Maynard was quoted to saying in an interview with Triple J in Oz, that this album would be more simple lyrically, his reason for this was that people aren't seeming to get the bands message which is in short, to think for yourself and question authority and use the music as a positive influnce in your life in some way. IMO i think this song is about Maynard's frustration.

How can you say that Maynard is trying to dispute evolution with this song? As for Maynard's belief in a higher being--you're not get get conclusive proof one way or the other by reading his lyrics. Besides, why can't you believe in a higher being AND evolution? Oh, your preacher said so

I agree...perhaps this is another way for Maynard to slap us all in the face. I believe he's being condescending (sp. wrong?)...rather than whiny. It's a song about this is what the world has become and it's the truth. He hasn't lost his touch and totally disagree w/ the first comment. Maynard is still pretentious you're just not seeing/getting it. His lyrics are not that simplistic. Never have been and never will be.

i didnt read past the first couple posts of this thread. i couldnt. puked. twice. listen again. please. thats all i ask.

I admit with the previous post. I almost puked myself. ... This is all I could read.

...

You know what? HUMANITY DOES SUCK. GET OVER IT. Sorry some little bitch is bothering you.

Maynard was right in making this song. He is expressing his personal feelings. That doesn't make him stupid. If I said I hate "gay marriage," then would that make me stupid? The gays would think so, but how is that stupid? I'm expressing my personal opinion. So, I hate gay marriage. Maynard just might have a problem with society. So what?

On the other hand, attempting to take this from YOUR point of view not mine, how are you offended that Maynard wrote a song about "hating humanity?" You should have been offended that Maynard wrote a song about his damn dick (Maynard's Dick from Salival) or about the Gaping Lotus Experience. What about Opiate? That's an offensive song (We both want to rape you.)

Where the fuck do you come from dude? Personally, I love Maynard's lyrics no matter what. I'm beside him 100%. It's not stupid of him, it's smart of him to do something different. It makes the music more interesting to listen to. If all of his songs sounded like Aenima, Tool would be boring, because after a while, you don't want to hear the same shit anymore (with Tool, that's kind of hard, but believe me, after 1,000,000 straight of hearing the same song, yeah, you're going to get bored of it)

That's my little rant.

What else would angels call humans, to be insulting?

humans are nothing more than silly monkeys.

the fucking tv shows us every day

insult to the monkeys in my opinion..

Buckets.

Insignifgant carcasses

theeeere ya go

lyrics aside, this song instrumentally ties the whole album together.

and he is saying the same thing he always said, but he had to dumb his lyrics down to get the same point across.

dumb his lyrics down? bahjoer32480 jc.

his lyrics are awesome. beautiful. it is truly a work of art.

Saying he's dumbing down his lyrics is missing the point.
An artist has topics that are of interest that they come back to, which is why they cover the same ground in different ways.
Obviously the plight of humanity is a strong part of Maynard's thought and feeling, which in turn comes out in the creative processes.
Finding the new ways to come from the same place, sometimes complex and elusive and then sometimes simple and to the point isn't "dumbing it down", it's called creativity.

Saying that these lyrics are way to simple is a way too simple response to something that came from the heart with an intensionally subdued intellectual component.
It seems what the critics of this song are really saying is that TOOL have been acting for you as a selective mind fuck and nothing more. Sometimes a persons reaction to a song says a whole lot more about the listener than the writer/performer.
In a sense Maynard has successfully pushed some buttons here, which I think is awesome. "Not mentally challenging enough" is just a euphamism for "This stuff is way below my level."
Not everyone is an Ivory League cryptolinguist like some of you guys are.
But to say that Maynard's lyric's are becoming too simple is a sign of chronic short term memory loss, considering that just 2 songs before is that nexus of irreverant psychic complexity "Rosetta Stoned".

Hearing the word "monkeys" I must say, does initially put a smile on my face, but there's no need to feel embarrassed because you're listening to it---or someone else is who might have been privy to information revealing the deep dark truth that you actually listen to a band that uses monkey-references in one of their songs.
The underlying issue here is your own insecurities--- NOT MJK's song-writing.
Admitting you're actually an animal, a MAMMAL even seems to strike a sensitive nerve in some people---no, sorry---"misplaced entities" sounds much cooler, right?
Just please try to be patient. TOOL and the rest of us are evolving as fast as we can.

For the critics: How about compiling a list of all words that should be permanently banned from all TOOL songs. We could all vote on which words or word-combinations (where either word on its own is not necessarily offensive to anyone---only when in close proximity to each other). We could drop our antirequests in the mailbox addressed to the North Pole and maybe, just maybe, for Christmas the overwheight and elderly bearded monkey in the red and white costume will slide down our chimneys once a year and cleanse all of our TOOL albums of all mindlessly straightfoward primative poppycock.
I'd love to hear the stuff YOUR band creates. But I'm only in my third year of college and am probably not ready yet.

Man, I second pretty much everything you've just said. I know exactly what you mean when you say it strikes a sensitive nerve to some when one says we're an animal. We're just a mammal like our primate brothers. I also liked the "misplaced entities joke". How many times have you been in a conversation with someone and asked them if they believed in an "after-life" and they scoff at you and say "No way!" and all that shit. But when you ask them if they believe that "we become part of a higher unified consciousness" when we die, they might totally agree with you and buy into that 100%. But um... wait a minute, isn't that the same thing as an "after-life". Well, one sounds a lot cooler scholarly. So they scoff at the person talking about an "afterlife" and jerk off the guy's ego who says "higher unified consciousness levels" cause that's so inquisitive and delightful. Fucking cemantics...

It seems no one has managed to mention the "Repugnant is a creature..." line in this song. Great line from a contemporary literary stand-point. He uses a classic idea (as some would say "cliche") and refreshing language that you'd be hard-pressed to find in any songs out there these days. It would be superfluous to use esoteric and cryptic meanings in a song with this kind of subject matter. In other words it would be "forced".

Most of these posters posted back in May. I wonder if almost a year's time has allowed them to see Right in Two in a new light?

I agree, that was a great post tryptosaur.

Have you guys ever read any Terence McKenna?
He died a few years ago, but his style was, to me at least, exquisite. He wrote (actually it's a compilation of interviews) "Archaic Revival" which is on the Toolshed reccomended readings list. Another book he wrote was "Food of the Gods" which really gets deep into some really beautifully described evolution theories which involve cows, psilocybin mushrooms, and (WARNING! DO NOT READ ON IF PRIMATE-RELATED SUBJECT MATTER STIRS UP EMBARRASSING DEEP-ROOTED, SUPRESSED ANCIENT MEMORIES OF YOUR PROTOHOMINID PAST.) monkeys.
I found it interesting to see some posts suggesting to eat mushrooms and listen to this song.

Tool has always dealt with Primal subjects.

Besides, now that they are done educating us about occult matters in Lateralus and Prior Albums. They can get much more to the point. which is great :D

We are Talking monkeys. Deal with it.

I've got no sympathy for those who struggle with biased feelings upon this.
Because biased feelings, probably just mean that they for the past years have enjoyed
feeling superior to monkeys, and probably just have a hard time swallowing the fact of being monkey themselves.
Swallow your Egoistic and vicarious superiority complexes and hate towards monkeys.

Besides, ever since scientists found that crossroad evolution away from monkeydom, happened even later than thought before. calling us Monkeys, seems to become more and more popular.

This just proofs, that bands who read nice books instead of waiting for the movie or sit idle while being spoon fed by teleevision. Still are on the cutting edge as always. Tool are so doope man :D
.................................................. .......

Basicly, this is the same topic as schism.
just modernized, and sublimitized so the sheeps get it too.
with nice stoned monkey theory linking, and great feeling.

but then again. everything in our world is about schism.
thats the way the "lipan drawing logic sword of the magus" consciousness works.

what he's saying is: use the Sword-of -mind's ability to seperate from Oneness, as a creative power. discern the cosmos. enjoy your ability to seperate stars in the sky.
Instead of seperating other monkeys from their heads.

if we truly can cut things right in two. We should be able to cut im two, what not to cut in two. :D

"monkey killing monkey killing monkey over lyrics of a song"
"dont these talking monkeys noted there are better things to discuss around"
never mind the rhyme...
he he he he he
keeep pissing in the black kettle
enjoy your coffee..

me love thaat video :D haha

Sounds interesting, I'll have to check it out sometime. Thanks.

The title of this thread and the original post is stupid. How was it stupid of maynard to write some really good lyrics about the way people are divided all over the world?

Calling Maynard stupid actually does take courage, though. Even though the author of the words can confidently attend a TOOL concert feeling assured that no one will know his identity based on (his) physical appearance, which is really not possible anyway since all monkeys look alike anyway, the deeper reality here seems to be that honesty is ALWAYS a good thing. Just like what Mr. Garrison says to his(her) students, "There are no stupid questions, only stupid people". I take this as a hint to reflect on my own opinions before sharing them, although I know this isn't everyone's style.
I don't mean to come off as critic of a critic, but I do admit, I can see it like this now.
I don't just automatically accept everything TOOL puts out because it's TOOL. Although I might let it rattle around in my skull just a little bit longer before permaturely judging it as stupid, only to spit it back out/reject it.
Sometimes TOOL are being the trickster and actually want us to choke a little. Some ancient emotions cannot be tapped into in any other way. La Purga.

For all you who don't understand this verse (actually most of you do, but not all) "repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, concious of his fleeting time here" definition of repugnant-contradictory,distasteful, offensive. Plus he's basically calling humans monkeys (an animal who will throw it's own shit at things when it's angry)He's basically saying it's shameful, sad, and almost disgusting as if from a higher perspective (say angels) that humans take for granted all the things given to them. The ability to think and have reason above that of pure instinct, to have free will, the ability to gain knowledge and to keep gaining knowledge far beyond that of our insignificant life's. That fact that we are conscious of things like mortality and intelligent thinking that far surpasses that of what any animal is capable of understanding. A monkey is not aware of the fact that he is eventually going to die, or that he might end up in a zoo. No, his only concern in the world is banging that female monkey and getting a f***ing BANANA! and To say the lyrics are to simple is ignorant especially when they cause so much conversation and debate. If they were simple people wouldn't get the lyrics wrong.

Honestly, I pretty much think Maynard is a douchebag, and would be the most annoying person possible to hang out with.

That's it!
I'm going to propose a national monkey-awareness month.
I'm still not sure which month it should be yet, but just for fun I'm leaning towards April.

Maybe he chose to use the word monkey to emphasise the sadness, and resignation angels would feel, watching us go about. Knowing what we put into the word, just talking our language. And the simplicity (?) of the text matches our reality, right ?
Sure, we have evolved, but still we don't use our ability to its fullest. Our primate instincts still cut us short of our full potential.
As for Maynards douchebagginess/stupidity ... damn, has he got a load to carry that poor man...lol Did he ever ask to be anyones saviour ?! He is just expressing a point of view, in a piece of art. He is unusually talented (stupid thing to state, here, heh), but he is human, right ?

possible.

I read most of the hateful posts where people sit around and judge all the other tool fans, saying things like, I hate 99% of tool fans. Why? If you can really learn nothing from tool at least learn that you see things in others that you hate about yourself. Do not sit on an imaginary pedestal above the rest of the world and especially people you have something in common with and say, fuck you I am so much better.

As to the OP one of the things I like about tool is that they are not bound to one style of song. If there discography was Lateralus 1 , lateralus 2, lateralus 3 etc. it would get old after a while. They can step aside and take a whole new persective on writing a song. Thats why they can write really encrypted deep messages and then on another song keep their message straight foward.

I did not come here to argue with anyone. :-P. I have been on these forums for a while I just do not post.

Disagreed. Right in Two is much more deep.

Simple Tool Songs: Aenima, Hooker Con Un Penis, Hush, and maybe Vicarious and Right in Two. Although, these songs go much deeper than outwardly percieved...

wow...all you are a wait of post time....bla bla bla...you all have alot of nothing to say... D O R K S... yup...that's it! D O R K S! wow....idiots...

A) you call them idiots, yet you state "all you are wait of time".....interesting how ignorance works

B) what you meant to say was "you're all a waste of posting time" however, you did exactly that....

You sir, are the idiot here

By this I mean the most obvious interpretations and more easy to understand juxtaposed to other Tool songs.

You are an idiot. Some of the smartest people I have met are active members on this website. So shut up you simple minded fool.