I'm relatively new here, so try not to thrash me too bad if my thoughts have already been discussed.

The line, "Day light dims leaving cold fluorescence" reminds me of sitting with someone in a hospital, watching the sun dip under the horizon and having the day light replaced with that eerie tint of fluorescent light from the ceiling bulbs.

And the next line, "Difficult to see you in this light" surely represents the notion that it's emotionally hard for him to see her in this place and in this state.

The rest I believe is him asking her what he should say to all the people (ghouls)that are haunting him with questions about his mother. It's a selfish question because he's asking for her help in her time of need. Then he offers her a suggestion or gives her an example of what he would tell them.

I hope that made at least a little sense. I'm especially in love with this snippet of lyrics because I've been in that room before. In my mind, these lyrics describe a scene that is all too familiar for me.

Am I just relating these lyrics to something personal when they mean something else all together?

Good shit. Me likey...

Those are some good thoughts man, who cares if they are relating to something personal... That's part of what it's all about! :)

I agree. When I first listened to WFM, I immediately visualized a hopital room when he says the line "Daylight dims leaving cold fluorescence/fluorescents". I heard something about how fluorescent lights (especially the ones in hospitals) cast a sickly blue or green tint on everything, almost to the degree of distortion. That would explain why he says "Difficult to see you in this light" (besides the reason stated by 13th_Shell).

I, too, tend to think of WFM being written/conceived in a hospital room for the reasons stated above. 10,000 days, however, makes me think of the actual funeral (the religious imagery at the beginning/througout = in a church; "The ignorant flippants/fibbers/whatever in the congregation gather around spewing sympathy" = the others at the service; "difficult to see you in this light" = another possible interpretation of this line, that is, emotionally painful to see you this way as opposed to the literal difficulty in the stale, sickly light of a hospital room). I find it very interesting and fruitful to think of this/these song(s) in this way, to consider the actual scenarios that inspired it/them...
I'm pretty new here, so sorry if this has all been said before...

Also the drum at the end of Wings could be the time which she went.

Great observations.

Now who are the 'Ghouls' he's going to see tonight?

this line is a beautiful piece of lyrical expression and perfection. of course nobody wants to be in that place. i've almost been there (indirectly) when my grandfather died. I knew he was sick (fuckin Cancer) and it was only a matter of time before it was the end of him. i did'nt really get the chance to say goodbye and i was affraid of what my friends and school mate would ask me off when i'd tell them. it was'nt fun at all

I've always imagined it as him at her actual funeral, with the sunlight fading leaving a cold florescence in the sky. Meaning it's difficult to see her in an open casket funeral. Asking her to tell him what to say in the Eulogy and explain who she was to "all these ghouls" and "the ignorant fibbers in the congregation". However I liked your interpretation too, and can definitely see it.

The ghouls are all the hippocrits and 'ingnorant fibbers in the congregation.' The same people who always put on the front like they were so sincere in their love and care for her. But, much like you will see in "the congregations" is a gathering of hippocrits....People who go to church geared towards nothing more than their own benefit....their own personal agenda....

I think "Wings" takes place at the hospital, and the final loud sound at the end (which sounds eerily like a casket closing) marks the moment of death. "10,000 Days" picks up during the funeral, I think, intercut with Judith's journey to heaven (or whatever you want to call it).

hmmmm....could be

This is exactly how I interpret that part as well.

Then what follows after, is a plea to god to give meaning to her life, a life that was based on love in its purest form and not being judgemental and fake like the congregation she was part of (at least that's the way I see it). She trancsended them in so many ways. It was a plea to god to give her her wings she deserved after living a life so completely devoid of malicious intent.

"cold flouresence", what other setting could you possibly get from this?

a hospital, no shit.

Why would MJK say "I only pray heaven knows when to lift you out." at the funeral? She's been lifted out of the fire already, hasn't she?

I agree completely with the OP.
As for the ghouls question, i believe it is the relatives. You know how when someone in your family dies, you always have the people at the hospital and at the funeral that haven't come to see the person in like, 5 years? You ask yourself,"why the fuck are they here? they didn't come to see them when they were alive."
Those people seem that they live on other's pain. They only come out when someone is sick or dead. I think that those are the ghouls. Just my 2 cents.

I think the gong marks her passing.

it sounds like a mandala pad or something. I don't think it sounds like a gong. a gong has a more metalish sound. but yea either way you know what i mean.

this is exactly what i thought too.
the mentioning of "cold fluorescence" just gives me the mental image of him standing beside her hospital bed.
i like your interpritation

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also the beeping of a heart monitor kinda gave it away for me too.

You can hear it in the beginning and in the end right after the guitar pans from L to R ear, there is a split second "beep" that is kinda faint. Its only audible with headphones btw.

dude i've srsly had the exact same image/idea of the situation since i heard the song. Great minds think alike.

I was also in the same state of mind last year when my step father passed away with stomach cancer.Its hard to see people you love and care for in a place where you know the end is coming and there is nothing you can do about it.

it sure is.

That is how see it too. Being so, death kind of like splits this one big piece (WFM and 10000 days) in two parts. First part deals with moments before his mother's passing, second part with time after she's gone.

The guitar hints at it being cyclical. life and death then life then death. wings part 2 is her new life beginning in heaven

I find it interesting how "hospital" is a re-occuring theme on this album. Obviously "Lost Keys" takes place in a hospital setting too, I wonder if there's any correlation with that and WFM + 10,000 Days but I would suspect not.

That is interesting that there are several mentions to a hospital. This also correlates to The Patient. An overall theme of healing throughout Tool's work?

That would make sense. I know that sometime during the AEnima period at live shows Maynard would be in a wheelchair as if he was a patient in a hospital.

Also, I have exactly 69 posts now :)

haha i never heard that maynard rolled out on a wheelchair back in the aenima days. thats kinda ridiculous.

congrats on the 69 posts bro

haha thanks man, although sadly my 69 post streak was short lived :(

and now I wish I can remember when Maynard was doing the whole wheelchair act. I wanna say it was around when they were doing the Lollapalooza tour in the late 90's but I could be mistaken, I just remember reading about it in the article section on this site in one of the concert reviews. You actually learn alot about the band through those articles, I wish they'd update them to atleast 2006 though so I can get to know more about what was going on post Lateralus up until 10K Days!

You should elaborate more on this thought. Now I'm curious as to what you're referring to.

Its emotionally difficult for maynard to see his mom in a hospital. You can imagine that she was in a bad condition and literally on her deathbed so its a very emotional time for maynard and relatives.

It is also difficult to see her because she was "the light and the way" aka pure light aka good. Now this little light of hers is saturated by the cold fluorescence. Fluorescent lighting is artificial and is associated with hospitals and other sterile places. This juxtaposes Judith who was boundless, open, and a passionate spirit.

Also it is literally hard to see her because the flourescence sucks and its not the same as seeing someone in daylight.

Anyone else hate flourescent lighting? I never can adjust my eyes to it and i find it has a numbing effect on me.

I am not a fan either. It makes me feel "drugged" in a way just being in a room with fluorescent lighting, like my eyes have strange filters infront of them that makes everything bright and hazy. But yeah now I understand the double entendre aegean_okra mentioned earlier.

I thought of school.

I'm thinking fried chicken and porn, giggidy giggidy