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Originally Posted by tbrent21
Cool - thanks for the info. It still strikes me as odd that after flat-out saying "fuck L. Ron Hubbard" in "AEnima" the song, why go on for eight and a half minutes crypically about him here to get the same point across. But the other thing is that they seem to be lamenting that at one pont the target "seemed to feel the same" and Tool was eager to identify with them. Again, this really rules out Hubbard, doesn't it? Surely Tool are not former scientologists. I can't see a way around that one.
As for D'Amour, I said all along I made the interpretation just on guesswork and that the lyrics seem to be about disassociating themselves from someone who at one point "seemed to feel the same", but they concluded no longer did. I will admit I don't know the first damn thing about their relationship with D'Amour. Just seemed like a theory worth mentioning, given among other clues, the timing of the album right after the split and the "why then are you so surprised to hear your own eulogy" line seeming to indicate to me that the target is alive and would have appeared to have heard this song and gave the band some kind of reaction.
As for whether D'Amour had any songwriting credit for this song, which someone suggested, I know they played "Stinkfist" alot while touring pre-AEnima. But I don't recall them ever playing this song while D'Amour was still in the band. Perhaps there's a set list out there that will prove or disprove this, but who knows.
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When Tool says "someone who seems to feel the same" I think they are describing the people who follow someone like an L. Ron Hubbard. Not so much that they ever believed anything Hubbard ever said, Let's look at the lyrics in that part:
Standing above the crowd,
He had a voice so strong and loud and I
Swallowed his facade cuz I'm so
Eager to identify with
Someone above the ground,
Someone who seemed to feel the same,
Someone prepared to lead the way, with
Someone who would die for me.
I think Tool is saying that there are so many "sheep" out there who are prepared to listen to anyone who gets in front of them and leads them regardless of what they are saying. As long as they identify with the person in some ways, they will follow that leader regardless of how ridiculous he is or sounds. This is how someone like L. Ron "tricks" people into following him. Tool's response is "At least Jesus had the cojones to die for his followers, why don't you go do the same?"
BTW, don't get me wrong, I whole-heartedly respect your opinion and I think it brings a lot to the table and a point of view on this song I hadn't thought about. I thank you for the enlightenment.