So Some people seem to think that hes tripping, and some people think hes being abducted (and some both). Does anybody get the feeling that he was taken to a hospital and he thinks the doctors are aliens that are probing him and stuff?

Nice observation, actually, and it does make a lot of sense. I think the alien theory arises as a thought that maybe these songs are a continuation from the end of Aenima...both theories work, though. But, as an independent thought, I think your idea makes quite a lot of sense.

I'm pretty sure the guy who does the doctor is Tool's manager...make of that what you will.

The dr00gie theory ties into the end of Aenima.
The alienz theory ties into the end of Lateralus.

Make of that what you will.

I think it could also be viewed as the other way around. What if he feels he is the alien, and by being different, he views humans as aliens. Just another way of thinking, maybe its relevant, maybe not. Whatever...

Maybe, this character had slipped into paralysis then slipped into an OBE(out of body experience). Sleep paralysis makes you feel as if you were "strapped down", with only your facial muscles slightly able to move. So, one is able to have "bugging eyes" and a "gaping jaw". And as hard as you try, you can not speak nor move your body.

"This is so real." Astral Consicousness has a way of making your astral body feel as if it were your physical.. probably because that's all it's ever used to. So as this individual is experiencing this odd world, there are odd entities that inhabit it too.

Some entities, I'll call the Grays. (Stuart Wilde) These guys make their appearance as life-like as possible, because they can no longer experience physical life. The Grays willl tell you their revolutionary story and why they chose you to spread the word. Don't get me wrong, not all of them are bad, some are astral guides, but others are just trying to have some fun with your emotions.

This guy is feeling like, "Who is ever going to believe THIS story?! This was like nothing I've ever experienced and they told me that I was special in the delivery of blah blah blah blah."

Thinking about previous posts, about the guy working at Area 51. Suspicision often leads to curiosity, and in this case fear. In these sorts of dream-like states, fear causes adrenaline to coarse through one's body (as in lucid dreams, that sudden "whooosh" of wind and a realization of presence) But his curiousity leads him into believing every word out of these physical-world-emotion-sucking-beings.

I believe the line is "This is surreal," which is quite the opposite of "so real"

Not a chance. The song Rosetta stoned, nor its intro have anything to do with alien's probing anything.

No disrespect intended.

Not alien's probing, you're right.

But aliens, yes.

References Area 51, X-Files, and "E mother fucking T," etc.

That's not to say it's not about drugs...but it's not not about aliens either.

The entire song is a fucking acid trip. A bad one at that. It is Third Eye's opposite.

The words, the sound, and the entire feel of the song follows this. The narrator is talking complete nonsense. Aliens? Krispy Kream?{Then the x-files being who was in some kind of blue-green jetship with Isabella Rossellini lips and breath that reeked and he went abananadabanana so when I opened up my bug eyes, my gaping jaw and my sweaty lower and upper lip, and all I could think was, I hope that my partner here doesn't notice that I pissed my fucking pants.]

This sounds like the ravings of someone deep within a Acid frenzy.

His heart is racing, he cant breathe and is completley overwehlemed because his is out of his mind trippin', not because ET put him on a fuckin space ship.

Anyone with anyone expierence in the use of LSD should be able to to attest that the feelings, and visions the narrator is having is because of the drug,

Read my thread about the X-Files episode, etc.

Or...continue to be a dipshit and believe that someone under the influence of drugs couldn't possibly also experience an encounter of the third kind.

I agree, surreal makes more sense in the context of the rest of the song i think...

I think you're ideas are interesting, but i have to disagree. I think in Rosetta stoned we have a Tool song that can be taken at face value. This guy is trippin...

How does taking Rosetta Stoned at face value rule out aliens...he talks about aliens in the lyrics...

Yeh, he speaks of Alians cuz he's of his face, not that an uncommin thing if you're on psychedelics.

So, it's 100% impossible for someone under the influence of drugs to have an encounter of the third kind? Is this what you're suggesting?

I mean, i can't see tool singing about little green men flying in some blue/green jet ship. Singing about some guy who's totally gone to bits and thinks he's seeing E.T. though, that seems far more likely to me. The stuff about the X-files are just things this guy has pulled in to his delusion.

But you said you're taking the song at face value.

By ASSUMING that Tool wouldn't write a song about aliens, you're no longer taking the song at face value.

Faaip de Oied makes me think that it's entirely possible that this song is what it is, a guy who had a close encounter with other-worldly entities, even if Tool meant it sarcastically.

Ha! no, what im suggesting is that it is EXTREMELY unlikely for ANYONE to have a an encounter of the third kind.

Regardless of whether its possible or not, i cant see it as something Tool'd sing about, hence it wouldnt be the meaning of the song.

You're not taking the song at face value.

Ah, well here's where we differ, you say speak of what it means to you even if it doesnt match with the bands intended meaning, which is what i speak of.

I'm talking about taking the song at face value, which is what you brought up.

If you're assuming things about the song that you think you know about the band, you're not taking the song at face value.


Besides, I believe that we're talking about a band that intentionally doesn't tell us what the songs are about because they want the songs to be open to interpretation...

Now your being Pedantic, and im not going to get into an arguement over the definition of one little phrase.

This is all very interesting: aliens might DELIBERATELY choose someone who is tripping to reveal their secrets to so he won't be able to remember a thing. They are jokers, those aliens, constantly playing tricks on us. Maybe Tool are the aliens, and we're the dude bugging out.

Besides, I believe that we're talking about a band that intentionally doesn't tell us what the songs are about because they want the songs to be open to interpretation...[/QUOTE]

True, and i'd interprit the meaning of Rosetta stoned to be about what some poor fella has experienced while on some cruel trip, and how its screwed his life, rather than some fancy about alians who for some inexplicable reason abduct a completely random person who happens to of his face.

Im not denying your right to beleive that if you choose, im just saying it seems rather unlikely, and a little cheap.

Lol, fair enough point

You suggested we take the song at face value, and then go on to assume background information about the band who wrote the song. That's quite the opposite of taking the song at face value. I'm not even nit-picking on some little aspect of the definition. You're doing the exact opposite of what you suggest we do.

Fact of the matter is this:
If we take the song at face value, the song does mention the X-Files, ET, Area 51, etc., which all hint to aliens.
If we don't take the song at face value, and look at background information about the band, I look back to Lateralus and remember the track Faaip de Oied, which also hints towards aliens, and makes it very hard to instantly rule aliens out for this track, Rosetta Stoned.

I am not trying to say that this song is most definitely about aliens, but I AM trying to say that it is ABSURD for you to try saying that the song is most definitely not about aliens, just because you have a feeling that Tool wouldn't write a song about little green dudes flying around in saucers.

[QUOTE=xPOGOx]You suggested we take the song at face value, and then go on to assume background information about the band who wrote the song. That's quite the opposite of taking the song at face value. I'm not even nit-picking on some little aspect of the definition. You're doing the exact opposite of what you suggest we do.

Exact opposite my foot. If you really want me to, i will spell out exactly what i mean.

By taking it at face value i meant
TAKE THE MEANING OF THE SONG AS WHAT IT MOST OBVIOUSLY APEARS TO BE, WHAT ANY 8 YEAR OLD COULD HAVE GOTTEN. DONT LOOK FOR DEEPER MEANINGS AND HIDDEN IDEAS, SUCH AS DOCTORS MASQUERADING AS ALIANS, which certainly wouldnt be taking it as face value.

As to including back ground infomation about the band or whateva, when i listen to a song by tool, i listen to a "tool song", not some random song which on later analysis shows to be tool. The fact that the song is by Tool, would apear to me to be part of its face. Lol, yes, i do relise that now im being pedantic also.

I am not trying to say that this song is most definitely about aliens, but I AM trying to say that it is ABSURD for you to try saying that the song is most definitely not about aliens, just because you have a feeling that Tool wouldn't write a song about little green dudes flying around in saucers.[/QUOTE]

Ugh! I never said anything about definites and 100%s. U may notice how i talk about what it seems to me etc. Of course it is possible for it to be about alians in flying saucers, its just pretty fucking unlikely and relitevly stupid.

Whether you take it at face value, or look into it deeply, the result will still have nothing to do with being abducted.

Now why couldnt i have just said that?
ty

I believe the correct term would be extraterrestrials, "alien" is a very hurtful term.

haha, goddam shit the bed.

Either makes sense but 'so real' is the better option because he can't believe what he's seeing, he thinks it's NOT real but it feels SO real.

Maybe it was real, but because he was tripping he thought it wasn't. He wasn't actually prepared for something this amazing to happen, he thought he was just going to have a 'normal' trip, go home, watch some tv, maybe smoke a few joints, post on a few conspiracy internet forums then go to bed.

Instead he got taken, told he was the chosen one, got sent back to send the message but he wasn't prepared and forgot everything he was told.

And shat the bed.

It's been said that this album is about trying to communicate a message and failing.

This has to be an Acid trip, mixed with either Ayahausca, or straight up DMT. Aliens are not specific to acid trips... they are associated with DMT.

Acid = world melts away, with vivid hallucinations, not manifestations.

DMT = taken to a higher dimmension where people report seeing gnomes/fairies/aliens as guides of some sort, with a lesson to communicate.

Acid also opens your mind and enhances creativity. So in this instance, he was able to understand what the alien was communicating (which generally doesnt happen with DMT by itself)

Now doesnt this make sense if you are relating this song to FAaip De Oid? Since the man specifically says "theyre extra dimmensional beings"