I mean, it's deep, but it's also just a story. If I were Tool, I'd be tired of fans trying to suck every ounce of meaning from the songs. I might even stop trying to be as explicit in my message or even stop putting a message in my songs at all. What better way to make you start thinking for yourself than to stop telling you shit...

i like you nanook

I'd say the section designated to discuss Rosetta Stoned is the PERFECT place for this topic.

Rock on Brother. Rosetta Stoned is the best song for this discussion, cause i believe he's saying "don't know, won't know or oh no" Perfect, stop looking to them for the answers. Have fun with the beautiful music and do what you can.

Check out my other thread "Don't Know, Won't Know" This is what I was trying to explain in it.

I agree.

Maynard could not have been any more clear/explicit, when he said "Over thinking, over analyzing, seperates the body from the mind".

People definitely read too much into Tool. Yes they're mysterious and mystical, but there is no need to try and unravel the mystery. Let the mystery take you on a trip, and enjoy it for what it is.

I second that.

see, here's the main thing with this band.

we've all made a zillion different assumptions as to evvvery single song is about as fans. I think I can safely say that it's an obligatory thing that any fan has (at one point or another) assumed way too far or thought way too much about one TOOL song, therefore getting the "official" interperetation entirely wrong.

the point is that that's ok.

we've made all these different assumptions and ideas about these songs and the band has really never once come out to the fans right off and said "no, that's not it. you've got it all wrong." for that reason, you gotta think that maybe the band enjoys the thought of us using our own minds when we listen to their music.

yeah, true. when I first heard that tune I interpereted as a spinnoff of the "story" from Faaip De Oiaad and I'm gonna stick to that.

Of couse they probably don't care what we think about the songs, thinking about this kinda music is what it's here for. We just need to step back for a second, and and not get trapped in "circular arguments and thoughts" with the listening to Tool (The sythesis of all i've ever wanted to get out of music)

just glad that there are those of like mind out there...cool

i like simple listenings until naturally i gravitate to think more
i am not a tool fan who goes into and nitpicks immediately
i stand back and let the music tell me the story it has to before
my inquistiveness takes over..happy to see more of you here too

i completely agree, one of the only threads ive read in a while that made a valid point

Jesus christ, why dont'cha come save my life nowww.

Honestly, I dont know what most of the songs on any of the albums are about. Well, thats not entirely true. I know what they mean to me. Most of the time, I never even bother to get read or learn the lyrics. Ive always been attracted to Tool for their sound. The music they make is what defines the meaning of the songs to me. So naturally, arguing about the true meaning and hidden meanings of their songs has always been a jerk off session IMO.

The beauty of any art is that while the artist who created it may have had his/her own meaning and motive to create it, whoever is enjoying it (or not) is able to interpret it the way it fits into their views and emotions.

To me, I feel like I get even more from music (or any art for that matter) if I don't know the artist's motives and have to use it as a catalyst in self discovery. So I can learn more about myself, rather than someone else.

It' easy to dismiss this song as just a story but then the band leaves a little teaser on their site about a terrible secret being contained within. Whether that's true or not I have no idea but it makes me yearn to know more. Tool forces me to be smarter and to gain knowledge if only so I have some idea of what they're singing about...and besides that, they kick ass!

this albums got a lot more sense of humor on it. i mean yeah, its heavy and dark, but they also have fun with it too.

How many ways can one use the f-word and not be the same? That'll give you an idea as to how many ways Tool can be interpreted.

I think this album (specifically the song 10,000 Days) really pounds in there how personal Maynard's lyrics are. It is HIS poetry and HIS art, and as such, there is no concrete, final interpretation of any song, some code that will reveal the secret of the universe. Whatever meaning we find in will be just as personal to the listener as it is to Maynard. That doesn't mean we stop digging or stop discussing the music, because we all share the common bond of the human experience, but we should keep in mind this relativity.

I know this post is gonna go completely unread, but here goes anyway.

I pretty much agree with what I have read here. To me, Tool's music tells even more than the lyrics do, and most of the time I can picture in my mind the meaning of a song just by the way it's played, not by the words sang by Maynard. Granted, he has an excellent voice, better than Trent Reznor in my opinion(even with my quickly waning respect for Reznor, as of late), but even if he weren't singing, the music they play tells the story of each song almost perfectly. Again, just my opinion.

yeah, but why do they put hidden words in certain tracks (Viginti Tres) which once deciphered change the whole interpretation of other song/songs?

I agree that some people tend to overdo with analyzing the songs, but on the other hand there is a lot to discover.

hell yeah, well put. i totally agree; the music is always the more important part to me

[and you're right, reznor sucks now, fucking tool] :)

that's true. i just mean practice a little moderation. you've got to enjoy the songs above all, otherwise they [Tool] might as well just put out a cd with bullshit sound effects and mumbled jibberish (i hope i don't give them any ideas). The funny thing is, even if they purposely made something that blows, people would still buy it and lose sleep trying to figure it out :)

open my eyes blind me with the light now. XD