closer to God

[Butterfly_Soul]

Please allow me to describe my theory of Parabol/Parabola(the songs are not meant to be separated: they may have different titles, but they are perfectly complementary and supplementary to each other )... I have another post under "Parabola" as well... check it out if you want to.

Parabol/Parabola is about sex and divinity. Becoming closer to God through the act of love...

Parabol opens with this amazing sound; it envelops you, soothes you, creates a meditative, womb-like atmosphere...you become immersed in Maynard's voice - it's like warm liquid that you bathe in. The purpose is to create a mood of love, openness, vulnerability - the emotions we feel when we make love to someone.

"So familiar and overwhelmingly warm, this one, this form I hold now" This is the feeling of holding someone, of penetratring them; the sensation of entering another person (or being entered).... it's familiar, overwhelming, aching, warm...

"Embracing you, this reality here, this one, this form I hold now" He's addressing his lover; reaching out to embrace the person he's holding and appreciating the reality of the moment.

"Wide-eyed and hopeful; wide-eyed and hopefully wild" This is the expectation of the experience; the excitement. When your breath catches in your throat and your eyes open wide (even eyes wide shut) in anticipation of this primal, wild act.

"We barely remember who or what came before this precious moment, choosing to be here, right now" When two people are joined, they lose themselves in each other; they don't remember where they are, what they were doing or who they were with 10 minutes ago. They choose to focus on each other. All that matters is surrendering to each other...two become one.

"Hold on, stay inside" The desire to stay inside the other person even after the act is finished; the desire to hold on to the moment; to sustain the orgasm, the exhiliration, the oneness

"This body holding me, reminding me that I am not alone" It is during sexual intercourse that we remember we're not alone in this life; only in this moment do you know what it is to "be with" someone. completely. Your soul touches another soul

"This body makes me feel eternal, all this pain is an illusion" Sex is eternal; it is a gift we've been given by God; the only thing that remains constant throughout generations on Earth; the only way we know how to propagate our species. It makes life worth living and during sex we forget how dismal and painful our existence can be. We live only in that moment of ecstasy. The world revolves around sex; and for good reason. It is the ultimate way to connect with each other.

A 'Parabol' - ( which is an alternate spelling of 'parable') - is a story, with a religious or moral message.

And that's exactly what this song does; it teaches us the meaning of sex; explains why it was given to us by God. Gives validity to the saying "It was a religious experience" (see my comments for Parabola, also)

What inspired me to develop this theory of mine was when I was listening to another musical genius and his work; TRENT REZNOR and the song "Closer". Yes, that's the "I wanna fuck you like an animal" song... but come on, you have to get past the primal lyrics. There's actually a very profound, beautiful meaning behind "Closer" just as with "Parabol". Some selected lines from Closer:

"You let me penetrate you...
I wanna feel you from the inside...
You can have my isolation...
You can have my everything...
You make me perfect...
You are the reason I stay alive...
You get me closer to God..."

Think about it; I want comments; criticisms, questions...

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[J1516]

I don't like it when people try and make closer seem like a positive and happy song. A friend of mine fell in love with a girl and thought that closer was the best song in the world. I just thought it was sick because the song seems like its about using someone as a way to feel better about yourself. I really don't think that this song is about sex. The main emotion I feel when I hear it is comfort. It's just a calming, comforting, warm ambient song. I think that the reason that Parabol and Parabola were separated was because they're two different emotions, but they flow well because the actual emotion flows that well. First there is calm, warmth and beauty and then comes joy, happiness, and beauty (but in different light).

By the way, Trent Rezner is probably many things, but a musical genius he is definitely not.

[Delirus]

good on ya' j1516, its not that im dissmissing the whole sex theory all together but you have to remember that Tool dont belive in god, well as far as i know unless their belives have changed but i havnt heard, so why sing about becoming closer to him? parabol/parablola seem to me to be about love, not nessiserily sex because you dont fuck everyone you love.but holding or being held by someone you love and loves you does make you forget pain for a while and relise your not alone and everytning the song talks about. you dont need to be having sex with soemone to forget what came befor or for it to be a preciouse moment, ive kissed girls and forgot all else in the world because of how ive felt about them. one of these girls i loved only as a friend and thats what we were doing, becoming closer as friends, forgetting about pain and enjoying each other,the same reason we hug.the point being that the song doesnt have to be about sex to include the emotions and thoughts expressed in the two songs.

[AsproClear]

I don't think Parabol/Parabola is about sex.

I think the 'form' he mentions refers to the human form each of us holds in this existence. I think it fits in with the overall concept of the album.

The mention of 'one' (i.e. this one, this form, I hold now) reminds me of a post I read regarding 'jimmy,' where the line "til one and one are one," may refer to the union of two halves of self or the individual with the collective. I think Parabol/Parabola is an acknowledgement and celebration of our existence as humans as well as the larger picture....reminding us that we are not alone and we are eternal.

'Wide eyed and hopeful, Wide eyed and hopefully wild' is an optimistic view of the human race at its present state of evolution.

'We barely remember, what came before this precious moment, choosing to be here, right now etc.' refers to way the human mind operates, existing only in the 'present' and in the here and now. I think this song is telling us to enjoy this life we have now for what it is, and to look forward to our transition or afterlife.

[Delirus]

interesting idea that.got any thoughts on why the song is two? just want to hear more of your theiry.and pick at it...
why is it 'WE barely remember...' if its his experiance?
why 'choosing to be here...' if it were experiancing yourself as a whole it would be more or a journy/struggle than a choice.

[sk8ingknot4659]

hmmm, i don't mean to sound bad but i don't think that at all when i hear this song. i hear maynard talking about a new experiance that he is having, but i dure don't think it's sex...

[sk8ingknot4659]

but don't get me wrong, your intitled to your own oppinion...

[Delirus]

you dont have to be that self conciouse mate, like it says beneath each post when your writing it
And hey, we all know "this is just your opinion."

[seeker]

closer is not a happy song. it's not about the spiritual nature of sex. closer is a hateful, depressing song, and trent reznor has admitted that he was loathing himself when he wrote the song. closer is one-sided... he's begging to be used because he feels worthless. "you can have my everything" and "you are the reason i stay alive" show this. and the key phrase in the chorus is "LIKE AN ANIMAL" as in, forget about the whole spiritual connection deal. closer is the polar opposite of parabol.

other than that statement, i more or less agree with your observation that this is about sex... that was my first impression anyway. i haven't really analyzed it beyond that yet. but oh yes, i have analyzed NIN into the dirt. trent reznor is as wonderful an artist as is Tool. these two artists are the reigning trueboys of the music industry.

oh, and the phrase "you get me closer to god" is not the happy spiritual thing as in parabol. this is a statement of usage--t.reznor is using the subject of this song to step up out of his self-loathing, only to sink even deeper when the moment is over. just listen to reptile and you'll know what i mean

[LyingRealist]

I can understand why sex would be the theory that you have chosen to explore. The words can be used in that context quite well.

But although I am open to the idea I don't actually think the songs are about sex.
I think its about one of two things and maybe both.
True Love and the feelings that come with it.
And/or the experience of meditation and the joy and peace it gives.

just my take. =)

[Butterfly_Soul]

Which do you think is better? To understand a song by knowing EXACTLY how and why the artist wrote it, or by extracting your own personal theory about what that song means to you?

Which do you think is better? To understand a song from only one perspective, or to recognize the "infinite possibilities" of the song's myriad meanings?

My theory that Parabol is about sex is just ONE of those meanings... and I think if you give it a chance and look at it from that perspective, you'll hear what I heard in those words. But when I listen to the song, I also hear other meanings as well... such as what LyingRealist has proposed about True Love and mediation or what AsproClear has suggested about the human form and evolution. I hear many things and I don't think any of them are "Right" or "Wrong" just because that's not what Maynard intended when writing them. I think Maynard's genius is in his ability to use lyrics that are limitless in their ability to reach out to us and invade our minds; allowing us to form our own unique perspective on the song.

I never said that "Closer" was Mr. Roger's theme song. I never used the word "happy" to describe it. But I do believe, regardless of what Trent Reznor's mindset was when writing it, there are some beautiful lines in that song that mean something very profound to ME... and I personally connect "Closer" lyrics to Parabol. If you decide that you can't see a song in any different light that what it was "supposed" to mean to the artist who wrote it, then I have sympathy for you. Don't just see the world in terms of black and white ("This songs HAS to mean this, because Reznor said so in some Rolling Stone interview - Puleeze...)

You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books, You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, You shall listen to all sides and filter them for yourself.

[seeker]

i definately agree with you on one point, and that's that art can be (and should be) interpreted in many ways. i believe that to limit oneself based on the observations of others is to rob oneself of the beauty of the form. i didn't mean to offend you by my rather strong disagreement, but only to spur you on towards explaining further why you believe it's a beautiful and profound song, as you described it.

the reason i have for disagreeing with you was not that trent reznor told me i shouldn't via an article. if you look only at a piece of the puzzle, you do not see the whole. the way that you chose to select a few lyrics from the song to show your point was deceptive, and didn't show the other side of the song.

consider the lyrics once again and see if you still believe it is a beautiful song:

"you let me VIOLATE YOU" (and he says LET, as in, if the person didn't let him, he'd move on to find another willing subject to VIOLATE)

"you let me penetrate you"
"you let me DESECRATE YOU"
"you let me COMPLICATE YOU"

"help me, you BROKE APART MY INSIDES"
"help me, I'VE GOT NO SOUL TO SELL" (this implies that if he felt he could, he'd even sell his soul to get out of his current world... that's profoundly sad)
"help me, the ONLY THING that works for me" (as in, the only way he can find release from the downward spiral of his emotions is to find and fuck the willing, and that certainly doesn't imply any feelings of love)
"help me get away from myself"

"i want to FUCK you LIKE AN ANIMAL"
"i want to feel you from the inside"
"i want to fuck you like an animal"
"MY WHOLE EXISTANCE IS FLAWED" (this is key: a statement that he KNOWS or admits that he's in bad straits)
"you get me closer to god"

"you can have my isolation" (sounds good except that it continues into:)
"YOU CAN HAVE THE HATE THAT IT BRINGS"
"you can have my ABSENCE OF FAITH" (he's even separated himself from the spiritual)
"you can have my everything" (what a powerful statement)

"help me, you TEAR DOWN MY REASON"
"help me, it's your sex i can smell"
"help me, you make me perfect"
"help me become somebody else" (another key statement)

chorus

then, as the song goes on, he whispers:

"through every forest"
"above the trees"
"tantalize the stomach"
"scraped off my knees"
"i drink the honey inside your hive" (and this is a reference that relates directly to the song reptile, as i mentioned in a previous post, because of the implications that it's a hive where insects work... so this implies that the singer is just an insect, maybe one of many, though that concept doesn't come into play until the song reptile)
"you are the reason i stay alive"

and fin.

i think it's wonderful that you are openminded, but i think there's a preponderance of evidence here. but hey, if you can justify the entire song, bravo... share your opinion.

...and before anyone tells me, I know it's a Tool forum ;)

[Butterfly_Soul]

That is a very convincing argument for the negativity of Closer, (very eloquent) and yes, I agree with you that the overall meaning can be considered the exact opposite of the warmth and love that ooze out of Parabol. But I think that sometimes the pieces of a puzzle can be just as important as the whole picture; and perhaps for me I chose to select the positive "pieces" from Closer and equate them to Parabol because I wanted to see the good in such a negative song. Is it illogical to take those lines out of context? Probably, but when it comes down to it, I think the phrase "you bring me closer to God" is a beautiful concept, despite the context of the song it belongs in. That's how I feel about Reznor and Maynard. They create music that can bring us closer to God. Especially in Maynard's case, it seems that his lyrics are divinely inspired. As if he's channeling spiritual energy; as if he's just an instrument for something or someone else that is bigger than all of us. How else could a normal human being write lyrics like "We are eternal; all this pain is an illusion" or "swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human"-- it is perfection.

I've enjoyed bantering w/ you and reading your eloquent contributions!