right i dont want to get into a stupid arguemnt about who right and wrong its piintless, so let agree to disagree.

anyway it doesn't need an if, its a stament "Want and need divied me"

So how does "then I might as well be gone" work then?

"Want and need divide me. Then I might as well be gone."

Doesn't work!

Songwriting 101 ftw!

It is for sure Damn my eyes...

whne has maynard been like anyone else? It might not be loss as in death it could be loss of innocence or anything else.

Here's my take on the whole "damn my eyes/jambi-iii" thing, which makes the most sense to me:

------------------
Jambi (Jambi-iii)
Jambi (Jambi-iii)

'Till my (my-eye) salvation come from myself over wonton need to finally fit,
I might as well be gone.
-------------------

i think Maynard is purposely throwing the extra "eye" sounds in there for the hell of it.. cuz it just fits and works with my interpretation of the salvation line. I'm shocked I'm the only one who's heard that? Unless I missed a post....

Here it is as a whole...
--------------------

Here from the king's mountain view;
Here from the wild dream come true.
Feast like a sultan I do,
on treasures and flesh never few.

But I, I would wish it all away;
If I thought I'd lose you just one day.

The Devil and his had me down.
In love with the dark side I’d found.
Dabbling all the way down.
Up to my neck, soon to drown.

But you changed that all for me;
Lifted me up, turned me ‘round.

So I,
I,
I,
I...

I would,
I would,
I would wish this all away.

Prayed like a martyr, dusk to dawn;
Begged like a hooker all night long.
Tempted the Devil with my song,
And got what I wanted all along.

But I,
I would, if I could;
I would wish it away.
Wish it away.
Wish it all away.
Wanna wish it all away.

No prize that could hold sway,
Or justify my kneeling away, my Saturn…

So if I could I’d wish it all away;
If I thought tomorrow they'd take you away.
You’re my peace of mind, my all, my Saturn;
Just trying to hold on one more day.

Jambi
Jambi

'Till my salvation come from myself over wonton need to finally fit,
I might as well be gone.

Shine on forever;
Shine on benevolent Sun.
Shine down upon the broken;
Shine until the two become one.

Shine on forever;
Shine on benevolent Sun.
Shine down upon the sinners;
Shine until the two become one.

Divided and withering away.
Divided and withering away.
Shine down upon the many;
Light our way benevolent Sun.

Breathe in union,
Breathe in union,
Breathe in union,
Breathe in union,
Breathe in union.

So as one, survive another day in season,
Silence leech and save your prison,
Silence leech and stay out of my way.

a lot of talk in here about the second line after "damn my eyes." seriously, it's "jambi-ized." just like solarized, or baptized. he COULD BE saying that he has been jambi-ized with all the wishing it away, and all the wishing not working. if not, he says some form of "jambi" and then a plural sound ending. (jambi being the genie who was not so good at granting all the right wishes in pee wee's playhouse deal.) the reference to jambi IS there. i don't even have to TRY and hear it, it just kicks me straight in the ear.
another thing, in reference to the verse at 1:13, everything he says in the next two verses are ALL in past tense:
The devil and his HAD me down
In love/light with the dark side I'D found
Dabbling all the way down
Up to my neck soon to drown (looking back into the past)
But you CHANGED that all for me
LIFTED me up and TURNED me around.... in the next verse: prayed, begged, shouted/tempted/sheltered, got, wanted.....
all in past tense.
and WHY does everyone ALWAYS think there has to be some kind of complex DIVINE or spiritual link to ALL of TOOL's lyrics? it's not ALWAYS that complicated. for instance, Damn my eyes, Jambi-ized, damn/dim my eyes
If they should compromise
A full grown wanton need. (This stops the sentence)
IF I need (in reference to the wanton need)
THEN I might as well be gone. (notice the If/Then form. competely normal in our language. he is philosophizing a bit, and that form of if/then is exactly how you would phrase it. please consider with an open mind.

maybe it written, or suuposed to be "if they should compromise our fulcrum, want and need divide me, then i might as well be gone"

the if that makes the sentence perfect is there, and the want and need, is in the middle of the sentence. that works.

wow!
You all know that if you were to just say.."i think it is......this"
it would avoid a lot of the arguement......as anyone who claims "I know its thin/I'm positive/I'm right-your wrong" is obviously not being honest unless there name is Maynard.

I'm not sure what it is, but i've posted like 3 or 4 differant guesses which are all likely wrong........it's ok to do that right???

No it doesn't.

"Damn my eyes, if they should compromise our fulcrum, want and need divide me, then I might as well be gone." does NOT work!

It doesn't work because "want and need divide me" doesn't fit. It has no reference or relevance in that sentence.

If you can't see why it doesn't fit, you never will unless you take some more English lessons.

I agree with scar

Damn my eyes
Jambi-ized
Damn my eyes

I have no problems with your guesses JShaney, it's obvious you've listened to it closely and tried to figure out something that makes sense, rather than something which just 'sounds right' but makes no sense.

I was looking at one of your guesses:

"Dim my eyes if they should:
compromise a fool from wanting the divine need
Then I might as well be God"

Which made me think:

"Dim my eyes, if they should compromise a fool with wants and needs, divide me, then I might as well be gone."

Hmm...

ROFL LMFAO LOL

Did you just wet yourself?

no need to be insulting, you believe that you're so right about so much
JShaney is my kinda guy all i tried to say is what i think, i think i am right, u think i am wrong, thats fine, i tried to calm this down before it gets into a full blown argument. I assume your ego will not allow this to go unanswered.




ps. want and need divide me, does have relevance, to the whole song, not just in one sentence, that was my original point.

Where did I insult you?

I meant nothing insulting in my post, you're reading that into it yourself.

If it's the "take some English lessons" thing, I meant that. You'd learn in English that a sentence has to be complete and make sense, and those examples that you thought were fine, weren't.

i dont wanna keep going round in circles about grammar.
i am not bothered about a perfect sentence, just the lyrics
that is how i hear them.

there is no need in a song or poem for a sentence to be perfect as usualy this kinda stuff is written as stanzas , i believe i said that the other day, and then u started with ur grammatical stuff.

oh, and was i right about your ego? haha

this is not one -up-mans-ship, just trying to cover all angles, although that would be impossible i'm sure an intelligent guy and can form a constructive argument and will continue to do so until the issue is dropped, but unfortunaly i cant stop either, could be a long thread.

Fine, that's how you hear them, this is a discussion forum for what the lyrics might be. I disagree with your interpretation because it doesn't make sense, deal with it.

No there's no need for a sentence to be PERFECT but YES there's EVERY need for a sentence to make sense, otherwise why bother writing it in the first place? Unless it's nonsense rhyme, which this song clearly isn't.

This is fucking classic when there's a song on this album all about pointing the finger at someone when you yourself are guilty of the crime you're accusing that person of commiting.

The issue is that I say that that sentence does not make sense, which it doesn't. You can't understand or handle that apparently and are starting to make it personal.

Read up on sentence structures, grammar and songwriting. Once you've done this (don't rush though), look through Tool's back catalogue and try finding a sentence that does not make sense, a sentence that seems to have no relevance to its immediate neighbours.

I couldn't find one.

iam aware of the whole pointing finger thing, i addressed that, i am not making it personal.

right ok i shal try to explain myself better some how.
i am hearing the lyrics as this

"damn my eyes if the should compromise our fulcrum
want and need divide me
then i might as well be gone"


what do you hear it as?

I found one. 'Silence leech and save your poison' :P

The line you have come up with Muladhara is very poetic and quite nice, but it just doesn't fit the sounds. 'Divine' would have to be 'To-vine' as the 'o' sound on that syllable is clearly audible. The rest of it could fit audibly I guess, although the weightings and emphasis doesn't really seem to work, but that one syllable stands out.

If they should compromise or fall from what you need to find me then I might as well be gone.

That's how I hear it. My interpretation is that Maynard is saying 'If my eyes stop looking forward and up, to the good things, if they stop looking towards the things to which they need to be looking for you to find me, then it's already over'.

perception is all that matters. It doesnt matter what you mean it is how you're percieved that has the greatest effect.

yeah i like that, it sure those lyrics quite fit tho, maybe i am wrong, i am totally open to that suggestion by the way. i'm getting caughty up on the whole divide thing cos of the whole "divide and wither away" later on so by beeing divided by want and need (god knows y he is dived by want and need) would appear to fit the theme of the song.

From another thread:

I think it could be both.. I hear "jam my eyes" and THEN "damn my eyes." J is represented in Russian as D + zh if that makes sense; there is naturally a 'd' sound in 'j', but there's gotta be something extra to make it j. And I hear seomthing extra.

Listening to it again, the second syllable from 'wanton' doesn't fit either. It would have to be 'Wantoo'. Again, the 'ooh' sound is clearly audible, which fits the 'you' from my interpretation.

My interpretation could be wrong, but yours just doesn't seem to fit what is heard. Again, quite pretty and poetic - but I just don't think it fits.

"Dim my eyes if they should compromise a full-grown wanton need, divine need, then I might as well be gone."

Which means:

"If strict 'logic' (religious dogma) keeps me from doing something natual and euphoric, then just kill me now."

I disagree, I've slowed it down and listened over and over, it's definately either divine or divide. The 'div' part is pronounced like in both of those words, I hear no 'oo' sound.

Plus, the 'from' is a clear 'g' sound, which could also be a 'c', 'what' has an 'n' sound before the 't' making it want, the next syllable isn't too clear, could be 'on' as I hear it, 'and' as others hear it or an 'oo' sound as you hear it.

And "Silence leech and save your poison." makes perfect sense, you just don't understand it.

It matters a LOT what you mean, otherwise communication would be useless. If you are shy around someone because you really like them, they could percieve you as being ignorant, the intention needs to be clear otherwise things get muddied.

It's not all about sounds and feelings, the words are important too.

Hear from the king's mountain view
Here from the wild dream come true
Feast like a sultan I do
On treasures and flesh, never few.

But I, I would wish it all away
If I thought I'd Lose you just one day

The devil and his had me down
In love with the dark side I'd found.
Dabblin' all the way down
Up to my neck soon to drown.

But you changed that all for me
Lifted me up, turned me round
So I
I
I
I
I would
I would
I would
Wish this all away

Prayed like a martyr dusk til dawn
Begged like a hooker all night long
Tempted the devil with my song
And got what I wanted all along

But I
And I would
If I could
And I would
Wish it away
Wish it away
Wish it all away
Wanna wish it all away
No cross you could hold
Sway or justify my giving away
my center

So if I could I'd wish it all away
If I thought tomorrow would take you away
You're my peace of mind, my home, my center
I'm just trying to hold on
One more day

Dim my eyes
Dim my eyes

Dim my eyes if they should
Compromise our fulcrum
Want and need divide me
Then I might as well be gone

Shine on forever
Shine on benevolent Son

Shine down upon the broken
Shine until the two become one

Shine on forever
Shine on benevolent Son

Shine down upon the severed
Shine until the two become one

Divided I'm withering away
Divided I'm withering away

Shine on upon the many
Light our way
Benevolent Son

Breathe in union
Breathe in union
Breathe in union
Breathe in union
Breathe in union
So as one survive
Another day and season

Silence leech, and save your poison.
Silence leech, and stay out of my way.

I think that this is very close but it is clear in the live version that it is most likely "silently just say your poison" or "slience leigon" but that doesn't make sense so it must be the first one

*deep breath*

I'm going to resist the urge to go off at you, because you're being quite rude and arrogant. I'm generally quite patient, friendly and civil, but you've pushed me beyond my boundaries. I've only just resisted from flaming.

Your arrogance is sickening. This isn't a flame, it's a fact. Just because you think something does not make it right. You're intelligent. I get that. But intelligence should always be bundled with humility. Without humility it doesn't matter how intelligent you are because no-one's going to listen to you anyway.

I understand your interpretation you condescending fuck (that's as flame as it's going to get) it's just a simplistic interpretation. Perhaps you can answer this question I asked in another thread about this most basic of interpretations:

You're still saying the 'leeches' are evangelists right?

I'm glad you've slowed it down and listened to it over and over. Perhaps you can listen to this grab just once and explain to me how the 'ooh' that is clear in that clip becomes the 'di' from divine?

EDIT: So I didn't quite resist the urge. But I did my best. You're very rude and frustrating mate.

And Junky, 'legion' does make sense when you consider that it is a biblical reference to a collection of demons and interpret like this:

Before: 'The devil and his (demons) had me down'
Turning point: 'But you changed that all for me'
After: 'Silence legion (demons) stay out of my way'

No please, go off at me if that's what you really want to do, let off some steam. Just remember that nothing I say really matters in the long run, eventually we'll get the lyrics and you shouldn't take anything I say to heart because they're just my opinions, they can only affect you if you let them.

What does this have to do with the song?

You put it up as an example of a sentence that didn't make sense, which led me to believe that you just didn't understand it, try being more clear.

As for it being a simplistic interpretation, well, considering Maynard has mentioned leeches multiple times, I'd consider it to be the most likely lyric.

This was where I was attempting to explain to you my interpretation of the last two lines of Jambi, which really shouldn't be brought up in this part of the forum but if you insist...

"Silence leech and save your poison." is my interpretation which I think means:

"I won't kneel away who I am to you leech so save your poison and stay out of my way."

Remember the line earlier in the song which goes "No prize that could hold sway or justify my kneeling away my sin" (my interpretation of course)?

The leech doesn't need to be evangelists exactly, that was just an example used to try and help you understand what I meant. It could be any person who tried to make you do something that would change you.

Like a CEO of a record company telling you that if you change a line in a song then they'll sign you. The evangelist example meant somebody who promises eternal life and happiness with God if you just kneel and believe, closing your mind to all other possibilities and your giving up your 'sin'.

The 'sin' is only a 'sin' in the eyes of the 'leech' who is telling Maynard to give up his 'sin', if he does he'll get something good, but Maynard says "if I thought that I would lose my 'sin' then I would wish everything I have, all of this good stuff that I've gained all of the years away just to keep this 'sin'.

Remember, I'm using the word 'sin' because I think the line goes "No prize that could hold sway or justify my kneeling away my sin" and carries on into "and so if I could I’d wish it all away if I thought tomorrow would take you away. You’re my peace of mind, my all, my sin, I’m just trying to hold on one more day.", though I'm not so sure about the 'my sin' bit in there.

That sounds like div to me. Does to a fair few other people as well. I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't think you're right.

Your interpretation is:

"..... my eyes if they should compromise or fall from what you need to find me then I might as well be gone."

The problem with this line, which is also a problem with my line is that it could really do with a 'for if they should' after 'dim my eyes', even then I'm not sure it actually reads right. If we just assume that it would, then both make sense and I have no problem with what your line says, it just doesn't sound like he sings it to me.

Thinking about it, the way I hear it could also be interpreted as "close my eyes, because if they should compromise what I Love the most then I might as well be dead."

My apologies. The tone of your latest post was much more friendly, civil and - in general - more palatable. Previous posts felt like you were saying 'I'm right and if you don't understand it, you're stupid', whereas no you're clearly saying 'This is my opinion - it might be right, it might be wrong'. That was the humility I was after. I feel the same way. I feel very strongly about the 'legion' line - strongly enough even that I would bet money on it - but even still it is just an opinion and could be wrong.

Anyhoo, again, I'm sorry and thank you for responding to my heated post with a calm one - things could've easily gone another way.

I wasn't putting that line up as an example of a line that didn't make sense, but rather as an example of a line that seems to have no relevance to its neighbours. I know you believe strongly in your interpretation, but in the context of the song the only person or group who are negatively impacting Maynard in the story of this song is 'the devil and his'. Now perhaps 'the devil and his' refers to evangelists, or record company CEOs or the other things you listed, but either way the imagery he is using is of the devil and demons, and it doesn't seem relevant to revert to the 'leech' imagery that hasn't been seen since Ticks and Leeches.

And I know Maynard's used it before, but that seems an argument against rather than for. He's written a whole song dedicated to leeches and what they mean to him. It seems unlikely to me that he would bring them up in another song (seemingly) completely out of context.

I know what you're saying about the syntax of any of these interpretations. The only way they work is like this:

Damn/Dim my eyes. If they should compromise....whatever goes in here...then I might as well be gone.

That's the only way the syntax can be accurate for if/then. That's how I would see it anyway.

Truthfully it boggles my mind that you hear no 'ooh' sound in the clip I provided. But I guess that's just different perceptions.

Again, thanks for the friendly reply and apologies for the tone of my previous post.

"Here from the King's mountain view."

Could it be "Jambi Eyes?" It kind of sounds like it to me, and does make sense.

It's actually "Jammy eyes."

"Jammy eyes, jammy eyes, jammy eyes, evil should con poor mice, offal good, wonton, cheese, divine peas, then a mighty swell ghee bomb."

i completely agree and i like your signature more and more.

it's obviously "swell ghee boNG." if you can't get that right then get some new speakers!

andistillloveyoursignature

Wait are....are you serious? Or are you just typing out the sounds a la onomatopoeia-ish. Stupid question to ask, I'm sure. But. What?

so we all agree this song is about how much maynard loves sandwhiches, right?

Obviously Jam sandwhiches, maybe strawberry, but he definitely like them jammy!

Yes, and crumpets. Possibly Fig Newtons.

yes, it makes more sense now
I wasn't sure if I liked the song or not....
me and maynard both love figs and jam-be sandwhiches

one thing is for sure....
if i had to fight with maynard over who gets the last
full crumb.........
if I had to "divide" it with him then I'd rather be dead and gone because I want it all for myself!!!!!
YUM!

i cannot hear "DAMN my eyes!"

maybe jam, or jamb my eyes but i can't hear damn.

all i hear is j

Completely serious.

Wanna fight about it?