"Repugnant" line revisited

[Andorion]

These are the two most common versions of the line I've heard, and I take issue with both of them. I'll offer an alternate too, that might or might not have been discussed:

Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability,
To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here.

People who favor this version interpret "lift an eye" as "give consideration to" or "entertain the possibility of." The point would be to deride those who don't consider the spiritual or afterlife, but that's the exact opposite of the message of this song. A large portion of the world's conflicts are spiritual in nature, with both sides' eyes locked on the afterlife and ideological correctness. Besides that flaw with this interpretation, there's also the fact that "being spiritual" isn't an ability to squander - "the ability to" implies some possible action, the actual outcome of choice, not a philosophical decision or the reasoning behind an action.

Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability,
To live tonight in heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here.

If "tonight" is interpreted as the afterlife to our life's day, this is totally the opposite of what the song is about. If this was the line, then I'd be the repugnant one for not going to church or being concerned with the afterlife, and the suicide bomber who's convinced he'll "live tonight in heaven" would be in the right. I don't know if that's the "tonight" people think of when they read this line, but I got the impression it was.

The lyric, to me, sounds like:

Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability,
To live tonight on heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here.

On heaven, not in heaven. This brings to mind the phrase "Heaven on Earth" and is about living in peace, having nothing to do with the afterlife. "Tonight" is interpreted as "soon" or "after a day's work," not as when the creature in question dies. I think this interpretation would work with the line "in heaven" too but "in heaven" has a different connotation.

Let me know what you think.

[BabyDal]

These are interesting ideas...To me, it sounded like "Lift an eye to heaven" Since interpretation is quite subjective, I may as well give my two cents. For me, that line sort of had the meaning of just looking at the sky, looking around and appreciating the beauty of Earth/life. I sort of felt like it was a reproach of the fact that we have this limited amount of time on this planet and yet we get so caught up in all sorts of conflicts/worries/stuff that we forget about how beautiful nature, this life, etc can be.That's just what I drew from it though...

[not.jesse.cantrall]

The line is obviously "repugnant is the/a creature whow would squandor the ability to llift an eye to heaven concious of his/its fleeting time here.

Stop trying to make maynard say what you want him to say and deal with the fact that he sometimes ponders that heaven is real. It's going to be ok. You don't have to think exactly what he does. The fact that he wrote the line doesn't even necessarily mean he believes in an afterlife. All great poets write things that they fell at the moment but might not believe all the time.

You are obviously worried that Maynard does not hate christianity, and wish he'd go back to screaming for jesus christ to blind him with his light.

[base metal]

I agree with BabyDal, I think Maynard is simply implying that we need to take a look around and consider the fact that no matter what bullshit is hindering our happiness we should appreciate life because we could be gone tomorrow.

[not.jesse.cantrall]

I would say it speaks volumes that you can't say anything about christianity around here without being labled moron. I didn't say heaven was only a christian concept. I was only commenting on the obvious resentment towards christianity that is constantly displayed on these boards.

[begmetostay]

I would say it speaks volumes that you can't say anything about christianity around here without being labled moron. I didn't say heaven was only a christian concept. I was only commenting on the obvious resentment towards christianity that is constantly displayed on these boards.


What "obvious resentment towards christianity" was present in the first post?

[Luosdasa]

People who favor this version interpret "lift an eye" as "give consideration to" or "entertain the possibility of." The point would be to deride those who don't consider the spiritual or afterlife, but that's the exact opposite of the message of this song...


Id say it was your interpritation of the messages in this song you should look at. Admitadly i havent payed it as much attention as i perhaps should... but i thought the whole song ridiculed the religious who beleive an almighty god put them on the earth to live in harmony, and then proceed to fight each other and destroy the world in their greed, yet all in the name of pleaseing that same god. The whole song laced with a sarcastic tone.

In which case i find this line to fit rather snuggly indeed...

[not.jesse.cantrall]

The first post did not contain any obvious resentment toward christianity, but it did exhibit at the best a hesitance to accept that the above mentioned line could be about the importance of considering the afterlife.
Also, I don't think it's absurd to suggest that the song is about the christian version of heaven. It uses many christian images: angels, father (god), and the garden of eden.

[Phorty]

i always thought he said "repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift the light of heaven conscious of its fleeting time here."

there are obviously many Christian symbols in the song , most notably the garden of Eden ( as angels and god -whom he never directly references-are not exclusive to Christian dogma)

Also , who is the character in question? It is obviously someone looking in from the outside , a spectator rather than someone directly involved , it cannot be from the perspective of God himself since he mention the "Father" as a separate higher entity ( which rules out the entire trinity - jesus & the holy spirit ) , he can also not be an angel since, he seems to have a higher vantage point over them as well.

So who's singing?

He’s obviously impartial , rational and emotionally involved.

So who in Christian dogma has higher authority than the heiarchy of angels yet less than god , who is also rational and emotional ?

Lucifer anyone?

[shifty50fs]

Lucifer anyone?

Or Jesus?

I think the line in question is just a more eloquently written version of Aenima's lyrics. A disappointment in humanity's misguided energies: fighting over the ground we stand on and obsessing over trivial matters (latte's, contracts, and hairpieces), while missing the opportunity to do something more worthwhile. The christian imagery is just a tool for getting the message across, like the bullshit three ring circus and arizona bay was before.

[Phorty]

as far as the line goes your right on the money shifty.

[base metal]

Just for the record: this whole line is a lyrical masterpiece.

Anyone...Bueller...Anyone?

[morethanmusic]

The Christianity seems to me not to be a tool to the message of this song, but instead THE MESSAGE of the song. Look at all the people who think of themselves as good Christians, whether they are in the government, clergy or lay people. These people are positive that there is life beyond this, that God is waiting for them, yet what do they do...

[a_christ]

You know, maybe Christianity has NOTHING at all to do with this song. Maybe instead, Christian myth and fairy tales are used here as a vessel (A.K.A. "metaphor") to deliver Maynard's actual message, that humans are so damn stupid because they just can't seem to appreciate the world around them. All they want to do is drown themselves in conflict and destroy everything.

Since Maynard is using poetic license here, the line:

"Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability
To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here"

makes total sense. The word "heaven" doesn't necessarily have to refer to the Christian heaven either. Rather, it probably refers to our ability to get in touch with our divine/spiritual side. What separates us from the animals is our abilities to use reason to avoid conflict, to love, and to answer to a higher law, whether Christian or not, than that of our more carnal, bestial ancestors. It is repugnant that we know how little time we have on this planet, yet we still ignore these gifts, doing our best to make life worse for ourselves and everyone around us, rather than the exact opposite.

[Luosdasa]

just looking through this thread... i tihnk its a nice example of a trend that worries me around here. regarding religion, the whole idea of personal interpritation, and what it means to *"me"* seems to float out the window. i mean, everyone ahs to decide whether they think the message in this song is pro-christian or anti-christian or fairly un-christian related... but they seem to wish to make there decision the final one, as tho on this particular topic there has to be a definite answer.

i for one, take this song to have a particularly sarcastic tone, saying if god gave you all this stuff, and youv done what you have with it... how the angels must weep

however, that is how 'I' take the song. I do not formulate from this, maynards opinion on christianity, because aside from the fact that my opinion on the interpritation is far from gospel, judgeing ones beliefs drom a snippit one single song is extremely flimsy. It is highly possible for him to comment one point of religion (in this case, i would think its he hypocrcy and blindness some of the relgious hold) without makeing a blanket statement.
i remember before, reading things to the effect of "10k days is religious, so live with it" or "maynard has found some christian beleifs, he's changed, so put up with it"

however good at expressing emotions and beliefs through music... trying to guage his beliefs with one album as evidence... just lacks sense

[Yoxodo]

overthinking, overanalyzing separates the body from the mind...

[PShepherd11]

I've always heard "Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here" and the meaning I took from that was that the humans being described in the song as "talking monkeys" are wasting their time squabbling over so and so instead of using their time on earth productively. As animals, or monkeys in this case, don't have the intellectual capacity that humans do, all they can do is use their instinct for survival. But since humans have choice, not only instinct, they should use their time more purposefully.

[the_failsafe]

These are interesting ideas...To me, it sounded like "Lift an eye to heaven" Since interpretation is quite subjective, I may as well give my two cents. For me, that line sort of had the meaning of just looking at the sky, looking around and appreciating the beauty of Earth/life. I sort of felt like it was a reproach of the fact that we have this limited amount of time on this planet and yet we get so caught up in all sorts of conflicts/worries/stuff that we forget about how beautiful nature, this life, etc can be.That's just what I drew from it though...

I kinda feel that "lift an eye to heaven" is ones attempt to see beyond all this, and not just what we physically see here on earth and in life. That in the beginning there was light and love and that love is what we really fail to see. That the segregation and classifications we use for man kind is a shame and somehow tears away our ability to just love one another as God intended, to bring "heaven on earth". I had quite the conversation with a cab driver last weekend, for some reason I got on the topic of sin and and forgiveness and he is Muslim and I Catholic, and in our conversation I began to feel that we are not very different in our beliefs and values, which I was not surprised by. Either way this song came to mind and of course being drunk I talked about how it's a shame that mankind is going to destroy itself someday if we can't co-exist and he totally agreed with me and said, "this is true, as humanity, together we are a fist, but separated with are merely fingers and can be easily broken" not to say that a fist can't be broken, but the message is there. This is the point when I had to go, i shook that man's hand and told him god bless. His words will forever be with me and the good in his eyes and thoughts reminded me of the good in this song. The message is rather simple, why is it found so complicated by the media and it's pawns? I feel this song is almost a complete over view/beginning of some of the vast insight tool has to offer and probably the most spiritual since Parabola. It's something everyone should hear I think. It's almost seems as if that Maynard has taken a lesson/story from the bible and interpreted it properly instead of literally, which most people make the mistake of doing.

[mr. nikki jensen]

I kinda feel that "lift an eye to heaven" is ones attempt to see beyond all this, and not just what we physically see here on earth and in life. That in the beginning there was light and love and that love is what we really fail to see. That the segregation and classifications we use for man kind is a shame and somehow tears away our ability to just love one another as God intended, to bring "heaven on earth". I had quite the conversation with a cab driver last weekend, for some reason I got on the topic of sin and and forgiveness and he is Muslim and I Catholic, and in our conversation I began to feel that we are not very different in our beliefs and values, which I was not surprised by. Either way this song came to mind and of course being drunk I talked about how it's a shame that mankind is going to destroy itself someday if we can't co-exist and he totally agreed with me and said, "this is true, as humanity, together we are a fist, but separated with are merely fingers and can be easily broken" not to say that a fist can't be broken, but the message is there. This is the point when I had to go, i shook that man's hand and told him god bless. His words will forever be with me and the good in his eyes and thoughts reminded me of the good in this song. The message is rather simple, why is it found so complicated by the media and it's pawns? I feel this song is almost a complete over view/beginning of some of the vast insight tool has to offer and probably the most spiritual since Parabola. It's something everyone should hear I think. It's almost seems as if that Maynard has taken a lesson/story from the bible and interpreted it properly instead of literally, which most people make the mistake of doing.

well said dave

[jim39n]

exactly, "lift an eye to heaven" doesn't mean "think about religious dogma" it means in fact, "forget about the dogma and focus on the divine"

[Caduceus11]

I don't think maynard buys into christian dogma, but he does use the references because wether you believe it or don't, you know about it. Its something you can relate to. When he says " To lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here" it doesn't say "lift an eye to Jesus, Buddha, or anyone else. It says "Heaven" In disregarding Christian lore, the word means "space" or maybe "a place of extreme happiness" to me. The line tells me to stop looking down and look up--towards the infinity of space (the heavens) because that's where we are going (on the spiral) because our time on this place is fleeting...i know, kind of unorganized, but I hope you can follow....

[BlanketEffect]

Lucifer anyone?

Or Jesus?


The song isn't being sung from one static viewpoint.

The first part, the introduction to the scene, if you will, is "Angels on the sideline" and it goes on to describe them as "baffled and confused"

From that point on it is the conversation of the angels.

This alternates somewhat from verse to verse, but in general, it can be said that if there is a line describing the angels it is a 3rd party generic narrator without identity. If the line is about an aspect of the human condition, it is being stated from the point of the angels.

And then ultimately, if the line as I understand it is correct "Cutting my law right in two" (said everytime, by the way) then that would be the voice of "god".

Songs don't have to be from one point of view guys. Especially songs that are by bands that have good lyricists. Maynard is pretty close to the top in that catagory.

Don't be so eager to try to figure out who's telling the story just so it makes one opinion seem more right than another... I think that's kind of the spirit of the song in the first place.

[the_failsafe]

exactly, "lift an eye to heaven" doesn't mean "think about religious dogma" it means in fact, "forget about the dogma and focus on the divine"

I find though that the "dogma" as you put is different people with different visions forming their own interpretations of the "devine". I think the only important thing is that we all come to a conclusion here is that there is no end to the life within us and we should try and be conscious of this. It seems to make us better people.

[vesicapiscis]

I think this song meaning's goes quite well with the meaning and actions of this thread. Because everyone is doing exactly what he is saying. Kind of ironic.

[jim39n]

I find though that the "dogma" as you put is different people with different visions forming their own interpretations of the "devine". I think the only important thing is that we all come to a conclusion here is that there is no end to the life within us and we should try and be conscious of this. It seems to make us better people.


exactly, one needs to put aside what the little disagreements, stop taking everything and dividing it in to a million pieces, and take a second to remember that we are eternal. when you look at everything from that perspective you start to realize that humans will be humans and they are flawed, but it's not worth all this bickering and fighting and killing. people get so caught up in the labels "i am muslim, he is jew" "i am straight, he is gay" "i am white, he is black" "i am liberal, he is conservative" when really, we're all just human. we are repugnant because so often we let out differences get the best of us, often to the point of killing.

"lift an eye to heaven" = "remember that we have an eternal soul, and our mortal disagrements are trivial when compared with eternity"

[the_failsafe]

I think this song meaning's goes quite well with the meaning and actions of this thread. Because everyone is doing exactly what he is saying. Kind of ironic.

Sorry oh insightful one... didn't know the song was about an internet thread discussing the meaning of lyrics.

[vesicapiscis]

Sorry oh insightful one... didn't know the song was about an internet thread discussing the meaning of lyrics.

Sorry that you have issues. Maybe you should listen to the song and chill out.

[BlanketEffect]

That's a beautiful knife you've got there... Thumbs... blades... connections?

[LVX]

You know, maybe Christianity has NOTHING at all to do with this song. Maybe instead, Christian myth and fairy tales are used here as a vessel (A.K.A. "metaphor") to deliver Maynard's actual message, that humans are so damn stupid because they just can't seem to appreciate the world around them. All they want to do is drown themselves in conflict and destroy everything.

Since Maynard is using poetic license here, the line:

"Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability
To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here"

makes total sense. The word "heaven" doesn't necessarily have to refer to the Christian heaven either. Rather, it probably refers to our ability to get in touch with our divine/spiritual side. What separates us from the animals is our abilities to use reason to avoid conflict, to love, and to answer to a higher law, whether Christian or not, than that of our more carnal, bestial ancestors. It is repugnant that we know how little time we have on this planet, yet we still ignore these gifts, doing our best to make life worse for ourselves and everyone around us, rather than the exact opposite.


i agree with this. people who only focus on the material aspect of life live and die without doing anything to figure out what we are here for. They do not advance or evolve spiritually at all. They have wasted an opportunity to advance on the path of return. They will have to wait for another incarnation and try to learn again. They have miised the boat so to speak and gained nothing from all their squabling and fighting. in fact, even worse is that they have added to the mass confusion.

[There is no spoon]

Here's what it is...

Repugnant is the creature who would squander the ability,
To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of its fleeting time here.

[O.G.T.92]

I agree with BabyDal, I think Maynard is simply implying that we need to take a look around and consider the fact that no matter what bullshit is hindering our happiness we should appreciate life because we could be gone tomorrow.

Thats goddamn right

[hobblegobble]

wow...you all do some extensive....trying.... hard to figure out this stuff. Okay okay here's what I think this is so special...so special..my precious....
Okay I think that I shouldn't think what I think maynard is thinking when he writes this SONG. I mean, okay okay okay, obviously us lower class ROCK STAR fans have nothing better to do than make/spend moolah, and then try to figure out things about people that are a higher class to make us feel better because we feel if we figure them out then we are like them and it kind of isolates us from who we really are...WE ARE SCUM!!!! EMBRACE THE SCUMMAGE!!!!!! breathe in union my fellow non deep thinking creative rock star scum....breathe in union.....

[hobblegobble]

okay either that or make some wine....and then hire employees (okay honestly I dont know who does the hiring) that treat everyone (excluding any 40-60 year olds) that goes there like A FRIGGIN GROUPIE!!!!! You people...you disgust! But you look good doing it!!!!

[the midas touch]

exactly, "lift an eye to heaven" doesn't mean "think about religious dogma" it means in fact, "forget about the dogma and focus on the divine"

I always liked to think of "lifting an eye to heaven" more in this regard, as in our third eye.

[hobblegobble]

what do you mean third eye...
i know what the third eye is but what makes you say that...
I could say "well I think this song is about chocolate" and leave it open to interpretation as you have...
so...yeah okay the third eye blah blah blah....that is a very vague statement...please elaborate....

[hobblegobble]

It's great that you guys are so interested in decoding Tool's music...but keep this in mind...people seem to think that everyone of tool songs is about a certain thing...like uuhhh..take for example i've read people's opinions on about 15 songs and they seem to come up with the same conclusion. It's either about Religion, people being dumb, maynard hating people, or "using your third eye". But THINK !!!!!.... an artist never paints the same picture over and over again.....

[Snuggleboo]

I dont think there is anything wrong with a groupie, I am a groupie! I lust after various groups..its my life mission!!!

[hobblegobble]

Snugglepoop,
I think you should leave and never come back. They COULD have your head for that comment...

[Snuggleboo]

Hobblegobble,

I think you need to go home and eat more turkey, or I will have your head!

[Snuggleboo]

and what the heck is a third eye?

[BlanketEffect]

IF you have to ask, you aren't ready to know.

[hobblegobble]

Yes because Mr. Blanket effect KNOWS about the Third Eye Snuggleboo...he is VERY VERY VERY SMART....AND people like you who don't know what the third eye is just because Tool writes about it and probably have never heard about it before tool mentioned it DONT BELONG HERE. SO GO YOU DAMN NOT KNOWING WHAT A THIRD EYE IS PERSON..YOU AREN'T READY FOR THIS EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE AND LIFE GUIDING KNOWLEDGE WE WOULD NEVER KNOW IF THERE WERE NEVER A SONG ABOUT IT....GO....YOU FILTH!

[the midas touch]

what do you mean third eye...
i know what the third eye is but what makes you say that...
I could say "well I think this song is about chocolate" and leave it open to interpretation as you have...
so...yeah okay the third eye blah blah blah....that is a very vague statement...please elaborate....

In terms of spirituality and "eternity-ness."
The message of Lateralus and Aenima.

[BlanketEffect]

Yes because Mr. Blanket effect KNOWS about the Third Eye Snuggleboo...he is VERY VERY VERY SMART....AND people like you who don't know what the third eye is just because Tool writes about it and probably have never heard about it before tool mentioned it DONT BELONG HERE. SO GO YOU DAMN NOT KNOWING WHAT A THIRD EYE IS PERSON..YOU AREN'T READY FOR THIS EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE AND LIFE GUIDING KNOWLEDGE WE WOULD NEVER KNOW IF THERE WERE NEVER A SONG ABOUT IT....GO....YOU FILTH!

Yeah... umm... what you said. Try Wikipedia, ya know?

[hobblegobble]

okay....Wikipedia... It's an encyclopedia....so what....you want me to look up something I already know? What is the significance smarty?

[BlanketEffect]

As in, if you don't know something, look it up. It ain't fucking rocket science, you know?

EDIT: And if it wasn't abundantly clear from the context of the entire conversation, the purpose of the post was towards the initial inquirer of the third eye topic. Not you.

[hobblegobble]

Sooooo...this is a little confusing Mr. Smarty Pants (hope you don't mind I call you that) Something so self explanatory shouldn't have to be looked up in the WIKIPEDIA. I guess unless you wanted a "technical term" as far as what it is according to "everyone else" I tend to think of things in my own terms. Sorry you have to look things up in the almighty WIKIPEDIA to understand what they mean to other people......too bad mr. tool man.

[hobblegobble]

Okay then that message was for Snuggleboo...got it...good...Snuggleboo...Mr. Smarty Pants says Wikipedia...look it up damn you...

[Snuggleboo]

I dont have time for dictionary, I only have time for sexy time!

[hobblegobble]

First of all, who are you, second of all why are you here, third of all how did you get here, fourth of all what are you doing here, fifth of all when did you get here, sixth of all where are you going WHEN YOU LEAVE?????!!!!!! hardy har har har

[Snuggleboo]

I am going where no man has gotten before. I am here because it is my mission.

[hobblegobble]

No Man has gotten? or gone? haha....

[hobblegobble]

It's so funny how people are so serious on these post things....I love pissing them off by saying something that makes absolutely no sense. Because EVERYTHING here has to make sense to everyone....that's why they pick apart every Tool song because it doesn't make sense to them unless they do. It's like....scratching an itch...or something....hardy har

[PShepherd11]

I don't know about pissing people off, they will probably just stay away from this thread now that it has gone to shit. It sure is annoying, however; when posts stray so far away from the original topic. How old are you people anyway?

[hobblegobble]

hahahahahaha how old are we....because our age is so relevant....right? I love you people...so damn serious here....that's exactly why we stray so "far from the topic" because unless i'm picking at Maynard's words here..I don't belong! WAH......here's some advice for you buddy...get over it....

[PShepherd11]

I was just curious. There's nothing to get over, buddy. I didn't say you didn't belong...I said your posts are annoying. People do go off topic and that's ok, but they don't sound mental when they do.

[maggie72]

hahahahahaha how old are we....because our age is so relevant....right? I love you people...so damn serious here....that's exactly why we stray so "far from the topic" because unless i'm picking at Maynard's words here..I don't belong! WAH......here's some advice for you buddy...get over it....


I just think if you have nothing but stupidity spewing from your posts, maybe you should go post on a Limp Bizkit site or something.

[hobblegobble]

ooooooo...good ol' Maggie-meister comin in for the kill...Well Maggie...anything I say comes from my brain...I don't have to post a link as an answer to another person's question because I can't explain it myself...I believe YOU belong on the "Limp Bizkit" site my dear...and take that Tool shirt off your daughter...she looks like a fool....

[hobblegobble]

along with that horrid black lipstick...

[Legion]

The song has religious overtones, that can be pointed at nearly any form of faith. The lyrics are simple, it is an eloquent statement to the deprevity of humanity. They could have been written as "What a bunch of fucked up people who would waste what they were given" doesn't sound as good but means the same thing.

[PShepherd11]

Hobblegobble, are you just posting numerous times to elevate your title? Right now you are "level 5 - Deep Thinker", when you get to "level 7 - Loquacious" your title will truly fit. It means "full of excessive talk."

[maggie72]

Hobblegobble, are you just posting numerous times to elevate your title? Right now you are "level 5 - Deep Thinker", when you get to "level 7 - Loquacious" your title will truly fit. It means "full of excessive talk."

hobblegobble is a NooB so he can't go to all the forums so he must talk his smack here instead of where it really belongs. And he's obssessed with me!!!!

[hobblegobble]

Hey Sheperd, only you would think one's "status" would truly describe them here...thanks for the definitions too mr. smarty pants...next time I need a dictionary i'll find you...

[hobblegobble]

I don't go to all the "forums" because not all of them all full of idiots like these ones...

[PShepherd11]

1. You spelled my name wrong
2. I don't believe status describes anything; here or anywhere
3. I'm not a Mr.

Are you saying that you only go to forums that are full of idiots because you feel you belong there? Is that why you joined the Tool forum? So you could talk about idiotic stuff with other idiots?

[hobblegobble]

1. I don't care how you spell your name
2.Then why did you bring it up?
3. I don't really know what to say about that....just....okay
4. Yes

Thanks for your time...enjoyed the talk....

[PShepherd11]

It was a joke. It was mentioned so that you might look (or feel) like an idiot. However, you have already done an excellent job of accomplishing this all on your own.

[hobblegobble]

well slap my ass and call me granny...

[Inner_Eulogy]

hobblegobble is a NooB so he can't go to all the forums so he must talk his smack here instead of where it really belongs. And he's obssessed with me!!!!

He's apparently obsessed with me as well. He's been following me everywhere in the threads just to say some stupid shit as well. I'm guessing some dumbass fat pimple faced 15yr kid with nothing better to do than visit this forum to run his mouth in between his jerk off sessions and Debbie food snacks.

[hobblegobble]

yes because my personality would totally depend on my weight and food habits....hahaha..you're a smarty Inner...wish I were you...

[BlanketEffect]

I wish I were Inner

[I Am Love]

what i got from this song is this: "talking monkeys" (or any other mention of "monkeys", which is several times) made reference to how primitive, how "young" we are in evolution... by this point, we should be beyond the childish quarrelling, we should know better than this. we're supposed to be the "supreme beings" here, and look at us.
angels could make reference to a number of things. it could be a metaphorical reference to something other wordly, something beyond us, possibly even extra-terrestrial life, looking at us like, "what the fuck are you doing?" or it could be about angels. though that doesn't necessarily mean in terms of a christian/heaven/god's angels... angels are used to represent many other things. protection, people who have helped us out along the way, etc.
"father" could mean a few things... if it is looked at as a reference to god, then what god are we talking about here? maybe it isn't one particular god. maybe it's simply talking about nature. this whole setup we call life. most feel at least that there is a higher power of some sort. even if there is a general disagreement with it being the god of organized religion. by taking it to mean "father" in the sense of god, we are turning off alot of other possibilities.

in the end, we are all one. and if we could learn a form of "group consciousness" we could move mountains. but we are too busy fighting over this world. rather than share a whole, and equally take part in this amazing world, we would rather divide it up and have our own part. regardless of the fact that the part you get will be smaller and missing some essential things... things we could all use if we could learn to get along and share the whole. i think this song takes a look at what we call "humanity".

[bassmaster]

I believe it's "lift an eye to heaven, conscious of it's fleeting time here" because when one looks up and realises that there is so much more to the world than "pieces of the ground" and when you realise your time is "fleeting" then the idea of conflict seems largely ludicrous - I mean, what's the point in fighting when you realise it's all so trivial?

[PShepherd11]

I think he's saying "conscious of his fleeting time here," an it couldn't be conscious of something, right?

[bassmaster]

'It' rather than 'he' as it isn't gender specific.

[PShepherd11]

I guess...but usually the word "his" or "he" is used in general, whether referring to male or female.

[BlanketEffect]

Yeah, I think it's 'his' also, not 'its'

[bassmaster]

Yeah, listening back to it now I reckon you're right.

[benjamin]

I hope hoblegoble is round next thnxgiving ...gobble jokes will be punny w/ this turkey around!

[hobblegobble]

gobble gobble

[Inner_Eulogy]

I don't know about pissing people off, they will probably just stay away from this thread now that it has gone to shit. It sure is annoying, however; when posts stray so far away from the original topic. How old are you people anyway?

Yeah, as we are all starting to realize, Hobble Gobble is a sad soul with nothing better to do than to go from thread to thread to run his little cocksucker to everyone. He apparently wasn't loved enough as a child and must now belittle everyone else to make himself feel better.

And FYI: You're weight and food habits could very well be a direct correlation to your smirk and lonely attention seeking personality. It's called low self esteem, and people with low self esteem tend to either live in a shell or do what you do and try to belittle everything you can to make yourself feel bigger. So sad it is.

[benjamin]

gobble gobble


That's it, he's here to stay...

Look what you've done, you've created a monster.

Word to the wise, if you think someone is a belittling "attention seeker"


....don't give them soo much fucking attention!

[benjamin]

L O L !!! @ everyone!!

[BlanketEffect]

Indeed.

[hobblegobble]

Inner, believe me, the only reason I post half the crap I do is to get a reaction from you all. Especially you, it's quite entertaining to piss you off.

[hobblegobble]

i can't believe everyone here hasn't yet realized that you're a self righteous prick yet Inner Eulogy...

[BlanketEffect]

It's always nice for an otherwise useful thread to be rendered useless by people that can't take their issues to myspace... or wherever else jackasses spend their time.

[hobblegobble]

Yeah, as we are all starting to realize, Hobble Gobble is a sad soul with nothing better to do than to go from thread to thread to run his little cocksucker to everyone. He apparently wasn't loved enough as a child and must now belittle everyone else to make himself feel better.

And FYI: You're weight and food habits could very well be a direct correlation to your smirk and lonely attention seeking personality. It's called low self esteem, and people with low self esteem tend to either live in a shell or do what you do and try to belittle everything you can to make yourself feel bigger. So sad it is.

Correct Blanket...I don't quite understand why people have to write an essay like the one above to try to make me feel bad about myself...

[BlanketEffect]

Bad? No. Inspirational of departing? Here's hoping.

[Cheesegreater]

Bad? No. Inspirational of departing? Here's hoping.

I'm not taking to Gobble's defense here. But he seems to have been very civil the last few days. In fact, there was quite a few posts that were pertaining to Right in Two, and days later Inner Eulogy snapped back at Gobble. And he's right, you don't have to go out on a limb to make him feel bad about himself. He may be generally pissing you guys off, but he's not trying to make you feel bad, just frustrate you. Is this not a hint as to what Right in Two talks about? If you are condescending and cynical towards people they will be able to sense it and they will produce friction.

On topic, I believe in the last chorus of Right in Two he say "Angels on the sideline again. (obviously) then "Picture love with patience and reason." If you say the whole line it makes total sense as a slightly long sentence. "Angels on the sideline again picture love with patience and reason." That's just my opinion but the last chorus there is a "ch" sound and I've never bought the whole "Benched Along" But I don't know. Think this is possible?

[hobblegobble]

ahh thank you...the only reason people around here don't like me is because I'm not overbearingly serious about Tool's music. Therefore I don't "hear" the message. Unfortunately people refuse to accept that there is no message in Tool's music. It is not a guideline for life. And people take it that way. Just trying to add a little humor and maybe people will see that if you just RELAX a bit and stop trying to look for something, you won't find anything, and it makes the music that much more intriguing.

[Cheesegreater]

I'm probably just as much a Tool-nut as the people you are calling out. Here's a lesson I've learned: If people don't want to see things your way, they won't. There are messages in Tool, obviously. Can people go too far with it? Of course they can, but there's something you should keep in mind. People who write in these forums often feel their music has changed their life, and they are right if that's the case. Some people listen to Tool a tad more casually though. In many people's eyes they're just a good band that hit the seen in the early nineties like a lot of other bands. Nineties was good for music, IMO. But people who view Tool as nothing more than that can enjoy and be moved by the music just as well (probably on different levels though). Part of the whole fun with Tool is the investigation and the ideas they are trying to push for a lot of people. But on the other hand, I have a great friend who's just a cool guy, loves dancing to their music and acting a fool everytime the CD is on (mostly to get chicks anyhow). But I happen to know it's his favorite band. He really knows nothing of "secret messages" and so on, but I don't feel the need to rob him of his own personal experience of them because I know that he could really care less about my psychoanalysis of Tool. And it's easy to get all angsty when trying to convey your deepest thoughts on Tool, but just because you feel you've done a little more digging than someone else doesn't mean the other person doesn't "get it".

[hobblegobble]

bravo cheese...

[BlanketEffect]

Yeah, Cheese, I'm down with that for the most part. Just remember, however, like you said, this forum is commonly the host to the more-than-casual listeners of the band. Normal listeners (to whatever band's music) seldom seek out online forums to discuss the deeper side of the music/lyrics.

The ones that do would like to see the forums stay on topic and not become a flame-war of pseudo-insults in the middle of an otherwise productive thread. If it's not productive to the detractors, so be it, but doesn't common courtesy suggest that if you feel the people in the thread are self-absorbed, over-analyzing dipshits, just leave them to their musings. They're not hurting anyone, after all; and, many have seemingly benefited from both the band's message(s) and others' interpretations of it here.

Much as you may dislike any religion, for example, it's simply rude to walk into a Pentecostal church during Sunday worship service and start telling people they take this Jesus guy too seriously and get over it... right, wrong, or indifferent, the forum is what it is. Don't taint someone's passtime because it's deeper than you want to go with it.

Let thinkers be thinkers, whether wise or otherwise. Gods know we could use more of them.

[Cheesegreater]

I totally agree with all of that Blanket Effect. We may have "seemed to reach an end." Everyone knows why we're here. For the most part we are self-absorbed, studiers* and that's the bang of the existence for Tool's forum to a lot of folks. I know it seems rude to say we're just self-absorbed, but it's better to approach things with a little humor. I know I've thought of myself as being a little rediculous with how "far out" I go with my interpretations, but it's in my nature to do so.

Anyway, I love this song. I'm new, but I love these forums. "Repugnant" line revisted" Think about it. We all know the line. I think these forums are a living, breathing testament to how humans react when talking about things like the afterlife. This line says people who don't question the hereafter are disgusting. Disgusting=Repugnant. That kind of talk is going to get people "excited" "stirred up" whatever. I think the band wants us to have this sometimes (scathing), sometimes (very refreshing) discourse though. The subject matter in a lot of Tool's work isn't exactly comfortable to talk about it, but I think they want it to be a comfortable thing. They want us to learn how to help people find their own enlighterment, if that makes any sense at all. I could say more, but I would probably get caught up in cemantics as I've been accused of many times. Oh well.

Peace out guys!

[PryThirdEye]

Or Jesus?

I think the line in question is just a more eloquently written version of Aenima's lyrics. A disappointment in humanity's misguided energies: fighting over the ground we stand on and obsessing over trivial matters (latte's, contracts, and hairpieces), while missing the opportunity to do something more worthwhile. The christian imagery is just a tool for getting the message across, like the bullshit three ring circus and arizona bay was before.


We have a winner!

[Cheesegreater]

We have a winner!

I agree.

[jevons]

Winner or not, i bet we see seven more pages of this thread.

[the_failsafe]

That's a beautiful knife you've got there... Thumbs... blades... connections?

nah, there is no connection. just a hunting knife i made at work during some dead time. but now that you mention it, there probably is some sort of connection.

[Torthlert]

Yeah, because heaven is only a Christian concept, and the idea of "heaven on Earth" is obviously hateful towards Christians. Maybe you're the one who wants everything to be about Christianity. To summarize, you're an idiot.

What are you talking about?!

[nocatharsis]

my 2 cents:

i think it's "Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here."

my interpretation:

Think about the song as a connection to the rest of the album. as Lost Keys segues into Rosetta Stoned, rosetta stoned then goes into Intension. Intension has a kind of tribal theme "spark becomes a flame, flame becomes a fire" as if going back to the dawn of man/discovery of fire, talking monkeys, whatever. Also in Intension, there's the recurring line of "here we have a stone, FORGE A BLADE to slay the stranger," etc. Then Right in Two with "silly monkeys give them thumbs they forge a blade and where theres one they're bound to divide it... Right In Two." but with Rosetta Stoned still in mind, and the recurring theme of psychedelics in general in Tool's music, listen to the whole lift an eye thing again.

"Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven..."

Notice how it's life AN eye, not lift THEIR EYES? "an eye" = "Third Eye" and that kind of puts a whole new spin on it doesn't it? repugnant is a creature who would misuse the ability to open their third eye.

[Inner_Eulogy]

my 2 cents:

i think it's "Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here."

my interpretation:

Think about the song as a connection to the rest of the album. as Lost Keys segues into Rosetta Stoned, rosetta stoned then goes into Intension. Intension has a kind of tribal theme "spark becomes a flame, flame becomes a fire" as if going back to the dawn of man/discovery of fire, talking monkeys, whatever. Also in Intension, there's the recurring line of "here we have a stone, FORGE A BLADE to slay the stranger," etc. Then Right in Two with "silly monkeys give them thumbs they forge a blade and where theres one they're bound to divide it... Right In Two." but with Rosetta Stoned still in mind, and the recurring theme of psychedelics in general in Tool's music, listen to the whole lift an eye thing again.

"Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven..."

Notice how it's life AN eye, not lift THEIR EYES? "an eye" = "Third Eye" and that kind of puts a whole new spin on it doesn't it? repugnant is a creature who would misuse the ability to open their third eye.

Oh god, another one of you third eye obsessed fanatics. It's not about the third eye, get over it. Of course he says "lift an eye to heaven" (if that's the correct lyrics), it would not sound right if he were to say "to lift their eyes to heaven". It's just like saying point a finger, you still have 9 other fingers (or digits if you want to be smart about 2 thumbs and 8 fingers) but in a singular sense you wouldn't say point their fingers if it were speaking as in one individual.

"Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven..."

You would be ignorant to waste your opportunity to see heaven

SIMPLE AS THAT

[nocatharsis]

Oh god, another one of you third eye obsessed fanatics. It's not about the third eye, get over it. Of course he says "lift an eye to heaven" (if that's the correct lyrics), it would not sound right if he were to say "to lift their eyes to heaven". It's just like saying point a finger, you still have 9 other fingers (or digits if you want to be smart about 2 thumbs and 8 fingers) but in a singular sense you wouldn't say point their fingers if it were speaking as in one individual.

"Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven..."

You would be ignorant to waste your opportunity to see heaven

SIMPLE AS THAT

Yeah, I guess you're right. But reading all this third eye stuff that goes on here, it was fresh in my mind.

[Inner_Eulogy]

Yeah, I guess you're right. But reading all this third eye stuff that goes on here, it was fresh in my mind.

Trust me, I'm not saying Tool's work on Aenima and Lateralus have those references (Aenima more so) but, this album is simply not about that. It's like beating a dead horse, they've moved on from the third eye theme but you've got all these people just trying to somehow connect the third eye or chakras to it. If you've seen the movie The Number 23 yet, it's just like that, how he was trying to find 23 in every thing in his life and it showed, whether it was actually relevant or not.

[nocatharsis]

Trust me, I'm not saying Tool's work on Aenima and Lateralus have those references (Aenima more so) but, this album is simply not about that. It's like beating a dead horse, they've moved on from the third eye theme but you've got all these people just trying to somehow connect the third eye or chakras to it. If you've seen the movie The Number 23 yet, it's just like that, how he was trying to find 23 in every thing in his life and it showed, whether it was actually relevant or not.

yeah, i just saw Number 23 the other night actually (well a few weeks ago). I thought Jim Carrey was pretty impressive. I kind of have mixed feelings about the movie itself though. It wasn't as terrible as people said it was but it wasn't that spectacular either. I see what you mean about obsessively connecting things though. oh well. Did you ever see Pi? now THAT was a good movie.

[the midas touch]

Oh god, another one of you third eye obsessed fanatics. It's not about the third eye, get over it. Of course he says "lift an eye to heaven" (if that's the correct lyrics), it would not sound right if he were to say "to lift their eyes to heaven". It's just like saying point a finger, you still have 9 other fingers (or digits if you want to be smart about 2 thumbs and 8 fingers) but in a singular sense you wouldn't say point their fingers if it were speaking as in one individual.

"Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven..."

You would be ignorant to waste your opportunity to see heaven

SIMPLE AS THAT
I'm not one of those 'third eye obsessed fanatics,' but...

Couldn't one argue that he is saying that people fail to open their third eye as well?
We live this superficial life and never tap into the eternal aspect within each of us, the spiritual.

I say whichever lyrics you find a deeper connection with--go with it.

[nocatharsis]

I'm not one of those 'third eye obsessed fanatics,' but...

Couldn't one argue that he is saying that people fail to open their third eye as well?
We live this superficial life and never tap into the eternal aspect within each of us, the spiritual.

I say whichever lyrics you find a deeper connection with--go with it.

I'm not a 3rd eye enthusiast either. I re-read the line after thinking about someone else's post in Rosetta Stoned, about how it's a shame that people trip to "get fucked up" and you simply CANNOT do that without facing the extreme consequences of a bad trip. With the "repugnant line revisited" I thought maybe it applied to that, and that one possible interpretation could be saying "Repugnant is the person who takes LSD for the wrong reasons, squandering/abusing the potential use of it/for enlightenment."

but not everything is about the 3rd eye.

[Blackdakhma]

And then ultimately, if the line as I understand it is correct "Cutting my law right in two" (said everytime, by the way) then that would be the voice of "god".


I love you. Thank you very much for this section particularly. My favorite part of the song, and you cleared it up for me. Thank you.

[Inner_Eulogy]

I love you. Thank you very much for this section particularly. My favorite part of the song, and you cleared it up for me. Thank you.

How is that clearing it up? Nothing's official yet. It could be one of a few lines and everybody's got their own opinion. Personally, I think it's "cutting our love, right in two"

[eyedriht]

I agree with BabyDal, I think Maynard is simply implying that we need to take a look around and consider the fact that no matter what bullshit is hindering our happiness we should appreciate life because we could be gone tomorrow.


Yes!!!

You guys forget this album is damn near all about his mothers death. Believe me. I've just gone through a similar experience and this album is chalk full of references to death and the afterlife and things we can't understand with our tiny human minds. When you lose someone who is that close to you it REALLY makes you think about life in a whole new way.

[Inner_Eulogy]

Yes!!!

You guys forget this album is damn near all about his mothers death. Believe me. I've just gone through a similar experience and this album is chalk full of references to death and the afterlife and things we can't understand with our tiny human minds. When you lose someone who is that close to you it REALLY makes you think about life in a whole new way.

You forget that there is only ONE (2-part) song referring to his mother on this album.

[Inner_Eulogy]

the seven levels of samsara, or the cycle of reincarnation
has us in a holding pattern...
wow leefna is getting out the big stick!

Leefna's an idiot just like you

[euphyllia]

This whole song is (to me) about the way we as humans let ourselves react to perceived injuries we inflict on one another by arguing over insignificant things such as who has the right ideas about anything including religion, control, government, or land. Human beings are supposed to be the top of the evolutionary ladder, according to humans. I say this not necessarily from any certain source, but from the feeling that if I asked anyone I know to kill several humans to save the life of an animal, most would not do it, since human life is valued, by humans, more than that of any other animal on the planet. We as these supreme beings consider ourselves special because of our capacity for reasoning, intelligent thought, and free will, yet we still fail to find a way to live peacefully among ourselves. For all our evolutionary advantages we still fail to recognize that which we claim to be the only animal capable of recognizing: our own mortality. We, the "talking monkeys," must confuse the "angels" through our constant fighting to be the ones who are right, and therefore be the ones who will be granted a place in "heaven." It's too bad someone else has to be wrong in order for us to be right.
I think the line in question is "Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here." To me, this means that instead of bickering back and forth with each other about who the earth, information, the right to be right, and the right to an afterlife belongs to, we need to focus on empowering one another to attain union among all humans. We have the capacity to form a united consciousness, but we waste too much time trying to be the ones who know what the right way is, when we could accept that there is no single right way, and that all beliefs and knowledge combine to form the ultimate consciousness.