Vampires In Your Life

[Forever In Debt]

This song is certainly about the vampires in your life that try to get you down. Draining your want to go on and testing your patients. Maybe The Patient, is a way of saying patients, and the ability to go on even though there are things in your life that will bring you down.

[ktdude]

This is the general message that I have always gleaned from the song. I imagine Maynard wrote the lyrics with a particular testing time in mind, but as with many of his lyrics he leaves it open enough for the listener to be able to apply it to any difficult situation in their own lives, or just to appreciate it for the beautiful song it is.

I think this is probably the reason why a great deal of Tool fans have this as their favourite song, as it can be interpreted in a very personal way to fit any individual's situation.

[mjkajdcjc]

This song is certainly about the vampires in your life that try to get you down. Draining your want to go on and testing your patients. Maybe The Patient, is a way of saying patients, and the ability to go on even though there are things in your life that will bring you down.

This song is very much similar to "Ticks and Leeches" lyrically- at surface level.

[ktdude]

This song is very much similar to "Ticks and Leeches" lyrically- at surface level.
really? how do you figure that?

[amenorakumo]

Kinda agree to the connection of this song with T&L. Also, Vicarious. I feel like the blood/vampire theme is the common thread between the songs. Like all tool songs, i don't think maynard is necessarily talking (exclusively) about other people. I think "The Patient" could be about one side of him; "the devil" that had him down -- that drains patience and vitality. T&L is a different perspective ; the album split after Schism, and now he's on the other side with this song, which is very much full of vitality -- the good ol' anger that propels if use correctly. And then Vicarious is split further; talking about the vampires in an even more remote fashion.. At surface you may not think the three are related, but think about that metaphor and how powerful it is spanned across the songs. Awesome that each song can stand alone but shouts back so much to previous themes..

[ktdude]

Kinda agree to the connection of this song with T&L. Also, Vicarious. I feel like the blood/vampire theme is the common thread between the songs. Like all tool songs, i don't think maynard is necessarily talking (exclusively) about other people. I think "The Patient" could be about one side of him; "the devil" that had him down -- that drains patience and vitality. T&L is a different perspective ; the album split after Schism, and now he's on the other side with this song, which is very much full of vitality -- the good ol' anger that propels if use correctly. And then Vicarious is split further; talking about the vampires in an even more remote fashion.. At surface you may not think the three are related, but think about that metaphor and how powerful it is spanned across the songs. Awesome that each song can stand alone but shouts back so much to previous themes..
that makes sense actually, yeah. nice post.

[lizbiz]

Fuck, I always hated references to vampires in Tool songs until 2 days ago, when somebody walking down the path of enlightenment explained this to me, people praying on other people, not the actual 'movie vampire'. He went on to further explain that more specifically there are 'Energy Vampires' people who are enlightened and have the abilitly to 'steal' energy from others. He mentioned that it was accomplished by people claiming they were helping you and putting their hands on your forehead. I'm not educated enough in the subject, but these explanations put to rest any thoughts of trite Tool lyrics.

[amenorakumo]

well, really I don't think these psychic vampires do it consciously. Or atleast I would imagine most of them don't. I have friends that I talk to and afterwards I feel entirely drained emotionally and physically. But I really don't think someone who is 'enlightened' would specifically drain energy. And I haven't heard a lot about the "hand on the forehead" although I've been dabbling in reiki, which I happened upon because of tool, and it can go both ways. Heal or drain. I do really think this also correlates into the themes, though. there's a website that has a list of common traits of "energy suckers" --
* Feeling alone or abandoned
* Needs constant reassurance
* Never feels satisfaction
* Poor listener, talks non-stop
* Low energy or easily fatigued
* Basks in being the center of attention
* Cannot make a decision without seeking advice from someone else
* Clingy, projects himself into situations where he is not welcome

[lizbiz]

* Feeling alone or abandoned
* Needs constant reassurance
* Never feels satisfaction
* Poor listener, talks non-stop
* Low energy or easily fatigued
* Basks in being the center of attention
* Cannot make a decision without seeking advice from someone else
* Clingy, projects himself into situations where he is not welcome

FUCK! Sounds like my future mother-in-law, she's crazy, I don't know what to do. I don't want this woman involved in the raising of my future children, but she ALWAYS wants to be around. HELP!

[Forever In Debt]

I see what you mean, with the draining theory. Yet I'm not so sure that that it shows that much similarity when you really think about it. But then again you did say surface level.

[o00mega00]

on "surface level" I would say that I am a vampire to myself. the polar entities of my personality are in a constant and natural conflict. One aspect of myself would be the one to make intelligent, methodical decisions about beneficial actions to take, while the other aspect would be the one to continually and intentionally take advantage of those decisions previously made to my own personal selfish satisfaction, but certainly not benefit.

[Inner_Eulogy]

This song is certainly about the vampires in your life that try to get you down. Draining your want to go on and testing your patients. Maybe The Patient, is a way of saying patients, and the ability to go on even though there are things in your life that will bring you down.

Just a tad bit of knowledge here for the uneducated. It's spelled patience.

[Inner_Eulogy]

Fuck, I always hated references to vampires in Tool songs until 2 days ago, when somebody walking down the path of enlightenment explained this to me, people praying on other people, not the actual 'movie vampire'. He went on to further explain that more specifically there are 'Energy Vampires' people who are enlightened and have the abilitly to 'steal' energy from others. He mentioned that it was accomplished by people claiming they were helping you and putting their hands on your forehead. I'm not educated enough in the subject, but these explanations put to rest any thoughts of trite Tool lyrics.

lol, he doesn't believe in the "movie vampire" but he believes his buddy about "energy vampires"...how quaint

[Forever In Debt]

Just a tad bit of knowledge here for the uneducated. It's spelled patience.

I am not uneducated, I just made a mistake... sorry if it reall matters that much...