"If time could stand still
How long life should seem
For life is but an illusion
A state of concious dream
And when life is all but over
Time will wait no more
Life but just the question
Did you see the things you saw
And when questions can't be answered
Answer is not to gain
Was my concious worth the effort
And time but stopped in vain."
- Aleister Crowley
The unicursal hexagram is painted all over Dannys site, so it would be no suprise if he got some kind of input into the song. The "it said that life is but a dream" line backs this up too.
It is my opinion that this is precisely what they are talking about. While it may be true that Crowley is highly influencial on Tool's work, it is certainly true that Bill Hicks is. It has always been my opinion that this reference was inspired by Bill Hicks from an occasion where he made a very similar claim, and even sung out at least one verse from the song. The song also mentions that it is a "child'srhyme" this also seems to indicate that this is in fact the rhyme to which they refer. "Seems so simple when its spelled out for you." - Bill Hicks
Hope that helps
Question authority, but let love and reason be your guide.
The crowley reference is great I appreciate it a lot however I was also under the impression that it was indeed a childs rhyme stuck in his head...perhaps I had a much different upbringing then others but I was not even aware of Crowley until about a year or two ago.
Thanks again though for posting this other poem it is very insightful