anonymous September 23rd, 2007 01:40AM  

I've recently been listening to the albums Aenima and Lateralus after reading this book called "2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl". If you're to lazy to go and read this fucking awesome book than look into the Mayan culture and their shamans. Basically the Mayans predict 2012 (Dec 21, 2012 to be more precise) as the end of this age. The apocalypse in a sense but the beginning of ultimate human evolution. It's all about humans consciousness. Fuck, I wish I could tell you all about it but there's just so much to say. I swear, just look into it and listen to Lateralus and the entire album takes on a whole new meaning, even deeper and more inspiring than ever.

anonymous March 26th, 2008 12:01AM  

I must give credit to all, A, for having the courage to submit ideas and B, to enjoy this music. It truly is genius and you should feel pride in listening to it and loving it. I watch a lot of Bill Hicks, and watch REAL news every day. This band tackles real issues brilliantly. Technically, I am amazed, lyrically blown away. In my tedious path I have chosen, at least I have discovered those of like mind, or at least those on their way. Tool breaks down Humanity as a species and the hope in it's survival cause case you homeboys (and girls) haven't noticed, things aren't going great (especially for the weak - our brothers), brilliance is suppressed and we don't even realize it. We (humanity, intelligence) are so lucky to be here and so powerful and capable of that's imagined and all conceivable. Look what we have accomplished so far. Push the envelope people, we can all play this game. Embrace your moments, like Yoda says. Everything points to YES. There is so much opportunity we are missing out on. We should have civilizations on Mars by now. The first and greatest step, however, is that we must become selfless (Like Jedi) and we may just go where no ones been. Thank TOOL for the passion they put into our civilization, because not many talk about it. You need courage to speak the truth and cross the line. You always earn respect when you hold onto your integrity. Tool explores the RAW nature of these carbon based units (forms we hold now) watch it bend. ALIVE !

SystemofaRevelation September 20th, 2008 02:15PM  

Tool is brilliant to say the least and I feel like they are one the greatest bands that this world will ever know. Their music has a lot to do with human evolution and possibly prophecy. I agree with the post about the Mayan Aztec date of 2012, but what I want to add is that the most significant prophecies were from Jesus. I find it interesting that it was almost exactly 2000 years ago and also believe Revelation is now. I think 2012 has something to do with WWIII, and I believe Aenima is a message to mankind saying we need to take a good look at ourselves. What's coming through is alive.

madmatt92 March 29th, 2009 10:21AM  

the point of tool's songs is everyone knows they have plenty of meanings and trying to decipher them is a waste of time. In many interviews maynard states the meaning is not in the lyrics the meaning is in the music so while the rift and the passion tell what they are trying to say the lyrics tell the story, the words he uses he says just come to him when he hears the melody thats why alot of his lyrics are hard to decipher and thats why they use alot of metophors in their songs.they use alot of religion so their songs have many meanings just like life. this is why they are my favorite band because they make you think FOR YOURSELF! now thats inspiring music.

anonymous June 22nd, 2009 03:09AM  

All Tool songs are about how Maynard never discovered the true meaning of Christmas. When he was a little boy he asked for an Optimus Prime for Christmas but never got one and he grew bitter and to this day, Maynard, refuses to celebrate Christmas or go watch the Transformers movie.

boobah July 25th, 2009 05:19AM  

This I had in Rosetta Stoned but it belongs here too. Quick and easy. Copy, Paste... Undertow = "there's something down there" Ænima = "here's how to find it" Lateralus = "Look! Here it is!" 10000 = "hmmm.. That was OKAY I suppose..."

boobah July 28th, 2009 05:02PM  

This is my interpretation for the Current Live Setlist which is basically the same as it was in 2007.

I will probably be a little wordy, so dismiss at your own leisure. Also, I'm not looking to argue but if you believe I am stupid or silly, let me know. I can take it. Also, I am new to these forums so if this has been said before then the same applies, dismiss, tell me I'm stupid or silly, and let me know this is old news.

I was admittedly a few years late in the "Interpreting 10000 days game". I wasn't fond of The Pot or Jambi or Vicarious when they FIRST came on the radio and I had been into other genres of music for awhile so I didn't even buy the album till like 6 months ago. But I rode along with Undertow, Aenima, and Lateralus as they happened.

I will get to the current tour, I promise. But I think There is a reason the setlist is just about the same. (a good Tool Fan isn't a good Tool fan unless he/she is trying to read into EVERYTHING)

We all know 10000 days is the story of Maynard James's mother Judith Marie, who passed away after some unimaginably major suffering for 27 years. We all know Maynard used to question her faith. And We can tell from the song 10000 days that he was finally inspired by her ceaseless faith in her final days.

I am thinking,further than that, that the Parabola/Lateralus/Reflection philosophy of Maynard's encountered a major fallacy when it came to Judith Marie. Being a “celebrate-this-chance-to-be-a-spiral-swinging-divine-DNA-part-of-the-collective-mind-happy-to-be-alive-human-being” isn't very helpful advice to someone in her condition.

(maybe you can already see where I'm going)
I think 10000 days in its entirety is a retraction and a refutal of Lateralus and Aenima.

Her Faith though, proved FAR more powerful. I'm not saying he adopted Christianity, I don't think he did but it's possible, but I do believe he abandoned the Lateralus Philosophy. On to the concert's playlist: I will try to be as scatterbrained as I can.

Jambi I have read many interpretations of, most involving son, and there may well be documentation of an interview where he said it was about his son. But is it really like Maynard to just tell us what a song is about? I'll try to stay brief, but I think it's MAINLY about the divide between Maynard (the rock star, the icon, the guy who thinks deep and writes lyrics that millions of people look to for inspiration) and Jimmy (the regular guy, the son, the father, the same as the rest of us people) I think by Lateralus, Maynard had become so deep (“up to the neck”) in finding a personal philosophy that he nearly drowned. His final days with his mother (and the previously mentioned shattering of Laterus Enlightenment) made him realize he was rrrrrrrrrrrrreal fuckin' close to losing his Jimmy. [side note, I think it's possible that the title, besides referring to the iambic meter, indeed refers to PeeWee's genie, and was chosen because it shares the first three letters with James and there's already a song called Jimmy]
Well now he wants to wish away Lateralus and Aenima [another side note, he grew back his Undertow Mohawk. And in the album photo, his Bald “Aenima/Lateralus” self is a reflection in the mirror, BEHIND Him]
Well He doesn't WANT to be deep anymore. He wants the Benevolent Sun to shine on the SURFACE of everything, and He would like Maynard and Jimmy to become one again. (they kinda need each other.)
Oh, and yeah The Legion is US. Us people who say, “You changed my life man!”, “You are like the new Jesus!”, “You got it all figured out!”, “Thank You!”, Those 'affirmations' are now poisonous to him.

Okay, I won't do the whole setlist, but the important parts. The opening, the middle and the end. (the rest probably were the other bandmember's choices anyway)

Rosetta Stoned is Nothing More than a Mockery of Lateralus. It will take way less explanation to say that He is comparing Tool to the Grateful Dead (they have a Legion following them around on tour), He saying that he figured out something Epic and Enlightening (Lateralus Philosophy) while he was on drugs, but the only real result (after Mom passed) was a bed full of shit. He now wonders why he's a hero. And the one true answer that he has found is, that in the quest for truth or enlightenment, there is only ONE answer: We Don't Know, and We Won't Know.

Flood follows Rosetta Stoned, the mockery of Lateralus, with its message, [...insert EVERY SINGLE LINE of the song Flood HERE...]

Now Lateralus is in the setlist probably because it is one of the favorites of The Legion, or Maynard got outvoted by the other guys to include it, but he'll be damned if they're going to end with that song. SO dress it up as a pop hit with some more lasers and a guest drummer, Put most of the focus on Adam, Justin, Doctor Octopus, er, Danny, and said Guest Drummer and get everyone cheering for their “enlightening song” (and its “oh how fantastic it is to be a human” message) But the set cannot end with that poison.

So Comes Vicarious. It gets a Great pop from the crowd, it was a hit, it was like one of the best guitar songs of all time or something, But MOST OF ALL It says CLEARLY that humanity sucks. We're still bloodthirsty savages, just admit it. I have a mohawk again. And end the show on that.

Same essential setlist as last time. But I don't think the Benevolent Sun is bringing Maynard and Jimmy back together. Maynard is stuck with Tool and the Legion. It's been two years, and maybe nothing is getting better. Jimmy needs to get off the poisonous stage before he withers. (I'd also like to add, And this probably is NOT relevant, that Adam, Justin, and Danny wore All White. Maynard was in black)

Besides, Puscifer is less deep and more fun. Same with the wine.

That's everything I have to say concerning the setlist and the current tour but on this, (again, I'm very possibly stupid and/or silly and that's cool but I like to be pretentious so I will add..)

On the way home from the show, with this on my mind, I listened to The Pot. I only first looked at the lyrics last week, I never liked the song enough to pay attention (I didn't think it was “deep” enough) but The Pot is a 3 way reference (I'm sure this has PROBABLY been said in the forums before, don't care.) (first two, Hypocrist expression and Ganja, Please) The Third reference is Yage/Ayahuasca. The DMT drink. It looks JUST like MUDDY WATER. You brew it in a POT. And you have to squeeze LEMONS into it while you brew it. I think this Song is sung BY 10000 days-Jimmy TO Lateralis-Maynard.

stillafan August 12th, 2009 11:11PM  

I have loved tool every since I heard the cd undertow it was love at first hear. I've never put any post or whatever you call this (what I'm typing) on the internet. This all started because I was bored. I was just wondering if anyone had ever put anything like what I'm about to type on the internet or just thought it. like I said I was bored, so I started looking around on the internet and I ended up looking at what other regular people like me thought what the lyrics in tool songs meant (there are a lot of posts). and I noticed something that I had never really thought of before, tool leaves a lot to interpretation in most of their songs. and one of the comments posted got me to thinking. could tool leave a lot to interpretation for the purpose of sales. I am not as big as fan as others I guess, I don't know hardly anything about the members, until tonight I only knew one members name. but supposedly the members of tool are all highly intelligent people. and don't get me wrong I am not putting them down at all. They are an extremely talented band. The vocals the writing the music all of it is amazing. but to get on with it. could the members of tool, before they released anthing, got together with each other or perhaps record executives and came up with and idea to sell more cd's, singles, t-shirts, ect., like an angle or something. after I started on this way of thinking I noticed that I seached for meaning in every tool song that I ever listended to. I think that is tool's intention is to get us thinking. I don't think that is any secret, but for what reason. Sales or our benefit. now that I read over this it sounds like a conspiracy theory and who cares for what reason TOOL KICKS ASS and that's all that matters. oh well nevermind lol.