anonymous July 17th, 2006 05:11PM  

This song is about the feeling a junkie or user gets when waiting for his/her drug (whatever it may be). I think the song best describes an addicts true intentions when around smack - they will do anything including lying to and stealing from people, friends and/or users around them. Best song on the album in my opinion.

Kornelius October 14th, 2006 05:27AM  

The song is definately about addiction. I used to be a drug addict and this song encapsulates the feeling of desperation before your next score.

mandicottontail October 22nd, 2006 05:04PM  

Drug addiction? Really? I thought it was about seduction and taking whatever means possible to get sex. "clever got me this far, then tricky got me in," "eye on what I'm after," "smile, drop the chiche if you think I'm listening." the dude's just out to get laid.

anonymous November 21st, 2006 10:02PM  

Along the same lines as above, "The Package" euphemistically refers to a man's penis.

Clever got me this far
Then tricky got me in
I am what I'm after
I don't need another friend
Smile and drop the cliche
'Till you think I'm listening
I take just what I came for
Then I'm out the door again

He doesn't want a female "friend," he wants sex. "Clever" got him close to the girl, "tricky" will get him laid. He'll say whatever is necessary to get sex, then he leaves. Esp. The "cliche" line: he'll saying anything, even if it's overused, to have sex.

anonymous February 23rd, 2007 03:59PM  

I agree with the first two interpretations. I think it's about addiction much like many of the songs on this album. An addict will lie and do whatever it takes to get the drug he desperately wants. He doesn't care about cliches about drug users that anyone gives him he just wants his drugs.

anonymous March 9th, 2007 01:02PM  

Well sex can be an addiction too, so I think it could go both ways. Perhaps they left it for the person to decide what the bigger addiction is in their life, if its drugs or getting laid.

anonymous March 14th, 2007 04:22AM  

This song, along with many others by A Perfect Circle, is about sex addiction.

adrian_garcia July 2nd, 2007 11:21AM  

I don't see why we have to try to specify it down to an object. I think the object could be anything we wanted. To me, I'd understand it as being more about doing anything to get sex... I guess that says a lot about me :| .

Really, with the vague meaning of the lyrics in the song, 'The Package' could range anywhere between his own penis to a case of 32 Kalajnikovs.

I say it's time to stop taking the songs brutally literally and thinking that our own interpretation is gospel, after all, we didn't write the bloody song.

Ender September 21st, 2007 10:38AM  

I thought it was clear that this song was about sex. clever got him this far with the girl the tricky got him laid then he's out the door. Its basically about a guy who is addicted to sex and that's all he wants but so it is about an addiction but not to a drug its sex

anonymous October 21st, 2007 04:31PM  

I think this song is about buying drugs. "I take just what I came for, then I'm out the door again" No one sticks around and hangs out with their drug dealer. "I don't need another friend" says the same thing. "Peripheral on the Package", "Eye on what I'm after" says he's probably a late stage addict. "Nod and watch your lips move, if you need me to pretend" another reference to just going through the motions of buying drugs.

paja713 October 24th, 2007 05:31PM  

Yeah it could work both ways. but it is meant to be about waiting for your drugs. its called Thirteenth Step because of the steps to get out of addiction. but yeah, haha, it does work with sex, haha.

anonymous August 8th, 2008 11:53AM  

I think the whole album is about addiction and recovery and I think it is put together in a way that the listener goes through the journey. I thought this when the album first came out but Maynard confirmed this at a show when he dedicated the songs to everyone who ever knew someone or went through addiction and recovery themselves. If you or anyone you know has successfully gone through recovery I think this album stands out very clearly in that respect.

in recovery the 13th step is like an inside joke. as we all know there are 12 steps to recovery- when someone new comes to a meeting and a member tries to approach them with sexual intentions over supportive ones members say "look at Joe trying to 13th step nancy" for example. just silliness but a brilliant title for an album either way.

anonymous November 3rd, 2008 09:53PM  

This song personally seems like it's about a guy doing whatever it takes for a one night stand

anonymous November 5th, 2008 07:31PM  

I think like many of maynards songs it is open to a couple of different interpretations.. thats what makes his music great.. personally this song is about drug addiction.. but i used to be an addict so....

howieinc2000 December 26th, 2008 02:49PM  

i definately think its about drugs. Time to feed the monster is referring to his need to get his next fix, peripheral on the package, i don't if you guys have ever bought a drug but when ever i have i always have an eye on it because after all its what i am after. have you seen pine apple express when the dude is there just to get bud and doesn't want to stay with the dealer. Primo example

anonymous January 17th, 2009 02:14AM  

I think this song is about being completely overcome by absolute greed. That getting "the package" (it can relate to anything, sex, drugs, muffins, ect.) is all that matters, forget people, forget yourself, forget everything as long as you get it. from how the song is played out, it gave me a very hollow, empty, depressingly desolate feeling, which kind of supports the aspect of which you have nothing left in you, that the greed for this object has wiped away your soul and your morals. Maynard sings in a very tortured, weakened way through the verses, again explaining how much damage this greed has done to the person and his/her life. and during the climax "give this to me" his voice turns monstrous and demented. kind of like golom from lord of the rings, how he used to be a caring and warm person, but his greed turned him into a destroyed, heartless monster.

anonymous February 8th, 2009 08:34AM  

Maynard once said in an interview that his lyrics can be open to interpretation, that they can mean whatever you want them to mean. It could either be about sex or drugs. Although Maynard is pretty adamant about not using drugs (except acid) so he was probably writing about sex. But does it really matter? What matters is what it means to the listener and what the listener gets out of it.

46and2aheadofme February 26th, 2009 03:32PM  

I think in general the song is about someone who manipulates others to get what they want out of them. Of course this could apply to a drug addict, someone only looking for sex in a relationship, or someone who cons people for money. I am pretty surprised that no one has interpreted it to be referencing politicians. "Lie to get what I came for" and "smile to get what's mine" could definitely apply to politicians who have to act a certain way and give false promises in order to win votes. Maynard has addressed this in the past with Tool (In the song Aenema he says "fuck smiley glad hands with hidden agendas"). Basically politicians have to shake hands, smile, and lie a lot in order to fulfill their hidden agendas. I don't know if this is what Maynard had intended for "The Package", but this is what I initially thought of the first time I heard the song.

anonymous April 13th, 2009 01:34AM  

The song can probably represent anything. The singer has a goal, whether it's drugs, sex, a job, it could be political for an alliance, whatever. That's how I interpret this song. I think it's most likely sex or something that would be worth a lot of money or personally valuable. He just wants to get his hands on it. He'll lie, smile and play friendly, trick, and leave once he's achieved his goal. That's what I like about the song, it's great to listen to when you're after something.

anonymous August 25th, 2009 03:29AM  

I feel this song because this person will tell you what you to hear in order to distract you from the reality of the fact that he is thinking about how to get his next fix. Manipulating you to think everythings ok, and going behind your back getting drugs, even if that means stealing his own childs crib. The selfishness that goes into all of it, thinking everything is yours for the taking, the especially drugs. i can just see someone at the gas station waiting... i think it also can be about a sex addict.