So time for me to get flamed but is it really unreasonable to think that this song is about the man who wrote it? As simple, cut and dry as that? Looking into his own life and writing about it in song. Why does it have to be some beat to death overanalyzation of anchient text, old wars, old leaders etc.... I think allot of you give Maynerd to much credit when writing lyrics (actully, maybe not enough also).. the man *may* just be writing about his own life, his own lessons, his own song about himself and his strugles.. I am sure that this is what the song is about, plain and simple, no deep insight needed.. amen..

i agree

i actully think all of 10,000 days goes along these lines, everything is right in front of you, face value, this album is looked into way to deeply (lyrics wise at least).. its about strugle, depression, looking back and in , kinda the opposite of lateralus which was a very positive , uplifting & freeing album (I guess if you took it that way, I did).. In the 5 years between Lateralus and 10,000 days I have a fealing that something(s) in life beat the man down, not as positive anymore and this is all reflected in 10000 days.. this is my deep final thoughts on the entire album :)

lyric wise its very simplistic. apart from a few tunes i think most agree its not their best.


with the expectation that 10kd failed to be imo. i sure hope he/they put more into the next one

I really like the album allot, I just honestly think the days of tool being really mytsterious and cryptic are over for various reasons.. but music wise, I really like this album, think its great...

i would have read it, but i don't want to go look for it.

My first interpretation was just that as well and that the song reflected his relationship with him and his son.

Yeah, thats a good thought , would make sense.. for some reason I thought it was about an EX or something, but yeah, I think its about his relationship with someone close to him eaither way..

I think it's simple for someone to say "take if for face value!"; thats a cop out. Face value is only one perspective to see it through. Tool isn't about being obvious or giving away the answers, they've said before that they want us to figure it out and expand on it. Naturally, any lessons or morals implied in the songs are reflections of real life experiences, as it would be difficult to write about something you had no idea about. Admittedly, 10,000 Days seems to be a more personal album compared to Lateralus or Aenima, but the conclusions you draw from it can be limitless. We aren't here to figure out what Maynards thought process was when he wrote it, we're trying to figure out the point hes putting across to us. The beautiful thing about Tool is the layers of meaning inscribed in each song.

I believe if you find this album simple, you lack imagination. If we took Die Eier Von Satan at face value, we'd all think Tool were neo-nazis and we wouldn't listen to them. If we took Stinkfist for face value, we'd all think it was about exploring a vagina. Ticks & Leeches could actually be about bugs. Face value doesn't apply here, if you want face value, go see Projekt Revolution and listen to them bitch about life. If you want deep thought and something that may make you think creative and not simple, give Tool another shot.

Its like if someone looked at a Da Vinci painting and said, "Eh, looks like some lady with a weird smile." without knowing all the metaphors and layers to the art. Tool is more Da Vinci than Andy Warhol.

Did everyone use up all their brain power on Lateralus? Why do so many people get to 10,000 Days and say "Ah screw it, my brain hurts" and just give up?

Geeze, seems like you are kinda upset.. Allot of tool fans take tool opinion way to personally, like they "are" the band or something. Find me any quote anywhere where anyone from tool says "they want us to figure it out and expand on it" concering 10000 days specifically. You probably can't because there is not any. You are just pulling out things tool said in the past, many years ago about tool then. Tool has grown over the years, sure they are still pretty mysterious but they are not like they used to be. I know you will take this way to personally but to expand further I do not think this is a bad thing whatssoever, the band is growing, getting older, changin the ways a little bit. If you doubt this one bit you are stuck in the past. I never said to take older tool face value, it should be pretty obvious that I am talking about *NEW* tool . I love 10000 days but I am stickin to my guns when I say that its not as convoluted and cryptic as the past , maybe the packaging is but I still think thats kinda a joke (as in the cryptic ness of it, not the literal packaging, that is amazing, want to clarify so you dont get in a knot over this).

And I will reiterate once again, the album's music is NOT SIMPLE by all means, there is some crazy time sigs and playin styles goin on there but I honestly don't think the lyrics are nearly as deep as the past, actually , I am SURE of it , YOU are lookin into it to deep.. and this is fine, still makes for an awesome album.

Also, its not to difficult to write about something you know nothing about, people talk about shit all the time that they have no knowledge on, same with artisits, people have bullshit emerging from them constantly, artisits and the like, you can bs about anything if your good at bs'ing.. once again, I also think tool fans take tool way to personally, like its "their" music.. dont be so defensive buddy, its all ok..

One more thing :) Why is it a "cop out" to take something for face value if thats how it should be taken? Even tool themselves say :

Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition, missing opportunities and I must
Feed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines.

which i think is a negative thing.,. but who knows, most tool fans would try and find some anchient book that has 3 printings and try to align each vowel from every 3rd word with the seventh sun to try and find the true meaning when its right there in front of you word for word..

Right, I just typed out a pretentiously long post pointing out why I enjoy 'Over analyzing' Tool lyrics, with bullet points and all, I'm glad I deleted it. And so are you.

Suffice to say Domer88, there are two ways to analyze Tool, the way you describe is just using your left brain. In fact, I would argue that is what is meant by the Lateralus quote you mentioned.
Engaging your right brain gives you a different context, one that reveals the universal ideas that these artists, *who play from their heart*, are trying to share with us.
Universal ideas that are relevant to you personally, not just some rich asshole in a cowboy hat.
If only we could combine the two methods, with a little effort and research to give ourselves a context behind the more obscure ideas, we might start getting somewhere, instead of flinging shit on the walls when we don't understand.

Besides, this is the internets, kid, serious stuff. The Noosphere made manifest. The Global/Gaian Mind. There is no body here. Only Mind.
Don't be messin around.
So over analyze all you want - a FOOL who persists in his folly...

These lyrics are much more applicable to actions and decisions than meanings and ideas. Tool has always been a band about art, thought, and exploration and it seems like it would be wrong to look at this lyric as claiming that reflecting on art, and life in general, is negative.

Face value has value, but whether the artists intended it or not, there is always more to a piece of art. In viewing or listening to a piece of art you become part of it, you add you're own impressions and prejudices to your thoughts and it becomes a distinctly personal journey. The role of the observer or the audience is equally as important as the artist. Taking art at face value IS a cop out, because you are not actively exploring the piece and making personal connections to the art.

Forgive me if I came off ''upset'', I was just trying to make a point and support it (although I do hate that Linkin Park and those pop-tours). It would be pointless for us to argue over how deep this album actually is, because it's a subjective question; we all see it at different depths. It was not my intention to "flame" or anything like that, I just wanted to point out, that in my experience, almost everything in life is incredibly complex and yet incredibly simple. This is the type of paradox I've seen through Tool.

Yes, overthinking and overanalyzing is certainly a bad thing, but there is a huge difference between OVER analyzing and regular analyzing. Too many people take it as "well, Tool said analyzing was bad". No, over-analyzing is bad. Critical thought is good, questioning is good.

I don't like to think of myself as "stuck in the past", but good advice is good advice, despite when it was told. I didn't know Tool could dictate the way we interpret each album, as if they said "Ok, here's lateralus, have a field day and go wild with it!", and then "Here's 10,000 Days, don't even try, its exactly what you think it is"

The point is, when someone says "This is a complex song" or "This is a simple song", thats a decision they've made on how far they want to expand on it. Overanalyzing would apply to this if I was trying to figure out what Maynard was saying, but I'm not. I'm trying to figure out how these song relates to the "scheme of things", and my life, and how I can learn from them. If I listened to this song and tried to figure out what made them write it, then I'd be overanalyzing.

I'm not upset!

Good points you all made her, nice input! I think I am at a time in my life where I have analyzed and tried to connect all the tings I love into my life on a personal level, its now time to shuffle through all these ideas and live life to its fullest, I have definitely been an overanalizer in the past, leared allot through it, but now its just time to live life and not take anything to seriously , which is not easy to do when people get obsessed with anything .. anyways, I am just rambiling.. I do like everyones input there, some good ideas kickin around here... I am going to go smoke a joint and wander through this desert around tucson , an amazing place it is :) take care dudes!

I can relate to that. I don't want to blame Tool, but I was never this analytical before I started digging through Tool. Although it can be a wide-load on the brain, when you get to the point of mental exhaustion its alot easier to shut off and just receive rather than interpret.

Ok, I am new and shouldnt be so opinionated but I cannot resist..... some of my fav posters are here on this thread!

I too believe 10,000 days is very explicit with few occult meanings. I believe this to be a function of Tool's development as middle aged men. Once the idealism of youth has passed, there is less to be romantic and enigmatic about.
Things in general are as they seem. .. anything else a function of nurobiochemistry or pharmacology!

I wonder if Maynard and co has fast tracked to this place having had the disadvantage [and advantage] of much loss, coupled with intelect, insight and the exposures to many different lands and people.

i agree with the thread-starter...but it does not exclude that it has a deeper meaning...if someone of you is active in an artistic way you might have noticed, you sometimes do things without thinking much about it and as you hear, read or watch it you recognize that there might be more inside of it...I don`t know if it is well explained...but I think this band is about just loosing it, then think about what happened and bringing it into a form or scheme or whatever..in an interview danny said that when rehearsing they`re having those "special", "magic(k)al" moments which they later try to rediscover and making an arrangement...I think the lyrics work almost in the same way, in another interview maynard stated something like "all writers, poets, philosophers or artistis are influenced by the same source" whick means- as I interpret it- the subconsciousness...tool are master in making aspects of the unconsciousness accessable for the consciousness-perception...it`s something like transfigurative or transformative art...
so I think: he writes something totally personal, but because on the level of sc we all might feel the same...blabla :)

Well put shifty50fs and leefnaspleaf.

Ive said it before and I'll say it again. I strongly think that this line is not talking specifically about over analyzing subjects such as tools lyrics. It's more about how you shouldn't over analyze or over-intellectualize your own life. This is what I like to call the intellectual archetype that people can take on. The intellectual is one who is reliant on plans and future outcomes and theorizes everything. The intellectual basically only functions with the left brain. They live life fixed or in a mechanical motion, they also have those merry go round chatters in their heads a lot. You could take on this archetype even if you don't analyze subjects or tools music. These are just a few examples of who I think Tool is targeting in those lines. I believe Lateralus is all about moving from this intellectual archetype to the intuitive archetype. The intuitive functions BOTH left and right brain functioning, this means that the intuitive still analyzes in their life just like the intellectual does, but it uses its intuition as well. One who has balanced intuition with analysis means that one has accepted the unknown and the realm of the spontaneous to match the fixed ideas and patterns of their life. So yah... I really don't think they are targetting people that are over analyzing tool lyrics.

I like analyzing Tool's music and I strongly believe that this song is not just about his son or something personal. Through analysis I came to the conclusion that this song is all about letting the power within yourself to guide and heal you (I'm talking about the "sun" which is a symbol for the higher self ("the part of ourselves that remains aware of our fragmented aspects and our wholeness simultaneously"). I also came up with that idea from my own experience. I realized that as along as I trusted this within myself to shine my way or guide me then I can reach a higher consciousness and heal without having to go through the struggles that ego death can come with. As long as I keep my "sun" shining within myself the closer and closer dualisties will just unite. This means that I would begin to understand more and more that the "dark" things in life are just as necessary as the "light" or beautiful things in life in order for myself to grow. When one is first attempting to cross through the shadow or is even ignorant to their own shadow they see the shadow as something evil and against who they are. Ignoring this causes people to get upset, become a hypocrite, wallow in their own confused and insecure illusions, etc. But if you understand that this shadow is what holds more light and energy to brighten up your being then you dont have to go through the storms of irritation, denial, depression, stress, etc that you would get from fighting against the shadow. If you accept that this part of you is you, that you are more then just your ego, and welcome change to your being, then the "sun" will always be shining and this light will continue to lift you out closer to a unified consciousness and you just "breathe in union".

Anyways... I basically came up with that by understanding how Tool used the symbols such as "light", the sun or the "source", "drown", "leeches", "center", "home", etc in songs by them before jambi. If you really look at it you will notice that tool uses the same symbols in other songs to mean basically the same thing. Also tool has talked about uniting opposites or allowing the "two to become one" in other songs like schism. Tool has said "lift me out/up" a couple times too before jambi, this is most likely referring to lifting ones self out from their current center of consciousness to a higher level of consciousness. Tools main message to me is to look beyond your ego self and evolve to your true being... With all of that said I would like to conclude that I really find it hard to see this song at "face value" to be about his son or something personal. I think the message is a lot deeper then that. Sometimes it doesnt hurt to just dig a little bit into Tool songs.

very interesting.. while I dont agree complelty its a very thoughtfull post and quite enjoyable to read. thanks friend!

You've got to be one of the nicest thread starters ever. You should start more.

fixed imho

I enjoyed reading your post. I tend to think it is a combination of a number of things with MJK and his approach to writing lyrics. I think first and foremost it is ultimately about giving the music a face so to speak. Giving it some kind of story. After that I think you are correct in that the majority of the subject matter seems more direct then esoteric. Gratned Maynard is an intelligent individual and therefore draws from many areas of study to find the best avenue to communicate a particular concept or set of concepts. But I think more often those concepts are about inter-personal dynamics and less about sacred geometry. All that being said I am probably way off too. I guess that is the beauty of Maynard's approach. It is entirely open ended and designed to allow the listener to make their own interpretation and come to their own conclusions rather than having the "meaning" jammed down their throat.

I know this is a month late or so and some people will still insist that his music has incredibly deep meaning beyond the scope of most humans, but this is from the man himself in a new interview, explains how everyone should take every tool song "

"Get out of the nest, for fuck's sake!" Keenan says, laughing, over a dinner of sliders and salad at the Recovery Room, the only local restaurant that pours his three Caduceus blends. It's not that he's ungrateful for what Tool's success has brought him, but he's tired of being the poet laureate of the arrested-development set. If the music has been so inspirational to his fans, he says, then "what the fuck have you done with it that you need me to keep doing it?"

Besides, what's the fuss? "I don't have any talent," he says. "I'm just a dumbass. I mean, I can put a couple of words together, but I'm not Stephen Hawking; it's not that kind of stuff. But people are treating it like it is."

"
People will proabably not take this for face value like the shoudl "oh ha ha, the genius, not being humble" but this is the truth, its great rock, amazing music, but yeah, some people are just looking way to fuckin deep and like he said need to "get out of the nest for fucks sake"

It'd be nice if you could post a link to the full interview, or perhaps copy and paste it in full.

Sure, I shuold have done that, its the best interview by maynerd that I have ever read, really honest, everyone should read it :

http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2007/11/0712_ipuscifer/

all those tool fans who's ego grows by the day overanalyzing lyrics needs to read this, truth be told

what a strange guy

I don't overanalyze this song. Therefore you are a liar, and I hate you.

Hey look a common poster from the interact section providing negative posts..I never saw that one coming...Spreading the love because their is no interact for him to lurk...aww how cute.

Great interpretation. Strongly agreed. I think that it is possible that this song entails meanings that are so close and personal to Maynard that they seem ambiguous and vague to us... but this is mostly what I get out of it.

I see this song as meaningful, but I agree that it is very obvious.

If you can't see any other message in this song besides one regarding his son, it's painfully obvious that you didn't "get the point" of Aenima and LateralUs.

Fuck you buddy, send more money

So what you just said is, the only layer of this song, from a man who claims his lyrics to be "heavily layered", is about his son. And that I'm wrong for seeing more. And you pretty much quote a tool song, your favorite finger target. Your a more pitiful person than I thought.

P.S. I won't assist you in killing another thread, so I won't be responding to you again as you have proven yourself to be unable to communicate on a proper level.

And you're a fucking fool to not have seen the sarcasm in my response. Apparently you're the pitiful one lacking any sense of humor or common sense.

Something that I've read, is that the whole Angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other, has always been an allegory for the Seperate Self Consciousness, and the Universal Consciousness. One is concerned only with itself, and the other is concerned with everything as a whole. I'm sure we can all agree that the world is so fucked up becuase of people being self centered. The Seperate Self gave birth to greed, materialism, jealousy, hatred, segregation, prejudice, ect ect ect.

I know I'm not really discussing much new, I just thought it was interesting to visualize this as an angel and a devil on each shoulder. Weather you think this song is about his son, or a higher power... it overlaps both. That sort of detail I've come to realize is irrelevant, because the underlying point of rejecting materialism/centered ego to extend compassion outward stands strong in each interpretation. Its like, changing from a black hole, to a sun.

Shouldn't you be practicing your merkaba breathing technique or something?

So you disagree that...

?

I thought you said you think its about his son as well. Does this not apply? ...Pushing away the devils of materialism to focus on raising his son? (which if it is, the idea is about 10 years late)

And whats the point of constantly flaming people trying to contribute to a conversation? I know I've had posts that would have been more appropriate of "new age" sarcasm. And I know there's a lot of idiots that post here... But seriously, does it really make you feel better about yourself?