Dude! Listen CLOSER! I'm tired of this. I'm really not 100% sure on the gotta, because the G is spoken so hard, but listen to it, you will really hear it.

Gotta divide it all right in two.

He's an American, his speech is terrible.

I haven't really posted much (if at all) in these lyrics threads but I will on this one.

It's "cut and divide it all right in two".

OK, forgive me if anyone has tossed this one out there, but I'm too lazy to read all these.

How about:
"Angels on the sideline again
PITCHING love and patience and reason"

That's what I hear, and it makes sense, if you think about "pitching" in the sense of a sales pitch.

Not trying to attack you here dude, but why changing the "been so long"?. It fits perfect lyrically, it's what people said first and it sounds exactly like that. I heard it on a good stereo and had no doubt. And there is no "love" in this song.

I originally was convinced the lyrics were "cut it right all right in two", before I'd even seen this thread. However, there is maybe one piece of evidence that works in favor of your claim:

1) Earlier in the song, MJK uses the lyrics "...bound to divide it right in two" twice, so this suggests that he might keep the same line for the chorus "... divide it all right in two" to create consistency and motif, instead of dropping the "divide" in favor of "cut it right all".

As for the "Gotta" part, the [g] could easily be a [k], so that's up for grabs. both phonemes have harsh, aspirated qualities. The first [d] in divide is barely pronounced, if at all. it assimilates with the palatal flap of the "gotta" so it pretty much goes unannounced. the second [d] in divide is also a palatal flap. it's an allophone for t and d which means both letters can both sound like the palatal flap, so we can't tell which letter it is, a t or d, thus "right" or "divide".

The syllables of these two lyric choices are very similar as some have pointed out. It's funny how close-minded, self-centered, and self-righteous us TOOL fans come off as being. I say we wait until Maynard releases his lyrics before we claim one thing is "correct". One of the themes in the lyrics of this album is focused on the phonetics of the words. Look at the "questionable" lyrics on the lyrics page, where there are at least two choices. There are usually two completely viable options that sound almost exactly the same but are comprised of entirely different words and meanings. It's like poetry, it's up to the individual listening to draw his/her own meaning from the words. If you want the line to read, "cutting my love right in two" for some reason, then that's what it should mean to you. Let's open our minds.

I agree with this completely, I don't think they are finding any pleasure in what they are witnessing.

You may or may not be right but, I agree with SuccesfullyPriedOpen and for arguments sake. "Cuttin' our/(my) love right in two" makes PERFECT sense. Cutting our brotherly love for one another as a human race. The human race has it so good but we all choose to fuck it up by fighting over stupid shit and taking everything for granted.

Like I said after reading his very convincing and well written argument, I'm leaving my mind open to that possibility and the reasoning behind it.

Maybe it's "I love you girl". Duh. It has got nothing to to with frickin love.

Quantum, your avatar and my avatar should make sweet love

I hear this too, but without the "and" between cut and divide. "Cut-Divide it all right in two"

-Kyndig

Apologies if someone in this thread already said this

I hear "Benched along with patience and reason"
It fits with the sport metaphor of "angels on the sideline again"

Kyndig

you're a geek....you think you're smart......but you're really not : )

Well i always thought "Lift an eye to heaven" meant to lift a fist to heaven and curse heaven. Which would make perfect sense. They are cursing heaven, conscience that they only have so much time on this earth before they die. So i have always heard "Lift an eye to heaven."

oh and i also hear
Cut-all is sung quickly, almost one word

"Cut all i know ..right in two"
"Cut all i love .. right in two"
which repeats itself

"try to divide love" at 7:45 ... doesnt make sense to me, since nothing was tried, it was accomplished. Sounds like mjk is shouting to God in the chorus.

also before the very first "cut all i know" at 3:37 you can hear a very softly spoken "he can" ... but that part is up for debate... but he says something there... listen closely

Sorry to bother you, but I don't agree much with the chorus on right in two lyrics...
So far, you have

"[Cutting it all right in two
/ Cut it all right in two]
/ Cutting our love right in two]"

for options, but I guessed a few more that also make sense:

"Cutting my own, right in two"

and

"Cut it right all, right in two"

the last one repeats "right" for us to focus on the intention of it...I would like to read opinions about this... Plus, i'm sorry if this isn't the right place to put this kind of topic. Thanks.

Post things about lyrics here. http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=47767

ah, thank you, and sorry 'bout this one...

So, having read most of that, i can't help but feel a little left out in hearing, at least in the last part after the "wondering when this tug-of-war will end", is this... wait for it...

"Cut the rope, right in two."

You know the tug-of-war rope, cut it...in two?? Pull the pin on the tug of war, give up the fight against each other??? Hmm?

Might be different earlier in the song.

What does everyone make of the irony in the angel conversation regarding free will and reason? Notice they say that we are confused in spite of our free will, and make poor choices despite our intelligence. Seems to me that free will should go with choices and confusion should go with reason. I really like that the irony of the song, even, is backwards and twisted.

I don't think the lyrics are "repugnant ia a creature who would squander the ability to live tonight in heaven" it doesn't really make sense because humans don't have the ability to live in heaven (especially for one night), so how can this non-existant ability be squandered? They do have the ability to lift they're eye to heaven even if it is to question, but most people don't look there (unless they are asking for something). I don't know...just thoughts.

People have the ability to use they're intelligence for good or evil and that is where free will gets messy. People, despite their intelligence, come into power by using that intelligence to benefit themselves, even if it means beating their brother down. Intelligence is a relative term. We (as humans) regard ourselves as more intelligent than monkeys, but monkeys have been able to live together with instinctual knowlege to preserve their species not themselves individually, while we continue to slaughter and rape and hate each other. I hope that made some kind of sense, if not I appologize for the wasted time anyone spent reading this.

so its "cutting my loaves right in two">?
...couldn't resist....heheheheh

i hear

"cut it, divide it all right in two"

<rimshot>

Ok Mr.Rubberneck, you got me back, feel better now? ;)

Consider this:

"...over life over love, over SAND over MUD..."

seriously, give a listen - shouldn't have to say it all again....

I'm not in total disagreement with you here, but let's not sell ourselves short here. If monkeys were so "intelligent" then why are they now our subjects? They have their points, but they are completely at our mercy which makes them ours...in regards to Darwin's 'Survival of the Fittest' concept. We could wipe them ALL out just like we have many other species. Do NOT think for one moment that I mean to condone annihalation of a species, I'm just saying. People using their intelligence to benefit themselves is OUR way of remaining on top so as not to fall mercy to anyone else's decision about whether or not we survive.

The monkey's Maynard speaks of in this song are the monkey's whom are in charge. This song is a little bit about the criticism of the powers that be and a little bit about our own being monkeys whom let these people divide it all right in two. Its a little bit about how there's always division. As soon as the number of a group passes the quantity of 1, there will be division. ....there's so much more in this song, that's just a section of what I think....

"Cut it right all right in two" sounds the most clear, but not any sense.
It is NOT "Cutting our love right in two" or "cut and divide it all right in two"
C'mon Maynard, help us all out here!

I still Hear "Cutting our love right in two"

Maynard doesn't want to give you the answers! He wants us to 'think for ourselves' here. Together we should be able to figure this out.

I don't think that's it.

I think Maynard is playing with the words here. He's cutting the verse right in two so to speak.

"Cut it -- ut it all right in two."

He's known to do this. For Schism he did a lot of layered voices to simulate a divergence. This was the theme of the song, so it was clever of hime to layer voices in that song. He didn't do it to make the song sound better, and he didn't overuse it. It's a subtle touch that allows you to make a connection between the sounds and the themes of the song.

I hear "Cutting it ALL right in two", but that's just me.

Almost near the end (during the solo), I hear "Fighting for all, killing for all, once and for all, right in two." I tried all the others and they don't fit. Meh...

Seriously, if we can take a break from "cutting it all right in two" for just a moment - does anyone else hear "over sand, over mud"?

I'm still adamant that it's "Cut and divide it all right in two" (although some parts do so like "gotta divide")

It's clearest to me on the last verse in which he says it, especially the last time when he yells it out. The problem some are having, IMO, is the fact that he kinda blends the end of cut, and, and the d in divide all together. My guess is mostly because to sing it at that speed, the 'T' 'N' and 'D' would all be difficult to annunciate fully, so the all kind of roll together. You can agree easily that with that lyric, the number of syllables match up, and based on that and the rest of my theory, I see it pretty easily as "cut and divide"

ok what time is over sand over mud... please start posting times

I agree. This is getting almost as bad as "Damn my/dim my/jam my/jam-bye/jamb bi/spam fight/bull-dyke/Al Roker Eyes." (Almost.) I think that our suggested versions of the obscured chorus share enough in the meaning department that at this point our back and forth on the specific phrasing has reduced this discussion to unelightening stagnation (which is not a jab at anyone- we're just rehashing some tired shit here, and the redundancies are just not enlightening). Yay Maynard; you've confounded us again . . .

I think the overlaying of different lyrics is what's going on here. When I get my sound edit programs back I will personally cut and divide it all right in two. Once you get that pesky music out of the way you can hear the words a little better. In any case, I agree with the previous post. Maynard is a very intelligent person...and like a lot of people of high-intellect, we like to fuck with people's minds. Its very amuzing. And Maynard, knowing his fan base does include some people who do not carry much above their shoulders, it would stand to reason that he would be fucking with us all.
But I agree, part of the flexibility of maynards word is that is it bendable into many shapes. Maybe he doesn't have an exact word for this section of the song. Maybe its just a sound (or 1 part each of two words). But we get the point don't we?> We all know what he's getting at. Maybe the point here is that maybe we should learn to break away from black and white thinking...maybe he wants us to just get the point, not a lyric chart>? What do you think>?

YOu have a point there. It appears that most people can't understand without lyrics. Maybe we should just listen without worry of what he's saying, Like another instrument. This is how fans that don't understand english listen to tool. Why can't we just admit it?...sorry for this reference but its true. I admit it that i can't see certain songs without lyrics.
I see maynards lyrics as what he feels when he listened to the music. If i had an auidio software i'd cut out maynards lyrics and listen to just the music.

Have you been to a TOOL concert? Have you noticed what's different about the layout of the band that's different than that of most rock bands? Maynard is off to the side...one of the many things I admire about TOOL is that they are truly a BAND. And yes, maynard considers his voice and lyrics as an equal portion of the whole. That's very uncommon. I think part of why maynard does so few interviews and public appearances is because of his desire to remain the UN-frontman. He doesnt fit ANY of the molds we've been fed.
But yea, as soon as I have the time and equipment, I'll upload dissected tool to some place that I can share them....