cow?

[captainspunk]

anyone have thoughts on the cow picture? if it were any other band but tool i would think they put it in so they could look at it and say "heh heh... that cows lickin his bunghole... heh heh...". who knows? maybe thats precisely the reason. its consistent with the animal theme used in this album (the pig, the sheep noises on "disgustipated"). i really dont know what its meant to represent, i really just wanted to see if anyone else had any thoughts on it.

[euthanasia]

I still make enphasis in the number importance.
As about of the licking, the album is full of 69 expressions, so then the whole concept of licking must be take in acount.
In the booklet we see the fat ladys making a 69. Perhaps, just perhaps, the meaning of the cow has to do with the experience of pleasure. You begin pleasuring others as well as they pleasure you (69); now it is time to hear the CD, something changes; and once you have passed the CD, you find out that cow picture hided. And the cow is licking itself. So now you find out the way to pleasure yourself, without having to give pleasure to others (if 69 represents two people, perhaps 0 represents just one licking itself)
So maybe the whole thing is a metaphor for finding pleasure alone.

[Typx]

It is probably something to do with pleasuring oneself. Msybe some sort of symbol of a more animalistic and raw expression of it. A more natural view of such an act.

I don't know, thats a total shot in the dark

[a_divine_martyr]

i hate to sound like a total idiot, but where in the hell in the cow? i just can't find it!

[blueghost]

on most of the undertow cd's they made, lift up the black tray that the cd sits in, Viola!!! a disturbing picture of a cow.

youre welcome

Ghost

[national]

tool do have a sense of humour, so i wouldnt be suprised if they put the cow 'theme' in there for a couple of laughs, hahaha, tis funny, i dont think we should look at every piece of art, idea or quote from tool and try to interpret it through to the 4th dimension, hey do it if it puts crazy visuals in your eye lids but dont push it. some things are meant to be simple.
tho for some its too much strain.

[euthanasia]

Where would be the fun of looking at things without analyzing it?
But people see things in various different ways, choose your own way of looking at the world and your surroundings, and be doing so, be happy.
Me? when i get bored i love to analyze things...

[captainspunk]

perhaps they did it to insight discussion despite its lack of any particular meaning...

"why a cow? what is the signifigance of the color? if a cow were physically capable of licking its own anus would it do so? what are the moral implications behind this? why is it hidden behind the cd casing? is it because 'hidden' in all of us is the cow of insecurity attempting to 'lick' the anus of our SOULS??????"

[Misoanthropos]

i bet like any piece of art...they put it in their cuz it looked cool and seemed to fit...and later on find meaning in it and intertwine it into a theme of some sort...

[b3ar]

i feel that the cow picture kept with the theme of the album art but i dont see it as an image that has a huge meaning behinde it, epecially since it has not been altered but is a photograph, thus the placement in the album art may have a meaning but the actual image on its own does not represent too much. I kind of see it as a bit of a reward because my copy of undertow came with a black tray and i was unaware of what was hiding behind it. one day while reading the booklet i noticed something and found it to be a picture of a cow. thus i believe it is a small reward for a tool fan because if you were not a fan you would never find the picture except by accident or being told. it is a reward for your curiosity and could be tools way of saying thanks for buyin the album