Indeed

f u, too.

jerk.


:'( <--- real tears.

I just have to say, that was indeed exellent timing.... and to you, who's ignorant comment "stupid of maynard", Whats so stupid about it, so he's giving someone else a chance to relate. Big deal. I dont see whats so wrong about that, Im sure that if you go up and ask him yourself, that he'll apologize and say something to the likes of, " Im sorry, to you above all people, because I give such a damn what you think in the first place, I apologize for your inconveniance, my offence towards, you, not the hundreds of thousands of other people he has offended, no just you, because your special"., Yah.... Im sure thats exactly what he'd say.

I can not get over how so many of you think Tool has to be "pretentious" and "cryptic". Maynard is a poet and with that comes the ability for him to write about WHAT he wants and HOW he wants.

It reminds me of a time whilst I was in high school when I had shown something I wrote to a friend (whom we will call Bob), Bob then showed it to his "anti-comformist" friend (whom we will call Julia). Julia than confronted me about it and called me a "conformist" because I rhymed in it. She than showed me something she wrote that was all hodg-podged about running naked in the sand or some stupid shit. I just laughed and said "Wow".

You see the point is it's not comformity or "bad" just because of WHAT or HOW it is being said. It is comformity because of the WHY behind the "what" or "how". For example, I rhymed because I felt that was artisticly what best suited my meaning, she didn't rhyme because she wanted to be different. Do you get it?

So Maynard can do whatever the fuck he wants and still be Maynard, he isn't writing "monkey killing monkey" so that we can get it easier or so that he seems less pretentious, he is writing it because thats what he wants to. An artist is in total control of his wokr no matter how drastic of a change it may take from one piece of work ot the next.

Silly monkeys. Given beauty,
argue lyrics, end the fun, confound and deride it.

I smell fresh meat, my idiot trap worked

people suck....except for me...i rule.

I hate tool fans like you think your clever

I hate newbies that think they are clever and use thier first post to criticize.

Ok now i cant tell whos being ironic and who isnt ive been caught in my own trap. Dammit now i hate myself...

Well said, Blinky. I really don't understand why people have a problem with Maynard describing humans as monkeys. If this surprises anyone then maybe they just haven't REALLY been listening for the past 15 years. I'm glad you referenced 46 & 2 because I agree that this song is a natural evolution from that one (yes, pun intended - sorry everyone).

This notion that the lyrics are too simplistic is just plain ludicrous. We all know this band can be cryptic and esoteric whenever it wants to be. That said, trying to be deep and complex simply for the sake of being deep and complex comes off as contrived and desperate. This band is better than that, and if they want to come out and say something directly then you bet I am going to listen.

'
Does not compute.

thats funny shit!

Hooray for thinking!

I'm going to bed.

"...?..."

You can't be all cryptic and shit for such a simple (and yet strangely ignored) concept. I don't agree with the notion that he is talking about or supporting evolution because monkeys have thumbs too and they aren't out about killing eachother..i somehow think it is a stab at evolution. I think that it is obvious, from as far back as opiate that MJK believes in a higher being.

i like aenima's lyrics better than this song's because aenima's kind of like "humanity is stupid but they can change if they want to" but this song pisses me off because it's kinda of just saying "humanity is stupid" without saying we can change. it really makes me mad because people are not that bad, i think most people are good, and it seems like he's singing the song as though he thinks he's better the rest of us monkeys. maybe i'm being too defensive though. grrrr it makes me mad though. and another thing -- there isn't plenty to go around. that line pisses me off because it's just stupid to assume people don't need to fight, that there will be enough natural resources for us, and our kids and our kids' kids. grrrr. really though, i think it only bothers me because i've been a tool fan for exactly half of my life and i have come to identify myself as a tool fan which means i now have to take it personally when maynards says something that i think makes ME look stupid. yeah, i need to grow up.

You think the world does not have enough resources? Of course we would have enough if we weren't such an excessive and wasteful species. We may not have enough resources now because of our "need" for luxury and personal posession.

I don't think he is saying anything about him being better than anyone, and it is a little rediculous to take your speculation personally.

I think the overall message of this song is his observation. Nothing more, nothing less. It is just how he see's the world in it's current state. If you do not agree, that is one thing, but to take offense shows that you may be in denial of the fact that every human (including you, me and everyone else) is a contributing factor.

Don't get me wrong, I am not lashing out at you, you view the world your way, and that is fine. I am just saying that you may have developed your anger a little preemptively.

I am impressed...This monkey gets it...heh...

The "fuck you" thing is getting old and it's for teens :p

Aenima says humanity can change if it wants to? I could have swore the more clear message was that humanity can change if nature kills off a shit load of the assholes currently fucking it up for the rest of us. Not a bad message I might add.

I do love how the original poster's concern was centered directly upon themselves like it's suddenly their own personal burden to wear a Tool t-shirt because Maynard chose to go with some fairly straight-forward lyrics on a particular song. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just find it a bit fascinating.

This is purely speculation on my part of course, but perhaps the problem proposed by the OP is exactly what Maynard and Co are hoping for this time around: That the layman type thinker might actually pick up on the reasonings and arguments presented in this new collection of material and begin having open dialogue with others about it. That is perhaps what they've meant by claiming this is their blues album. The blues are not difficult to understand or comprehend. They can still, however, be quite compelling, powerful, and emotionally engaging. Pure and simple like a hammer to the forebrain. Sometimes that truly is the best approach.

Don't you think that maybe he wrote this stuff not thinking of you, or the album. Maybe it just came to him and he wrote it down.

I just have to say that when I first heard the song I really thought it was way to simple, but it's really grown on me....beautiful song

the song is creative, maybe not have too much to think about, easy to understand, but its very creative either way. same with vicarious, simple idea, easy to understand, but still great lyrics, actually every song on the album kind of fits that description

Just a few loose thoughts here:

The first time I saw this lyrics, I saw this song in a completely different light. It's a goddam mockery of a sham of a parody!

Gotta see this song in context with Vicarious.

Saw I and Saw II anyone? Only those who live and have the desire to live will survive?

In Vicarious we're told that we're junkies living vicarious lives through the TV, away from the hostile real world, in which you have to "devour" in order not to be devoured your self.

So in this context, monkies killing monkies is a celebration of how it should be, an anthem to evolution, to those who have what it takes to play by nature's rules.

Also, so far Tool always had the "Fuck God, Fuck Christ" approach, so in that context "angels on the sidelines" would be the suckers, the holier-than-thou dumbass TV junkies addressed in Vicarious, who don't live life, who are full of themselves and who are ultimately destined to die out.

This is what I say is obvious here for me.

The birth of mother fucken civilisation!

agreed.

I would have to agree with that. Could it also be that it is intentionally done this way? {Dumbed down if you will} To better offend the naive tool "fans"...hence, them not realizing it at the same time?

I almost can see Maynard reading this whole thread and ironically smiling...
If the personal interpretation of a song brings so much anger, what could be the results of trying to control the reserves of oil...
Don't ask me why but the first or second time I heard this song I thought of Irak, Abu Grhaib.
Enjoy the album ;-)

I'm a new tool fan. My boyfriend has listened to them forever and he's been playing the new cd constantly since it came out. We went to the show at the fox theater and I think this song is my favorite tool song because it's easy to understand, lyrically and musically. It's got a great feel to it- technically, it's excellent. And it's placed perfectly on the album. I got to hear it live in Detroit, and the tabla drum solo was awesome and completley sold the song (and band) to me.
I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that the song is great and not stupid. YOU'RE stupid.

Love,
Lissy

I like tool.

someone has probaly already said this but i was jsut reading the thread an i really think that somepeople are missing the point.
We are just monkeys, albeit evolved monkeys that have opposable thumbs which enable us to evolve and create. But the song is bascailly saying that we're nothign but we think we're something and ahe a right to own the earth and things along those lines.
and you know that maynard knows his stuff about religiona nd the bible even the original aramaic texts. "In the beginning there was the word, and the word was Love/light" (thats the original biblical text
So, as the silly monkeys after we forged our blades we cut the love right in two
The song is not stupid, the lyrics ar not weak, jsut try to read between the lines

I like Bubblegum

silly monkeys, trix are for kids

I find it amazing you don't think it's deep enough. There's a thread on this song where they're discussing the philosophy of Kant and teaching each other about the human condition - all in regards to this song...
You can stay here. You can go there. Free will.
See ya.

Dude, I coundn't agree more.

yea your just too cool for school, drop out before its too late.

Personally im reminded of the world as a whole when i listen to Right In Two because anywhere you travel or go to on this planet there is always greedy and power hungry people that want a piece of something therefore Dividing it right in two (1 becomes 2....those 2 become 4...those 4 becomes 8...8 becomes 16 and so on.) Imagine if the world was one big country and we would share everything in unity...its a brilliant idea and even though the lyrics are simple it gets a very strong point across..perhaps maynard's simplistic lyrics are so very simple as some of you mention because he decided to stoop down to a lower level to get his point across to the not so bright people out there...thats just my take on it. Its a good album and Right In Two has to be one of the best songs on that album right off the back

How ironic is that? Some tool...

...instead of flubbering over the particulars i.e...creationism vs. evolutionism...why not broaden the scope of consciousness, expand your mind to the universals and lift your brows towards a heaven...

not unlike Mr. Mojo Risin I do beLIEve that someone has been spending a tad too much time in the universal mind...