Song is about how Maynard perceives everyone... fans and society in general.. and he's losing patience.

Uses the alien abduction thing.. as a clever way of saying he's the "chosen one" to deliver messages to people...

He's saying... nothing changes in people regardless of what I say.. and it never will. It's a burden trying to help people see or understand... yet I still do it... and nothing ever changes. "Born to bear"... he feels some obligation...

"Overwhelmed as one would be, placed in my position.
Such a heavy burden now to be the One
Born to bear and read to all the details of our ending,
To write it down for all the world to see." That's Maynard speaking to you. The real point to the song.

"But I forgot my pen" Maynard saying that's our pathetic reply/mentality to what he's offered.. (nothing soaks in with people... rolls off their back)

"Shit the bed again." = we continue to not get it... over and over- regardless how many times he says it.

then Maynard says "Typical...." rather sarcastically.

and we don't know... and won't know...
he's conceding to self that he'll never make a siginificant impact because people just don't get it.

Care to shed some light on why you feel this song means that to you?

check again, I accidentally posted it the first time well before I intended.. had to edit it... should have a better feel for what I am saying now.

i completely disagree. i believe it is a message for all of those people using pychoactive and disassociative drugs to reach some crazy places and open up their third eye, that they are all waisting their time because the affects of the Chemicals are clouding and distorting the experience. And there are much safer cleaner ways to get there. Please read the "Taking a step back" thread.

I kind of agree. I think it works on that level. But, I kinda thought that he was directing it toward those people that just didn't get it, concerning drug use.

I think both are right. All is right , and who cares what Maynard means ? It's about what "You" think

at first listen, thats what i thought about the song.. i think i posted it here somewhere, but i cant find it.

besides. who says that in a song about the hilarious missuse of psychoactives, that he cant also mention our hilarious missuse of this [dare i say it?] tool that they have provided us all [snap].

then again... he's probably just found an intricate new metaphor for anal sex.

Maynard is going to sit down and write a song about some kid's less than perfect LSD trip?! Right....


fuck all you druggies



pivotal digit- " I think both are right. All is right , and who cares what Maynard means ? It's about what "You" think"

Fuck that. There's an intended meaning to the song. If you want to "personalize" the meaning to justify whatever issues you have... fine, go ahead.

That's not what I do. I try to determine what he actually intended when he sat down and wrote the song.


Who cares about what Maynard means? Ha. I love when people come on here with that type of bravado..

It's okay to admit you respect and admire the man.. and that you DO care about what he has to say.

well, i wasn't going to respond to this one untill i read that

there is no way in hell that's what this song is about

for one thing, as others have mentioned, lost keys (blame hoffman) refers to dr. hoffman who first sythesized acid.

i don't believe maynard is egotistical enough to see himself as some misunderstood chosen one. this song is about a charecter who uses lsd then has an acid trip in which he is abducted, given a message, and forgets it due to the acid fucking with his memory. it's not just a song about "some kid's less then perfect acid trip" it's a cautionary tale. i don't believe the message is that psychedelics are entirely a bad thing, just that dependance on them and them alone for enlightenment is futile. that part is just my take on it, but i don't see any reasonable way to refute the charecter potrayed here as being on acid.

Rosetta Stoned, Blame "Dr." Hoffman... it doesn't mean the actual meaning of the song is about drugs or LSD.

Stinkfist is not about sexual fisting.. but it's written through that metaphor.
4 degrees isn't about anal sex... but it's written through that perspective.
Prison Sex isn't about having sex in prison.

The song is written to shed some light on a few different things... area 51, alien abduction, its ramifications on people afterward.. side effects.. how others perceive people who say they've been abducted... etc.

Obviously there are drug references too... so when you say "I don't believe the message is that psychedelics are entirely a bad thing, just that dependance on them and them alone for enlightenment is futile" that sounds about right.

Just like the alien abduction though, it's NOT what the real meaning is about.

The climax of the song is when he sings..

"Overwhelmed as one would be, placed in my position.
Such a heavy burden now to be the One
Born to bear and read you all the details of our ending,
To write it down for all the world to see"

It's no coincidence those are the words that are being sung during the climax.
All the other lyrics and references are entirely secondary to this part...
you can hear and feel it when you listen to the song..

This song's climax and actual message are very similar to Stinkfist... "something kinda sad about the way that things have come to be, desensitized to everything... what became of subtlety."

Both messages are clear and to the point.. no tricky wording.. no metaphors.. no bullshit.


Don't think the man is "egotistical enough?"

"I must crucify the ego..."
"silly monkeys"
"fuck you buddy, send more money."
"I should play GOD"
"feeding my narcissism"

The man has plenty of ego... and justifiably so. It's not farfetched at all to assume he's writing as if he's the "chosen one."

His ego, frustration and callused nature only strengthens when people continue to entirely miss the point in terms of what he's explaining or saying to people.

I always thought that we the listeners were "the one" and that maybe Maynard/Tool are the aliens giving us the message. Maybe we've missed the point all these years and only seen the small details but forgotten about the big picture, the important message.

i think you hit the nail on the head

When i hear this song is reminds me how diffrent it is from lipan conjuring. How since lsd was created we now have drug addicts screaming about aliens instead of sacrad relgious cermonys. I dont believe its saying drugs are bad in total, if it does its kind of contradicting

" Like phospherus dessert buttons singing one familiar song"
That song was very spirtual and there are drug refrences.

I believe the song is saying that lsd has changed the whole perspective on psychadelics, making them illieagal, and psychotic instead of spirtual.

And let me guess....you're an avid LSD fan, and believe Timothy Leary is innocent.

Ya know, I think I'd hafta side with ThreeDeviations on this... I mean, we should all know better than to be debating this if you think about it... Maynard isn't known for writing lyrics that are just skin deep... He writes them like a sword where you have to dig the main meaning out of the body... If that metaphor even makes sense...

To me it means, and it probebly isnt the initial meaning, but I get this very longing feeling of 'no one will ever believe you, you're always alone' kind of thing. That break out of ' Overwhelmed as one would be' is just simply euphoric. I love the song.

Yeah, it's "euphoric" because that's the climax of the song... that verse is what the song is actually about... when the real feeling and meaning erupt together.

and again, I have to bring in the Stinkfist comparison...

it's a perfect parallel to Rosetta Stoned in respect to how when they climax, the real message is divulged.

I can't speak for everyone on this but I can speak for myself. I know Tool has changed my life in many ways ever since I first discovered them when AEnima came out when I was rather young. I've got my own interpretations of all their songs and I can say for certain that some of them have provided me with views on life that I still hold to this day. For example, to me Lateralus (the whole album not just the song), really motivated me to understand myself. Ever since that album I've found myself questioning my actions and beliefs and really trying to figure out who I am. Wether or not this is your interpretation or this is something Tool was looking for when they produced Lateralus, I'll never know. But the fact remains that I have heard what I think Tool was trying to say and I have listened, and it has had a measurable impact on my life. I imagine most other Tool fans could say that their life has also been impacted by Tool in some way.

Furthermore, and I just talked about this on the The Pot forum, I believe that there is no correct interpretation/meaning to any Tool song, becuase like any artform half the fun is in figuring out what it means TO YOU. Thus I can't really believe Maynard would write a song saying how frustrated he is with people not understanding what he's trying to say or not listening. But this gets into a whole confusing layer of hypocricy... lol. That's your interpretation and I'm not to say it's incorrect. I'm just saying that's not what this song means to me.

i agree.... there is no ONE answer to any Tool song. Life is a circle/cycle. Why wouldn't Tool song be the same way? And i for one don't think that Maynard "thinks he is the one" because that would mean he hasn't let go of his ego.... and that was the basic core of the last album wasnt it?

There is 1 answer.

There is 1 real meaning.

Deal with it.

If you want to interpret the words to suit your own feelings.. go ahead. But don't try to dole that nonsense.

Maynard doesn't sit down and write a bunch of arbitrary words and phrases down with the hope that it will reduce teenage goth suicide.

He writes Specific words and Phrases down to stop white faced girls in boots from jumping from the 11th floor.

There's 1 meaning to the songs.

One

Oh Really? Adam Jones once said this:

"Most people think, 'What are you guys about? Explain yourselves,
your music, your videos,'" Jones says disgustedly. "why do we have to
explain everything? Entertainment can be like going in the woods.
You can see nature; you may understand the basics of it, but you can
still enjoy it, and it can affect you in many ways. That's how we
approach music."

I would use this as support that Tool does not belive that all of their songs have one single meaning, and none of their songs are open to individual interpretaion.

JEEZ! someone tell this english major to stop ANALysing these lyrics

as with all maynards vocals, it means what it means to the person listening, probably why he takes care in making most of his lyrics open to interpretation....i bet he loved it when mtv changed stinkfist to song one ... chumps !

and by the way

no one really cares what YOU think HE thinks
these pages are for what the songs mean to you ....

i personally love listening to this song for the feeling of disorientation it gives me ...
it makes me feel quite vunerable given the mish mash of lyrics, and it scares me that i only seem to notice the references to ET's .... but it is a fleeting feeling that is coupled with that warm tool feeling i always get!

thats what i think !

tule rule

T.F = A. GAY


1 meaning, idiots.

Jimmy J, that's a comical explanation as to why you think that Tool songs have no one meaning. But it did give me a good laugh. Try again.

Better yet, don't.

Although I do agree that Maynard uses multiple meanings when he writes his lyrics I do think that ThreeDeviations is right on this one. Consider how in all of Maynard's recent interviews he speaks about how he has tried opening our third eye, spreading global consciousness and awareness and how no one is listening. He has stated that he is sick and tired of trying to relay these messages and so many of us not getting it. He has also been quoted as saying those who have heard the message are the ones that are meant to or something along the lines of those who are meant to know, already know. Being that this has been on his mind and something Maynard has been speaking about so frequently I think that is one of the main themes of Rosetta Stoned. I understand that there is the story line of the alien abduction and tripping out and all of that, however when the "overwhelmed as one would be" part begins I think that this is maynard speaking personally about how frustrating it must be to be looked up to as this chosen one with all the answers yet no one really gets it. And I think this frustration is why he has went with lyrics that are more personal and less metaphorical and complex as past records.

He's not pretentious enough to think he is the chosen one.

But he is aware that some of his fans look at him in this light... I didn't mean to imply that he thinks he is the chosen one. He would definitely reject that type of thinking.

Oh i see. so he's mocking people who idolise him? that makes more sense.

Exactly. he gets there hope up by saying he is going to foretell all the secrets of the world and it's end and so forth and right before spilling the beans "Well I forgot my pen..." basically a snyde way of saying i'm not gonna tell you. I'm tired of leading the horse to water. and then it goes back into the jokes and so forth like the shit the bed part. that's my take on the whole thing anyways...

Maynard actually said once that using psychadelics to open your third eye was fine, but the whole point was to do them once and see where it takes you, then to spend the next few years trying to get back there without them. (or words to that effect). So it would seem to me that the two main opinions being posted here have a basis to be the correct answer.

Why are you so botherd about being correct and telling everyone else that you are? My interpretation is my own, and i am happy in that, I get my own experience from it as everyone else does, and in the end thats all taht really matter. Fuck this right and wrong stuff and just feel it how you want to.

and if you come back with some "you're wrong, i'm right and here are my reasson eplained for the 3984579384798475th time" bullshit, i just don't care.

peace

I would not tell someone else there opinion is wrong. I am just supporting ThreeDeviations take on it and sharing my own interpretations. That's all...

I didnt mean you, sorry i accidently clicked the reply with quote bit, sorry was aimning it at ThreeDeviations. Sorry again.

Well put. It's funny: a friend and I were talking about ego judgement. He was kidding around saying how when he starts getting those thoughts or messages of right/wrong, good/bad, he stated, "the submarine sirens start blaring in my head."

"We're sinking Captain! We've lost perspective and are going down!"

To say THIS or THAT is the unilateral answer for Rosetta Stoned (of all songs) is... kinda odd at this point. Oh well. To each his own.

On a side note, am I the only one here to wake up in the hospital with no idea what the fuck was going on? And, yes, I had shit myself. I have no idea to this day what that was all about. I was probably hit by a car (busted hip) but, I prefer the alien rape/abduction theory. It's always good for shits and giggles.

haha, woah that dpesnt sound good! this isnt inteded to sound nasty or personal, but i hope it was the alien rape/abduction thing, cos that would just be cool! but also incredibly mentally scaring for yourself which i wouldnt wish upon you, uness of course you had harmed me in some respect in which case i might 'don an alien costume and rape/abduct you myself.




P.s, i dont actaully get down like that (te whole alen rape thing)

yea, i and leadin towards 3deviation's meaning of this song. maynard does have an ego. Just look at his least interviews where he's still such a dick to the interviewers.

i guess maynard is through we all that we are One Mind stuff eh

Haha! That's why I love this song. Who knows what the fuck happened. The same goes for my experience. I was on my go-ped last year near Thanksgiving. I was on a road that travels along a major street. But, the road itself is pretty quiet. The fire department found me unconscious on the side of the road. Nobody saw a thing. My memory was gone. It was most likely a hit and run.

The funny part is, the hospital released me with a busted thigh/hip. My friend came to pick me up. After carrying me up the stairs, we knew something was wrong. They released me with shit in my pants and I couldn't walk. My friend was screaming on the phone to the hospital and doctors. I was too concussed to worry about anything at the time.

He picked me up and brought me to the shower. Let me tell you, there's nothing more humbling that your friend cleaning shit off your ass.

Now, when we play Rosetta Stoned, he always points to me during "God damn...!"

I ended up back in the hospital a few hours later. I stayed a week. I'm all good now.

God Damn those Grey Alien Mongolians! I wish they would give back all the Tool CDs they steal. You know that's why they're here, right? To get their Tool fix, hehe. :D

if you really think their songs have one meaning then you truely dont get it

Oh, I get it. I feel how Maynard feels in this song.

for any of you saying there isn't ONE meaing.... YOU are the one who "doesn't get it."

That said, if you want to personalize the song the wrong way... then go ahead if it makes you happy.

or like how Zygote say... "you can lead a horse to water..."

Zygote also said he read where Maynard said (paraphrased) that "he is sick and tired of trying to relay these messages and so many of us not getting it."

That's EXACTLY what the song is about... like I said, he sheds light on a couple other topics along the way to the real message.... kills a few birds with one stone.

Maynard isn't "through with the we're all one mind stuff.." but that's why he's frustrated. He's trying to help, yet people don't listen... and want to divide "right in two." People don't listen to what he's saying.

He's not claiming to be some literal god when he refers to himself as the "one."

He's merely saying he realizes that he has a huge influence on people "in my position" with Tool... and people admire and take to heart the things he says.

So what he's saying is that if you really admire me, listen to what I say, apply it and change your fuckin ways.



"Edward James Keenan" says....
"My interpretation is my own, and i am happy in that, I get my own experience from it as everyone else does, and in the end thats all taht really matter. Fuck this right and wrong stuff and just feel it how you want to."

if you interpret the song incorrectly and it still makes you happy... good for you. I don't give a shit. Ignorance is bliss.

Like the man is gonna sit down and write a bunch of words for a song and say to himself... " metaphors, check! Rare words, check! Puzzling phrases, check! Some sexual reference to keep all the idiots happy.. check! Yes... another perfect song without an actual meaning."

Tool wants you to make the songs your own if it makes you feel good... even if you're not even close to the actual meaning. They don't care. They're happy for you because you're happy. But don't be kid yourself into thinking there isn't one specific meaning to each song.