I have a theory on what the Ænima album maybe about, i wont go into too much detail cus it takes too long to type and for you guys to read...
first of all, i think of the album as a kind of chronological series of events and i think the story starts at Third Eye and ends at Stinkfist (is reverse), i can justify this idea by explaining what each song maybe about and how it fits in with the picture.
*Third Eye: this song (i think) is about maynard who has come into contact with an old friend, or spiritual teacher that he had not seen for many years. they used to practice spiritual activities (psychadeliks and meditation) back in the old days, but then this spiritualist had left maynard for some unknown reason. when they both reunited they continued their spiritual development and Maynard re-opens his third eye (it was inactive the entire time they were seperated) -hence the webs and the dew, describing how neglected his third eye had been all that time. maynard talks about how he missed his teacher 'so much' and asks why he ran 'away'. [Note: DREAMING of that face again, dreaming could mean that he is constantly under the influence of mind altering drugs when around his spiritual teacher]
[The long Poetic-piece in the middle (mention of the holy crow)]: i think that when maynard puts his hands into the shadow to pull the pieces and see who he might have been; is about maynard learning from this person's spiritual experiences and wondering what the hell he will become if he were to continue with his own spiritual advances, but one thing that was familiar to him, that kept him going was the third eye.
And then he opens his third eye to a whole new level, he realises that his teacher didnt actually leave him (run away) - but actually maynard left himself behind because his ego was telling him that the spiritual concept/world was unreal - but maynard had percieved that his teacher had run away. maynard once again is spiritual enlightened and he realises that he and his teacher are together again, they are both following down the same road, and theres no holding back this time.
-To me this is the first song on the album, it symbolises the birth of spiritual awareness and all the songs from this to stinkfirst helps explain this theory.
*Ænema, the next song on the list, is Maynard who is so spiritual enlightened, he sees things from a completely different angle or perspective and to him the day to day lives that we humans live are pathetic/superficial/materialistic and short sighted. he is trying to wake us up out of our routines by saying how bullshit our lives are, how much of a rat races it really is. he also mocks a lot of steriotypical people such as celebrities and how bullshit it is to treat them like gods "fuck these insecure actressses". he either really does want the world to blow up so it can start again and rid itself of its disease (humans) or what he really means is that he wants society's (as a whole) Ego to be sunk. so that our minds could start fresh, free from the decieving facades that shroud our lives.
*Pushit, although i already posted an interpretation on this song, i will just simplify it, i think its about how maynards spirit is sick and tired and bored of this material world, - hes also very angry of the ingorance of society - hes looking for something else - the spiritual world. all he wants is for his spirit to leave his body and mind and to freely fly through the spritual domain (not that i have any idea of what it would be like). he tries so many different ways to do this but none of them work, so he actives a last resort which is to kill himself.
*Jimmy, maynards mother left maynard at 11 right? Maynard describes the emotional torment this had on him. Maynard makes this reference to his own son, he realises that with his spiritual enlightment he is becoming more and more disconected to the real world, hence leaving everyone behind like his son for example. maynard thinks about how his mother left him and he realises he doesnt want the same to happen to his son so he says im coming back home, im gonna take this child with me.
*Hooker, this song is targetted to all the kids out there who 'try' to be 'cool' and maynard is saying how immature and pathetic the concept is... "if im the man, then you're the man..." saying how if you say "im cool" then whats to stop me from saying it too. and also maynard probably is expressing anger to someone he had gotten into an arguement with - such as the person he talks about in the song.
*46&2... if you have 46 chromosomes you're normal, and if you have 48 you're a freak, thats my logic. so with this concept, maynard is saying how if he is to carry out his spiritual activites/meditations he will become a 'freak' to society because the majority of human beings (ok, mainly the western world) look apon spirituality and meditation as wierd, obscure or insane. so maynard is saying "46&2 are just a head of me" in other words, soon you can call me a freak. stepping back through his shadow to me is describing how he will lose his Ego and coincidently giving his mind and body a rebirth. and the question comes up, why can christians believe in their religion and be so easily accepted in society, but spiritualists like me be put down and blatantly despised?
*H. i think this song has the same theme as Jimmy, maynard is choosing between spiritual enlightment, psychadeliks, meditation and a loved one (perhaps his son), how he cant do both (socialising/loving whilist meditating) and so he must choose between one or the other. obviously this decision is very hard for him to make, and who knows what he chooses in the end (the song supports both ends of the story, unless im missing a vital point). The snake could be his own Ego telling him to take drugs, meditate, meet ego loss... therefore once he meets ego loss, he has no ego and so the snake is drowned... so perhaps he loses his ego through meditation and united with his loved one at the same time.
*Eulogy, i think maynard is singing about his own future eulogy, (because stinkfist is his last step to the top). hes saying how when he dies, people would be critical and say that he had a lot to say, and 'nothing to say' meaning that the public didnt really understand any of his lyrics. "ponting at everything but his heart, we'll miss him" i think this is what a lot of people would think of maynard, someone who stands up on stage and judges/mocks the world and human society for what it really is but never talks about himself... (everything but his heart)... but his heart and emotions are in the lyrics he sings and hes saying how people dont see it. the last part of this song is perhaps someone wishing him a farewell when the coffin is being put into the grave (ie. this song is probably speaking from multiple perspectives). maybe maynard vowed to die for someone, or something... and so in the song he apparantly did die for that person/reason etc... "not all martyrs see divinity" - well maynard isnt exactly 'religious' and if he did die for someone or something that would make him a martyr.
*Stinkfist, to me this song is about maynard fisting through the borderline which is the "line" (metaphoric) between the physical and spiritual world. back in pushit he said he didnt wanna be here and how he wanted to be in the spiritual world, well in stinkfist this is what hes doing, his spirit is leaving his body through intense meditation. he speaks a lot about boredom and how nothing is of interest anymore - he has drained this world of all its comfort, pain and excitement and all thats left is the spiritual world... its what hes striving for. when he asks for the persons hand, i think he means a 'helping hand', like from a friend, or a loved one, from his son perhaps, or society... hes saying instead of putting me down for doing this, instead of trying to put me under arrest for drug use, and hassling me for what i believe in, why cant you just help me succeed in this task? it will make things far more easier... and when it begins to hurt, hes saying that the further i go the less aware i am of the material world, the further i am from you (the person who is supporting him)... so it hurts this person emotionally, the more maynard disconnects himself from the material world. (just like it hurts to have a friend or relative die).
You see! with my theory, all the songs fit together quite nicely, its like a story of a sought... im probably wrong anyway, but it means a lot to me so i dont care... and its different to any other interpretation ive read. but things and ideas will change, maybe in a year or two i will think differently once again. thanks for reading, some comments would be cool.
__________________ I opened my eye and there we were.
Last edited by Metamorphosis; 03-12-2004 at 07:04 PM..
i must say that i have been very brief on probably all the songs (ie. some important points that i have missed). i read the other day that the next step of human evolution is that we will gain an additional 2 chromosomes, and the lyrics in 46&2 easily supports this concept; that maynard (or whoever's point of view) is saying that they are evolving (spiritually or physically)? i forgot to mention that idea, my bad.
I enjoyed reading this post. You definately had some original ideas, however I don't really agree with your "story" that the album tells. First of all, I think the story is told from Stinkfist to Third eye. I will call the person in this story the character because it isn't necesarily Maynard
*In Stinkfist, our character realizes that his life is missing something. He knows there is more to life that he is experiencing, so he tries to attain enlightenment via drugs. He loves the feeling of these new experiences under the influence of a large assortment of psychedelics. So our character belives the path to "enlightenment" is while using these drugs.
*In Eulogy, the character begins to question the conventional methods to attain peace and enlightenment. He realizes that the Televangelist style preachers have perverted the path to spirituality. He no longer will accept the old ways of thinking, because he has already begun the quest for the open third eye.
*H, This song is about the guy having an inner struggle. Part of him wants to continue on his path and the other part wants to revert to the old ways( this is only what society has imprinted in him, and forced him to accept). This side is personalized by the snake, who tries to stop him from progressing "Venomous voice, tempts me, drains me, bleeds me, leaves me cracked and empty. Drags me down like some sweet gravity". The snake is behind him, which also suggests that it is trying to get the character to go back to his old beliefs. On the other hand, the blood, wants progress "My blood before me begs meopen up my heart again". The blood appears ahead of him symbolizing moving forward. There is the struggle, and the snake is killed, "Without the skin, beneath the storm, under these tears the walls came down. And the snake is drowned and as I look in his eyes, my fear begins to fade recalling all of those times". Then he begins to feel a sense of peace, because he has destroyed his inhibitions, allowing him to progress.
* 46&2, Our character is now searching for some way to reach nirvana, or enlightenment. He is looking for what has worked in the past for others " I'm down digging through my old muscles looking for a clue. I've been wallowing in my own confused and insecure delusions for a piece to cross me over or a word to guide me in." He wants to evolve spiritually into more than the typical person, 46and2 is a used as a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment.
*Hooker w/ Penis, I agree with your interpretation of this because there is no way it fits into my story
*Jimmy, The character has lost someone very important to him. This person in some way was a mentor to him, and she helped guide him in the right direction. However, this person left at a bad time "Eleven and she was gone". I believe this means the person left at the eleventh hour, they were gone before the character was able to complete his quest for spirituality. So with the peron gone, he feels unable to continue without her guidance. He is asking for help in his path "Lead me through each gentle step by step by inch by loaded memory. I'll move to heal as soon as pain allows so we can reunite and both move on together".
*Pushit, see JTCrace's interpretaiton under the pushit forum(IF YOU DON'T READ HIS POST THEN WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY WILL MAKE NO SENSE). I think it fits in, because he wants to be reach enlightenment, and by severing himself from people who hold him back, he will be able to reach it easier. His mother's love would only hold him back.
*Aenema, our character is close to his goal and only one thing is left to do. He must eliminate all his material want and desire "It's a bullshit three ring circus sideshow of freaks here in this hopeless fucking hole we call LA The only way to fix it is to flush it all away". He ends his need for cars and that sort of shit, and then he is set. He doesn't care that others want that sort of life, because he is so close to his goal "Don't just call me pessimist. Try and read between the lines. I can't imagine why you wouldn't Welcome any change, my friend. I wanna see it all come down. suck it down. flush it down". I think LA symbolizes our material nature, and that is what must be destroyed.
*Third Eye, the resolution of Aenema is a recount of our character's prevous experiences now that his third eye has been opened and he has become enlightened. It sounds like he is tripping on something also which was like what he was doing in Stinkfist. In other words, now that he is enlightened he realizes there was no true path, desire for enlightenment is enough and he didn't have to cahnge his methods "On my back and tumbling down that hole and back again rising upand wiping the webs and the dew from my withered eye. In Out In Out In Out A child's rhyme stuck in my head. It said that life is but a dream. I've spent so many years in question to find I've known this all along". Then, during one of these trips, he has a near death experience, and he meets up with the person mentioned in Jimmy. Then in the trip, he sees the crow which leads him to his old self "I stick my hand into his shadow to pull the pieces from the sand. Which I attempt to reassemble to see just who I might have been". He doesn't associate with his old self, but he realizes that he is the vessel "I do not recognize the vessel, but the eyes seem so familiar". He continues to use psychedelics in order to reach the same levels of nirvana experienced in the aforementioned passage "Like phosphorescent desert buttons singing one familiar song... So good to see you. I've missed you so much. So glad it's over. I've missed you so much. Came out to watch you play. Why are you running away?"(desert buttons are peyote) Finally our character is where he wanted to be.
Well, that about does it. I don't want you to think your idea is shitty or anything, but this is the idea I came up with, so for now it's what i believe. Please post a reply, and we could discuss this matter more
cool interpretation africanherbsman - i really like it, and thanks for your comments. and about what you said that the character isnt necessarily maynard, i agree; but it is easier to write up by using the singer's/author's (of the lyrics) name, it doesnt mean i think that the songs are about or are dealing with him.
desert buttons being peyote is so obvious, how stupid of me...
i really do agree with a lot of what you say, i like to consider multiple theories afterall.
Thank you for the comments Metamorphosis. I read your interpretation again, and I must say they were very refreshing. I liked Eulogy especiallly, because it's an idea that I have never seen anyone use.
Another thing I've been thinking about is that all of Tool's albums are part in a large story. Opiate is where Maynard sees the problems with todays institutions. Then in Undertow Maynard wants to break away from these institutions that we have nowadays, but finds it rather difficult. Then Aenema is where he goes thru the process of breaking away. Finally, Lateralus is when Maynard is a free thinker, and is truly an individual. Maybe i'm way off, but who knows
yeah, that seems to be the general idea. the theme(s) of Lateralus is definitely different to that of Ænima (of course), i think that Ænima is dealing more with the character's own personal struggle and (re)discovery; whereas Lateralus is speaking on a more universal level, and if there is still a character involved - the character has reached a much higher level of understanding and is constructively conveying his ideas. Whereas Ænima seems to 'destructively criticise' civilisation. The themes in Opiate and Undertow are different too...
Last edited by Metamorphosis; 03-22-2004 at 08:08 PM..
just stumbled onto this post. just want to say i found it interesting, and i think i may reburn my aenima cd backwards to try it out. not that i am saying yes this is the correct way, but the lyrics are open to interpation. (thats how they were intended to be according to mjk "quotes") I think the story you put to the lyrics is a good one and worth at least one listen to. it is somewhat my feeling that music especailly tool can be more read and seen rather than heard, or more perhaps that it is very uncomplete in music form and that a "record" isn't finished till it is heard. (even then you will still pick at it). this is why i like music more than films and books. films and books are to defined. they don't leave as much to wonder about or pick apart. i see maynards lyrics more like storys even novels with many, many words and sentences removed. leaving much to desire and think about. then the band with all it complexities creates such a great sound that it allows you to have "settings" and "atmosphere" that you get somewhat more of a complete picture than with movies and such.
In short thanks for the post...
__________________ riddle me this. once i was prominently displayed for all to see . I made many a man question his true desires. now however i am most likely packed away. However i could be a nice money maker for those who love to squeeze fake things. who or what am I?
i dont really have that great an opinion on the album ... i have only been a tool fan for about 5 months, although i do have some strong opinions, and i dont get much time to discuss them because none of my friends at school really like tool. But nevermind. I think that your 'story' is very good, and it does make alot of sense. But i think that the album does follow the "beginning to end" thing, so from 1 - 15 not 15 - 1. I totally agree with JTCrace's thingy about pushit, although i dont relate to those ideas :p ... i would hope no-one would ... they are very ... inspirational? no ... hmmm ... they make me understand alot of things.
I think that in Aenima, he is saying about the world being destroyed and made again and stuff, i agree with your interpretation of that, but i think it goes on to third eye after that. And maybe maynard isnt just speaking about his own eye being pryed open, maybe he is looking into the future and predicting that soon maybe people will realise what is happening, and all this bad stuff will be put right .... hmm ... well, better do some more work ... silly school.
Metamorphasis, I like your interpratation. Especially that of Eulogy. Most of the pople I talk to (including me) thought it to represent Maynard's attitude towards Jesus. We think this because of the refrenses to crucixion and the part where he talked about how Jesus say he would "die for me". I also agree with some of your interpratations including those of Ænema, H, Jimmy and Hooker. Very interesting
mmmm, veeery interesting... but stupid!
You're all assuming that aenema is a single story and who knows perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't. You all have intersting ideas, but i personnally don't buy any of them.
Especially what has been said about Stinkfist.
I think,, this song is simply about sublty, nothing else (and it's very cleaverly written too!). The first half of the song he sings "i can help you change tired moments into pleasure/ blend and balence pain and comfort deep within you/ knuckle deep within the borderline" obviously drawing on our natual sense of sexual tendencies (in other words he seems to be singing about fisting someone).
But then changes the direction to "Theres something kind of sad about the way that things have come to be, Desensitized to everything, what became of sublty?"
Which to me, from Maynards point of view, he's saying 'You all thought i was singing about fisting someone and thats what i wanted you to think!' Whereas he was simply singng about the desensitization (i think thats a made up word, but you all know what i mean) of modern day society. So again in lamans terms, he made us think in a sexual manner, just to prove his point. His point being: Its nearly impossible to shock anyone anymore, sublty is lost!
And that i my thoughts behind that song, what do you think?
__________________ Today is the day when i realize all of my imperfections
I have a theory on what the Ænima album maybe about, i wont go into too much detail cus it takes too long to type and for you guys to read...
first of all, i think of the album as a kind of chronological series of events and i think the story starts at Third Eye and ends at Stinkfist (is reverse), i can justify this idea by explaining what each song maybe about and how it fits in with the picture.
*Third Eye: this song (i think) is about maynard who has come into contact with an old friend, or spiritual teacher that he had not seen for many years. they used to practice spiritual activities (psychadeliks and meditation) back in the old days, but then this spiritualist had left maynard for some unknown reason. when they both reunited they continued their spiritual development and Maynard re-opens his third eye (it was inactive the entire time they were seperated) -hence the webs and the dew, describing how neglected his third eye had been all that time. maynard talks about how he missed his teacher 'so much' and asks why he ran 'away'. [Note: DREAMING of that face again, dreaming could mean that he is constantly under the influence of mind altering drugs when around his spiritual teacher]
[The long Poetic-piece in the middle (mention of the holy crow)]: i think that when maynard puts his hands into the shadow to pull the pieces and see who he might have been; is about maynard learning from this person's spiritual experiences and wondering what the hell he will become if he were to continue with his own spiritual advances, but one thing that was familiar to him, that kept him going was the third eye.
And then he opens his third eye to a whole new level, he realises that his teacher didnt actually leave him (run away) - but actually maynard left himself behind because his ego was telling him that the spiritual concept/world was unreal - but maynard had percieved that his teacher had run away. maynard once again is spiritual enlightened and he realises that he and his teacher are together again, they are both following down the same road, and theres no holding back this time.
-To me this is the first song on the album, it symbolises the birth of spiritual awareness and all the songs from this to stinkfirst helps explain this theory.
*Ænema, the next song on the list, is Maynard who is so spiritual enlightened, he sees things from a completely different angle or perspective and to him the day to day lives that we humans live are pathetic/superficial/materialistic and short sighted. he is trying to wake us up out of our routines by saying how bullshit our lives are, how much of a rat races it really is. he also mocks a lot of steriotypical people such as celebrities and how bullshit it is to treat them like gods "fuck these insecure actressses". he either really does want the world to blow up so it can start again and rid itself of its disease (humans) or what he really means is that he wants society's (as a whole) Ego to be sunk. so that our minds could start fresh, free from the decieving facades that shroud our lives.
*Pushit, although i already posted an interpretation on this song, i will just simplify it, i think its about how maynards spirit is sick and tired and bored of this material world, - hes also very angry of the ingorance of society - hes looking for something else - the spiritual world. all he wants is for his spirit to leave his body and mind and to freely fly through the spritual domain (not that i have any idea of what it would be like). he tries so many different ways to do this but none of them work, so he actives a last resort which is to kill himself.
*Jimmy, maynards mother left maynard at 11 right? Maynard describes the emotional torment this had on him. Maynard makes this reference to his own son, he realises that with his spiritual enlightment he is becoming more and more disconected to the real world, hence leaving everyone behind like his son for example. maynard thinks about how his mother left him and he realises he doesnt want the same to happen to his son so he says im coming back home, im gonna take this child with me.
*Hooker, this song is targetted to all the kids out there who 'try' to be 'cool' and maynard is saying how immature and pathetic the concept is... "if im the man, then you're the man..." saying how if you say "im cool" then whats to stop me from saying it too. and also maynard probably is expressing anger to someone he had gotten into an arguement with - such as the person he talks about in the song.
*46&2... if you have 46 chromosomes you're normal, and if you have 48 you're a freak, thats my logic. so with this concept, maynard is saying how if he is to carry out his spiritual activites/meditations he will become a 'freak' to society because the majority of human beings (ok, mainly the western world) look apon spirituality and meditation as wierd, obscure or insane. so maynard is saying "46&2 are just a head of me" in other words, soon you can call me a freak. stepping back through his shadow to me is describing how he will lose his Ego and coincidently giving his mind and body a rebirth. and the question comes up, why can christians believe in their religion and be so easily accepted in society, but spiritualists like me be put down and blatantly despised?
*H. i think this song has the same theme as Jimmy, maynard is choosing between spiritual enlightment, psychadeliks, meditation and a loved one (perhaps his son), how he cant do both (socialising/loving whilist meditating) and so he must choose between one or the other. obviously this decision is very hard for him to make, and who knows what he chooses in the end (the song supports both ends of the story, unless im missing a vital point). The snake could be his own Ego telling him to take drugs, meditate, meet ego loss... therefore once he meets ego loss, he has no ego and so the snake is drowned... so perhaps he loses his ego through meditation and united with his loved one at the same time.
*Eulogy, i think maynard is singing about his own future eulogy, (because stinkfist is his last step to the top). hes saying how when he dies, people would be critical and say that he had a lot to say, and 'nothing to say' meaning that the public didnt really understand any of his lyrics. "ponting at everything but his heart, we'll miss him" i think this is what a lot of people would think of maynard, someone who stands up on stage and judges/mocks the world and human society for what it really is but never talks about himself... (everything but his heart)... but his heart and emotions are in the lyrics he sings and hes saying how people dont see it. the last part of this song is perhaps someone wishing him a farewell when the coffin is being put into the grave (ie. this song is probably speaking from multiple perspectives). maybe maynard vowed to die for someone, or something... and so in the song he apparantly did die for that person/reason etc... "not all martyrs see divinity" - well maynard isnt exactly 'religious' and if he did die for someone or something that would make him a martyr.
*Stinkfist, to me this song is about maynard fisting through the borderline which is the "line" (metaphoric) between the physical and spiritual world. back in pushit he said he didnt wanna be here and how he wanted to be in the spiritual world, well in stinkfist this is what hes doing, his spirit is leaving his body through intense meditation. he speaks a lot about boredom and how nothing is of interest anymore - he has drained this world of all its comfort, pain and excitement and all thats left is the spiritual world... its what hes striving for. when he asks for the persons hand, i think he means a 'helping hand', like from a friend, or a loved one, from his son perhaps, or society... hes saying instead of putting me down for doing this, instead of trying to put me under arrest for drug use, and hassling me for what i believe in, why cant you just help me succeed in this task? it will make things far more easier... and when it begins to hurt, hes saying that the further i go the less aware i am of the material world, the further i am from you (the person who is supporting him)... so it hurts this person emotionally, the more maynard disconnects himself from the material world. (just like it hurts to have a friend or relative die).
You see! with my theory, all the songs fit together quite nicely, its like a story of a sought... im probably wrong anyway, but it means a lot to me so i dont care... and its different to any other interpretation ive read. but things and ideas will change, maybe in a year or two i will think differently once again. thanks for reading, some comments would be cool.
It's a personal idea of mine that everything can be represented in circles (bit like that orobourus snake thing!) or waves like those of a sine graph... so I think that it making sense backwards is just obvious... and well spotted. about the evolution thing though... it may or may not be a surprise to you to learn that there is actually no scientific proof to prove that evolution actually happened. Every bit of evidence from fossil records to cell construction point to special creation, and I'm quite sure Maynard knows this. No wonder he's looking to spirituality!
Last edited by Christoff; 08-12-2004 at 07:10 AM..
mmmm, veeery interesting... but stupid!
You're all assuming that aenema is a single story and who knows perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't. You all have intersting ideas, but i personnally don't buy any of them.
Especially what has been said about Stinkfist.
I think,, this song is simply about sublty, nothing else (and it's very cleaverly written too!). The first half of the song he sings "i can help you change tired moments into pleasure/ blend and balence pain and comfort deep within you/ knuckle deep within the borderline" obviously drawing on our natual sense of sexual tendencies (in other words he seems to be singing about fisting someone).
But then changes the direction to "Theres something kind of sad about the way that things have come to be, Desensitized to everything, what became of sublty?"
Which to me, from Maynards point of view, he's saying 'You all thought i was singing about fisting someone and thats what i wanted you to think!' Whereas he was simply singng about the desensitization (i think thats a made up word, but you all know what i mean) of modern day society. So again in lamans terms, he made us think in a sexual manner, just to prove his point. His point being: Its nearly impossible to shock anyone anymore, sublty is lost!
And that i my thoughts behind that song, what do you think?
I agree with you that the song is about subtly but I think it is aimed less at trying to shock and more at the idea that it takes more and more every time to get the same results. Like building up a resistance to drugs, our society has built a resistance to mental, emotional, and spiritual stimulation. Fisting is used as a very corse metaphor for the constant need of more to get the same results.
The story idea is pretty cool but it seems to me that the songs fit in some other order. I have no idea what and havn't listened to the entire cd recently to recall how I grouped them. I think it might have originaly been a story but it was randomly shuffled (or in the more traditional tool manner, ordered in some more complicated way), although it could just be an enitrly random group of songs, that seem similar because they where all written at a similar time in Maynard's life. but w/e, thats just my 2 cents, take what u want from it
well Eulogy is one of the first for a reason, but try mixing the tracks around.
"All this time you said you would die for me, then why are you so surprised to hear your own eulogy?"
That being said about his mother? I will need to elaborate more.
__________________ -<-:[\/] e x a h J o l L |\|]:->-
"OVERTHINKING, OVERANALYZING, SEPERATES THE BODY FROM THE MIND"
yes, there is alot of this here, and whats funnie in a bad way is everyone ignored it. They didnt even see the post.
Not like they would even know what it means anyways.
__________________ -<-:[\/] e x a h J o l L |\|]:->-
__________________ Althoughwbelieverseknow nofboundsetoatheirrfaith, theyowillustillrremain blindedosheep,wandntake societyptooit'swknees.e Norman should be the victim of religiously engineered beliefs. A man should find his own light, for we are not sheep, and have no shepard. We have ourselves, and no one can take that away from us.
Metamorphasis, I like your interpratation. Especially that of Eulogy. Most of the pople I talk to (including me) thought it to represent Maynard's attitude towards Jesus. We think this because of the refrenses to crucixion and the part where he talked about how Jesus say he would "die for me". I also agree with some of your interpratations including those of Ænema, H, Jimmy and Hooker. Very interesting
fuck the whole jesus shit with Eulogy, fuck all that shit. Im not saying its wrong, i msaying fuck it. Havnt you guys ever heard of something called a "Metaphor"??? This isnt opiate we are talking about here, so fuck the jesus shit. Have you guys ever connected the way his vocals sound to the lyrics of this part:
"All this time you said you would die for me, then why are you so surprised to hear your own eulogy?"
The lyrics are layered and are about many things in just one song.
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It doesn't feel like a concept album with a narrative at all. It feels like a bunch of songs.
That's your opinion... if you've read these people's interpretations and still think that, then you're stubborn and closed-minded, but that's just my opinion...
Last edited by paraflux; 02-24-2005 at 10:15 AM..
Reason: pointless insulting
That's your opinion... if you've read these people's interpretations and still think that, then you're stubborn and closed-minded, but that's just my opinion...
If the Kettle is black, and the Pot is the same color as the Kettle, what color is the Pot?
__________________ Althoughwbelieverseknow nofboundsetoatheirrfaith, theyowillustillrremain blindedosheep,wandntake societyptooit'swknees.e Norman should be the victim of religiously engineered beliefs. A man should find his own light, for we are not sheep, and have no shepard. We have ourselves, and no one can take that away from us.
I feel the album is far more than a bunch of songs, yet I do not think AEnima needs to have an alternate track order to make the story happen. If you look at if more like feelings, or emotions during events, instead of the songs representing the events themselves, maybe what I'm saying would make more sense. The album, to me, is in the exact order it needs to be in. This in no way discredits your work on the post, because shit, people will accept what is presented to them in whatever way they can. However, I feel Stinkfist is the song that best represents the entirety of the record. It is the reason for the record. It is slower, plodding, mundane, desensitized, etc. Eulogy opens up the true beginning of the record, in my opinion.
well Eulogy is one of the first for a reason, but try mixing the tracks around.
"All this time you said you would die for me, then why are you so surprised to hear your own eulogy?"
That being said about his mother? I will need to elaborate more.
i think i know here, you were being a smart ass...........?
__________________ oh by the way, i just noticed their is a heirarchy here.... and im considered a stink maggot lurker, sirs yes sir's. ''salute''
Ok,i know you said you dont care,but that aenima theory is really wrong.
The idea of the album being played backwards is smart but maynard didnt use this .
Alot of your meanings are wrong too.
So let me break it up for you.
STINKFIST
This is about becoming bored of your beliefs,finally realising you need a change,something that can make you feel something.Soon you realise this is better than sex and love it,but soon the feeling goes......and you have to go deeper to find it.
EULOGY
This one's about Jesus.Its his Eulogy.Its maynard explaining how he changed people and said it strongly with courage,but was foolish at the same time.He says that Jesus was just following what he was told,but never truely believed it.
H.
H. is about those little people on your shoulder,the little angel and the devil.This song is about maynards conscience,and how it was bent from his old beliefs.He says hell have to kill it in order to carrys on because its confusing him and clouding his vision.
46 & 2
You were fairly wright about that one.
HOOKER WITH A PENIS
Basicly a song on how people say you ''sold out'' to the man.Not a deep song,it just tels you that he's alot smarter than you ''sold out'' people are.And hes getting his vision out while maing money and you sit there as a low life commenting on other people life's
JIMMY
This is a song about maynards experiances as a child.He has nightmares so goes under hynosis to sort them out but realises they only true way to sort it out is by going home to face his fears.
PUSHIT
You were basicly wright on this one too my friend.
AENIMA
A song about people who live by the system and belive in making money,and drug users,people who ruin there lives.He says ther all enclouded by there working lives and fail to see the beauty all around them.He wishes for the island to sink into the sea to get rid of the waste.He also says that anyone who wants too see must learn to swin if they want to live.By swimming he means learn to see straight and turn there life around
THIRD EYE
This song is about maynard re-opening his third eye.He opened it before with his experimental use of LSD,He opened it once with drugs and now spent his life trying to re-open it.His cobwebs are from the last drug fueled experiance.The ''person'' who ran away was actually his eye.In order to open it he must find it but his eye keeps hiding from him.after the first verse hes starting to see everything with a new perception,but he need s to keep it open this time so he goes into a higher state of meditation and find his eye and becomes enlightened.
I could go on for pages for each song but these meanings are just dumbed up ones.
I wouldnt mind comments on these
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Interesting thread, some good thoughts here; I'll have to read it more thoroughly later...but my interpretation of the album sees all songs as independent (minus segues, of course).
I have been putting a little thought into these albums in the past few days. First off, I don't really think that it is a story so much as an album centered around specific ideas. However, it does have a very strong beginning (Stinkfist) and end (Third Eye). A lot of the album is centered around analyzing yourself and then reforming or adjusting yourself.
First, "Stinkfist". As far as an application to the whole of the album, the song deals with an obsessiveness and desensitiization by society. No matter what you apply it to (sex,violence, emotions, etc.) its about losing who you once were by slowly spiraling down into a web where something that didn't seem right before now does. If we look at a lot of the album's assault on LA and industry this makes sense. Becoming a rockstar or pop-culture centered and caught up in that moment.
"Eulogy". This song could go two ways but it still deals with the same concept. Whether its how you see others or others see you the song expresses an extreme detachment and lack of caring. For example:
"No way to recall
What it was that you had said to me,
Like I care at all."
Lines like these focus on how even through your sacrifices you've become nothing to others or others are nothing to you. Caught up in the moment emotions are lost as other things drive you rather than your sense of self.
"H.". One of the first songs about change and a return to emotions and a step away from whatever is ailing you. "H." seems to look at the two sides of a person that are both present and constantly at battle. If there's a side of you thats cold and emotionless there is still a side that is driven by humanity and remains.
"Forty Six and 2". The change. Becoming more than all the other 46's (regular people) and not feeding into all the crap. Exploring yourself and understanding yourself and taking a step forward.
"Hooker with a Penis". A rather literal song. However, it basically points the finger at people who bitch about selling out and losing touch. As much as the media is responsible for desensitizing us or taking us for all of our money we are responsible too. We buy their products and turn on their TV. In order to change, you have to realize your own power (buying a record) is just as great as their power (making a record).
"Jimmy". Reconnecting with who you were before. Whatever theory (11:11, childhood trauma, anything) about Jimmy concentrates on connecting with who you were before or are called to be. I like the theory of coming back to who you were when you were young. Looking at that person and learning from him, "Heading back home" to who you were when you began and getting away from all the other crap that drives you.
"Pushit". Personally, my favorite song on the album. Yet another great song about disconnecting from a bad version of yourself or a bad relationship. Basically, this song is about taking yourself away from a situation or person even if it is what you want or what will make you feel good because in the end it is best for you and allows you to stand on your own.
"If, when I say I may fade like a sigh if I stay,
You minimize my movement anyway,
I must persuade you another way."
"Aenema". Once again change. But this time, dramatic change. Wiping everything out. Giving yourself a fat 'ol enema that takes away all the shit. In this case, LA and all of its caught up in appearances shittiness. But at the most basic, returning to yourself by dramatic change.
"Third Eye". The most important track. Going through all this change and finally seeing yourself as something more and something elevated now that you've torn it all down. Of course, the focus is definitely on drug experimentation as a way to do this and to truly see yourself. The basic message is still one of a final connection with who you want to be now that you have flushed everything away. Elevated, evolved, and emotional.
A quick interp. Gotta go to work I can explain in more detail if anyone wants.
My opinion is that the story of the album is in the music, not the words. I believe someone stated that stinkfist was just a simple opener, (and called it the worst song on the album) but I agree that stinkfist was an opener, a queue to the idea that this album is going to deal with what we do to ourselves, the extremes in change that we go through or should go through. Each song, to a certain extent, does deal with moments of extreme change. But the music holds the story's true path. Take the words out of the album and you'll see that it's the music that has been crafted to fit a certain mold. Like the band said, they create the music first. Maynard would be a hack if he forced each song to fit within a lyrical story after the songs were created first as a musical story. But that's just how I see it.
I did understand what you meant by worst but still disagreed. I liked your view though. Looking through all of this, I also thinks it's important to note that Maynard has said, in his commentary on aMotion, that his albums have themes. I think seeing it all as a whole is good, and like I said, seeing the music as the story is awesome; but I think that what many people are really expressing here is that they sense connections between the songs. My personal opinion is that the albums theme is change; mind, body, life, actions, whatever.
__________________ I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens - George H.W. Bush
That is a VERY good interpretation of the CD. Some of them I must say are wrong though. Stinkfist in a nutshell is about people never being satisfied and wanting more. The borderline stuff is about fisting an asshole which is a metaphor for never being satisfied "Finger/Knuckle/Elbow/Shoulder deep inside the borderline"
And about the 46&2 thing. There are two types of humans. One has 42&2 chromosomes, these are people that are at a lower level than us. Not quite cavemen though. 44&2 are normal people. People with 46&2 chromosomes don't exist.
Besides those two things, I loved what you had to say about the it. It's great.
__________________ Just in general, any government throughout history hasn't really wanted its people to be educated, because then they couldn't control them as easily. If the education of our kids comes from radio, television, newspapers — if that's where they get most of their knowledge from, and not from the schools, then the powers that be are definitely in charge, because they own all those outlets.
And about the 46&2 thing. There are two types of humans. One has 42&2 chromosomes, these are people that are at a lower level than us. Not quite cavemen though. 44&2 are normal people. People with 46&2 chromosomes don't exist.
...
This is incorrect and inaccurate. The idea of differing numbers of chromosomes representing higher or lower levels of being is metaphorical only. It's simply not true.
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This is incorrect and inaccurate. The idea of differing numbers of chromosomes representing higher or lower levels of being is metaphorical only. It's simply not true.
Right; it seems that organisms with more chromosomes are less intelligent/complicated (or something) than humans—like rabbits, who have 100 chromosomes.
My oversimplified view (I will refer it to me, not Maynard):
1. Stinkfist - Using sex as an addicitive outlet (like in APC's "the hollow").
2. Eulogy - my own death (not literal). I've died many times and will continue to die. Basically, the snake has won and I've lost. The song is about what the snake tells me inside my head.
3. H. - the squaring-off between. My heart on one side, the snake on the other. The battle is on.
4. Forty-Six and Two - About change. I want to get out of my insecure delusions. It's about accessing the third eye reality and changing because of the new perspective. Getting out of apathy and living for once.
5. Hooker with a Penis - I don't really listen to this song.
6. Message to Harry Manback - the devil talking.
7. Jimmy - My true self is inside me. I need to access him and reunite and go on together. I am heading home (I'm coming for my true self or the little boy inside). He's still inside, glowing.
8. Pushit - Another classic squaring-off between song. My heart and the snake are pushing back and forth. The gap is the neutral place where I'm neither being pushed or pushing.
10. Third Eye - Using a drug to open my third eye to see a new perspective, to square-off between. "Why are you running away?" Same thing in "Crawl Away". I want the wild one to play. I've gotten to the place/reality yet it doesn't want to play.
That was really oversimplified. I'm eating breakfast and did that in a hurry.
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And drive another nail down another meaty hole
Please release me...
Jimmy is like the child of the character, the pure self.
I have a feeling it is, although tech. a thematic album, doubling as a concept. The enlightenment through multiple isolated steps bringing you to new stages until you can finally open the third eye...enlightenment!
In that case, the reason all the fillers exist are perhaps to show that these events are seperated but intertwined. The shards of a broken mirror of yourself. The character's quest...
__________________ "Computers are like women; they either work very well or not at all"
