm dead tired and too lazy to read all the posts, so here it goes)
This all came to me when I was sitting in my Biology class in summer school this summer, so give me some credit for thinking of this then.
July 16th, 2002, the day after I saw my first Tool show, I began to write like a madman about my life and somehow the song Lateralus came up and I came up with this:
The song Lateralus to me is about a kind of human evolution, taking our minds to the next level.
"Black then white are all I see in my infancy..."
Birth, just kind of an introduction. But Maynard goes on, overthinking and overanalyzing separates the body from the mind. This releases us from our inhibitions, and if you really want to get deep into that thirty page essay I wrote on this, you could connect it with the song bottom where he talks about his fear being naked, but first he needed to identify his imperfections, and that releases his inhibitions.
But release from our inhibitions allows us to do more than we ever thought possible. He talks about there being so much more and infinite possibilities, which is opened up by this lack of inhibition.
Now, this lack of inhibition is a test of will in a way and you feel the moment, you appreciate the moment, you learn to appreciate everything. As stated later in the song "I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm..." and he goes on, talking about feeling inspired and allowing himself to step aside and weep like a widow. Inspiration to vulnerability, which in a way can become one.
The very last verse is where I think he takes off though, he talks about losing himself between the sound and opening wide to suck it in, letting it move accross his skin. (Embracing and appreciating the moment, this evolution has allowed him to feel and appreciate more than he had thought possible)
"And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been, we'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been, spiral out, keep going..." This to me is literally about following out will. Being able to completely follow our will means that our inhibitions have been removed and we are riding the spiral (Or intellectually evolving) and we just keep going, let the spiral take us where it may and we'll have found our divinity.
In a way it's about finding human divinity and taking it to the fullest. In releasing ourselves from our inhibitions, in thinking for ourselves, we have found our divinity as humans and we have evolved. Also, Lateralus (Although I heard it's a muscle in your back or something) could be taken from the sense of "Lateral". Since we really cannot evolve physically, and therefore higher up, we can only evolve mentally, and therefore the only evolution that we can accomplish is lateral.
I hope I didn't bore you too much, but this is my first post, so cut me some slack.

EmbraceTdOxOmL
12-06-2002, 01:29 AM
I think that is a very well explained interpretation, makes a lot of sense. I have re-evaluated the lyrics and can totally see what your saying. i would love to read your 30 page report on it so if you have it all typed up and saved and you dont mind me reading it, send it to me at [email protected]. I have a very different interpretation that i will probably not let go of but its really good to hear other tool fans toughts. Thanx

preacher
12-06-2002, 07:57 AM
You know man, I would like a copy of your paper as well if you don't mind. Good perspective.

-Spiral Out.

Thimble in sea
12-21-2002, 11:02 AM
Yeah, sure guys, As soon as I have it out of the notebook and typed up I would love to send it to you guys, so give me a few days and you'll have it. If anyone else wants it just e-mail me at [email protected]. Thanks.

Sinkingdeeper
01-31-2003, 03:26 PM
This actually makes some sick kind of sense. If I didn't find it freaky that the guy remembered the date and probably the time, I'd think this guy was not weird. It's cool, I thought I'd bring this to everyone's attention because I think it's a philosophy that's kind of been brought up lately, but also ignored.