Being "stoned"
The Pot - "don't go tossin' your stones"
Intension - "here we have a stone"
Rosetta Stoned.....ya

They kind of refer to the stoning that happens when someone disagrees with the way something is or commits a crime.

Drowning
Vicarious - "drowned by his own son"
Jambi - "up to my neck soon should drown"
The Pot - "Eyeballs deep in muddy waters"

If anything, this really helps along with the fluidity of the album.
Anybody notice any other common word themes?

Interesting.

I think the stone part in Intension is actually talking about a physical stone and some of The Pot metaphors remind me of Swamp Song more than anything.

There was an early interview just as 10KD hit where Danny basically said that "the pot" was actually a reference to the phrase "pot calling the kettle black", just a little tidbit I thought I would add.

The drowning ones I didn't really notice but thanks for pointing those out.

Dualism is the concept of two principles in opposition.

What about Cartesian dualism? The distinction between body and mind. The two are separate but causally connected.

This is correct. This IS what dualism means. The adoption of theory, based on a twofold distinction. And, it's rampant in this album, it IS this album.

Cynic: - Optimist:
Vicarious - Jambi
R. S. - The Pot

Intension - Right in Two

I don't have to tell you who the two are, do I?

Peace.

I think the whole theme of drowning not only helps with the fluidity of the album, but Tool's past albums, namely Undertow and Aenima.

Well, numbers. Maynard was eleven when he experienced his mother's collapse, there are eleven tracks on the record. Rosetta Stoned is 11:11 long. Lipan Conjuring is 1:11 long. Vicarious is six minutes and sixty six seconds long.

Another general theme is just a sense of depression with various things in life (one's own love of other's pain, the fact that we die, our attack ment to things, that we fight in wars, can percieve awesomely brilliant things whilst loosing our body control/mind, ect.)

The Pot is an easy one to interpret.
The female lover of the tool story tells the male lover that he is crazy. he replies that is like the pot calling the kettle black... who are YOU to wave your finger? for cheating on me, you must have been out of your mind. even though you did something wrong, you enjoyed it, your cries practically raised the dead.

another example of the dualism in this album is the line "10,000 days in FIRE is long enough" (i.e. the only mention of the title of the album >> important line) all while rain pours down during the song. Water and Fire. Im drunk.

I’ve always wondered why the album and song are called 10,000 Days. It seems as if they’re emphasising the “10,000 days in the fire” and not death or life after death. Is it about embracing the possibilities of the now rather than the hereafter? Live for life and don’t live by preparing for “heaven”?

Even if thats not what they ment, its a bloody good way to live life

I agree.

? explain

I have this theory that a lot of the lyrics are about a male, the messiah, his female lover, and how it comes to be that an infinitely loving god decides to send some people to hell. I think the messiah is betrayed by the female and experiences unimaginable pain because of it. For instance, after 10,000 days of living on earth, or about 27 years, he is for some reason leaving back to heaven and is pissed off. hence, "fetch me the spirit the son and the father, tell them their pillar of faith has ascended... it's time now, my time now" etc.

I may be mistaken but isn't Maynard's mother's middle name marie? And didn't she suffer a stroke which confined her to a wheelchair for 27 years or approximately 10000 days? Maybe im just making this up but yeah.

One interesting thing I had thought about is how there are quite a lot of riffs/segments in this album which dont have that typical Tool "winding-build-up", it kind of like punches you in the face.

Examples:

Vicarious - towards the end when Jones breaks into that fast "solo" of sorts. After the "Why cant we just admit it" part.
Jambi - Intro
Wings - You know the part
Rosetta Stoned - After the last "God damn...shit the bed" line.

It just seems that one of the main themes is getting humanity to just wake up and take notice. Especially with the alarm bells at the start and middle of Vicarious. Seems to be a common theme??

Dont get me wrong, there are heaps of wonderful build-ups in the album...Rosetta Stoned for example...

Take care,
Andy

yeah it definitely seems like a lot of the songs have their own 2-sided nature. it seems like you almost can't listen to one song without giving its counterpart a spin. whenever vicarious is over, i'm pumped to hear to opening of jambi. I can't just listen to wings pt 1, lost keys, or intension without listening to their counterparts, either. It is weird, too that the songs, with their partners all seem to clock in at about 15 minutes...

one more thing too. ive been entertaining the idea of this album being kind of a reflective album. and there seems to be songs in groups of two on this album like Vicarious/Jambi and wings 1/wings 2. there are 4 with the exception of the pot (unless you would group it with lipan conjuring) and viginti tres. The other eight songs all have their counterpart. if wings/10,000 days has to do with maynard's mother, who do the rest of the tracks have to do with, since it's basically been determined that this can't be about one person or mjk himself. maybe the other band members have their own song pairs on the album that have to do with themselves or someone they know....a kind of musical portrait/self-portrait or something...

like ive said in all my other posts, there are so many ideas flowing through this work it could be just about anything. just entertaining a few thoughts.
peace

I guess I'll just start stabbing in the dark (cause all I love is behind me, and there's a villan in the shadows somewhere.)

Jones: Vicarious--Jambi

Keenan: Lipan Conjuring & The Pot--Wings & 10k

Carey: Viginti Tres & Lost Keys--Rosetta Stoned

Chancellor: Intension--Right in Two

...hmm, maybe switch Justin and Dannys? I assumed Danny is the more "druggie", but he's also the digi-techi ie: Intension...I dunno. I feel like Keenans is obvious, Jones gets Vi due to his "hollywood" background, maybe...maybe.
Peace.

i dont know if someone has said this yet... but death seems to be a common theme on this album

This is a very good thought.

^^Yes! emphasizing EVERYONES 10,000 days!!^^

That’s not what I said. My point is that they’re emphasising Judith’s life not her death. I suppose that is generally how all eulogies go.

I didn't exactly quote you, it's just an additional feeling. I think the "eulogy" is Wings for Marie (Pt.1)...

Peace.