Play on words, my translation

[Inspired_Fan]

I have spent awhile trying to grasp the variety of interpretations of this song due to the alternate meanings of words and metaphors.
To me this song has more complexity and hidden messages than other tool songs because it is the “Reflection” or conclusion. I want to share my ideas but also get feedback to help clarify parts of the song that are a bit cloudy to me.

I have come curiously close to the end, down
Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole,
Defeated, I concede and
Move closer
I may find comfort here
I may find peace within the emptiness
How pitiful

He has wanted to find a purpose in life, but got discouraged
He feels inferior to satisfy his desire to his unanswered questions
He acknowledges that he is without an answer
He moves to the final years of his life
He still hopes to find an answer but feels he has no purpose (empty like his pitiful hole that needs to be filled)
How pitiful (sad)

It's calling me...

His curiosity is calling him to find meaning

And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping
The moon tells me a secret - my confidant
As full and bright as I am
This light is not my own and
A million light reflections pass over me

In his misunderstood/unenlightened existence he mourns
The ?moon? tells him a secret - my confidant (Friend that tells secrets)
His hole/inquiries are filled
The knowledge/answer shouldn’t just be his own
He puts serious thought (contemplation) into what he learned

Its source is bright and endless
She resuscitates the hopeless
Without her, we are lifeless satellites drifting

The source is glorious and infinite (perhaps immortal)
She brings back meaning and purpose
Without her, we are unconscious followers living our lives by circumstance (not questioning, going along with)

And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt
Don't wanna be down here feeding my narcissism.
I must crucify the ego before it's far too late
I pray the light lifts me out
Before I pine away.

As he reflects upon what he learned he is certain
He doesn’t want to be supporting his feelings about his appearance, abilities, ect (worrying about what others think of him)
He must transform his ego (drive/motives) before his life comes to an end
He hopes the enlightenment changes his ego
Before he wastes away (dies)

So crucify the ego, before it's far too late
To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,
And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
Just let the light touch you
And let the words spill through
And let them pass right through
Bringing out our hope and reason ...
before we pine away.

So transform the ego before life comes to an end
To leave this world so negative, not willing to understanding, and cynical (denying the sincerity of peoples’ motives and actions)
And you will come to find that we are all one mind (psyche; conscious and subconscious)
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable
Let the knowledge/enlightenment inspire you
And divulge (let known) the words (secret/knowledge)
And circulate the words from person to person
To reveal the meaning of life
Before we waste away (die)

Well, thanks for reading it (if you got this far)
Always down for feeback

[Third Eye 580]

wwoooowww....i must admit, im quite impressed with how u put that...i particularly liked the way u describe how the theme of the song is enlightenment BEFORE DEATH...i dunno..just the whole...before we die thing really out that line into a new light i hadnt seen before..ur smart man..keep at it man =)

[under_PSI]

i like your reasoning in the breakdown and "interpreted" meaning of 'reflection' truly a beautiful song and *apparently* deeper than others/////if you will//////

i also think that the song could be, like almost every tool song, multi-sided. many things that we (listeners) think a meaning is, may or may not be what is intended to be understood or interpreted....which is one of teh greatest acheivements that a band could want for its lyrics. not only are they self-inspirational for the writers and performers, they can be related to by almost every listener that has an opinion, or should i say, something to help them hold meaning......

and that is why i love them, and this song soo much...i think that the most elementary interpretation of the song could be stated as-

i am growing up and realizing that there are things that i need and there is no longer any need for closemindedness. we are more complete as humans when we can acknowledge equality and no longer need to be what i ONCE WAS......

but then, the whole CD seems to follow a trend like a creschendo from track one to the end, all except ticks and leeches, which could fit in if it were used like a "rant" of sorts in the middle of the "sermon" if you will......

that tuned out to be a lot longer than i expected...sorry hope you can see what i meant....

[eslupminoyler]

1. She resuscitates the hopeless
2. Without her, we are lifeless satellites drifting

not bad my friend

1. (She) must symbolize a warmth and comfort from something he otherwise was without. In away I almost think he concedes to God, something he has searched for and played with his whole life. Concede in this phrasing probably means giving up his ego and giving in to trust with a higher power, most likely God. She in a off-hand way is a humanistic or new-age(god in us, so god we are) form of God. Hopeless is a relevant word in that his decision to relent it seems comes at the point when it is most likely, when all joy and understanding seems in retrospect trivial and something merely to waste time. Humans are the most emotional, the most dynamic, the most wide-eyed when they are in despair.
So in layman's terms. God, she, or he answers and comforts us when we are the most vulnerable.
2. correct me if I am wrong, but is not a satellite without any orbit or direction, something that if converted to a space of energy or thought(soul or etheral body) is dead and hopeless.
Without direction there is no comfort, humans take comfort in what they possess, even Maynard who I'm sure takes little heed over inanimate objects and earthly things, admits between the lines that he is human and is tired of his human attributes and his comfort Zone. So after he has her comfort, he realizes how truly lost he was before he had her love.
The rest of the song tells of how to defy the ego and how she granted him the ability to do it, or perhaps it is opposite and first you must defy the ego to find her. Realizing the light now shines through him only because before he was an end blocking the justification of the means