merel November 23rd, 2005 09:43AM  

Personally, I think this is the best song Tool has written. It moves me deeply. I think it is about the spiritual drive that we all have, our desire to experience our total existence in harmony, to synchronize with the forces that shape the universe, whatever they may be, and to understand them, to know what is the reason of it all. It's about knowing where we're going I think it's about the desire, maybe our destination to live completely in the present ( feed my will to feel this moment). It's also an angry song (which Tool song isn't?). Maybe the writer's frustrated with the fact that he can't experience what he wants to experience? Well, that's how I feel about it

Zaq February 17th, 2006 09:26PM  

I completely agree with ya' Timmy. I thought the same thing when I was listening to the song, and I thought "I can't wait to post this!" Come to find out that more than one person has beaten me to the punch...
This describes exactly what I feel when I listen to a Tool song for the first time in a long time, or when I'm screaming the lyrics and writhing around pretending that I'm Maynard on stage. I may look like a fool doing it, but when I get into the song... It's hard to stay still. And I don't care what I look like, because I feel great. With great bands like Tool, or any amazing band that you "get," or understand, or love, you can literally feel the music in your heart, in your soul, crawling beneath your skin.
Tool's music makes me more aware of the spiritual side of my self, the side that is usually hidden away. It gives me hope, it shows that if you make it through all the shit, you become a better person. Look at the progression that is shown in the timeline that is Tool. "Opiate" is very literal and angry."Undertow" is just as angry, but it shows a deeper side of the anger. "AEnima" is an exploration of the narrator's inner self, why he feels angry, along with other feelings. At the end there is a very spiritual song, "Third Eye." This leads directly into "Lateralus," their deepest and most spiritual album to date.
"Spiritual" isn't the word I want, but "Deep" isn't deep enough, and I don't think a word exists to express how this album makes me feel...
WOW, that was long, even for me... gotta go.
Truly Yours,
Zaq

Ptahly March 21st, 2006 08:04PM  

I believe it to be a alchemetical explaination into the divinity of the whole human condition. Especially, when he uses the four basiic colours of humanity and how we think we're all so different,but in reality we are all the same being looking at life at different angles. "As below so above and beyond I imagine"? That my friends is basic alchemy. Simply the equation that makes One out of three(Mental + Spiritual + Physical = The Perfected One). The spiral being our very same gentic code (which are the same for gold and the rest of this universe we happen to live in at this present time). Gnostic, in its terminology about embracing the Random. Its the over thinking over analyzing that really separates the body(the base)from the mind(the collective Godhood) until we are nothing more that lead trying to be turned into the Golden Age of Human Perfection that would be ushered in, once we accept our collective Godship instead of our individual devilishment.

anonymous April 23rd, 2006 10:42AM  

This song is one of my personal favorites, so I listen to it all the time. Ive thought about the meaning of the song for some time and can only come up with a small number of things and one is most clear. I think that this song is about learning. It is said that a baby sees only black and white for a short time after birth and then see colors hence the whole begining of the song. Its the way that we learn and how much we learn and when we know enough to get by, we stop learning but some people continue to learn past that line and learning and knowing becomes their life and body. And this song is about someone stopped at that line but seeing all these "infinite possibilities" and wanting to learn more but the thought of devoting their life to learning would mean "seperating the body from the mind." Well I don't know what this song really means and everyone has a different opinion on this and that's how Maynard wants it to be, to keep us thinking differently, not the same because thinking the same way has already caused us to stop at this line.

anonymous April 25th, 2006 04:33PM  

When I listen to tool, I begin to question reality...

Gerry April 27th, 2006 12:45PM  

This IS my Favorite Tool song, I think it is near on impossible to fully understand this song. Basicly I think it's about life and making the most of every moment in life. You can never say you know exactly what a tool song means. I think Maynard intends on the listener to apply their own interpretation on the song.
Thank You For Reading

FROM GERRY BISKET

int. May 2nd, 2006 10:08PM  

black(1)
then (1)
white are(2)
all I see (3)
in my in-fan-cy(5)
red and ye-llow then came to be (8)
rea-ching out to me (5)
lets me see (3)

This goes on and on throught the verses of the song see the pattern 1,1,2,3,5,8, add each two numbers, the result is the next number, this sequence is called the fibonacci sequence, wich results in a spiral (swing on the spiral) when this spiral is drawn it is drawn inside squares, which the side lenghts are equal to the divine proportion, this proportion is proof of the connection among all that exists because everything in existance is made out of it. (swing on the spiral of our divinity)
(feel connected, to step aside) when this is realized the concept of self and ego is destroyed, you realize that you are not an individual, but part of your reality,(which can be seen in the song reflection) Maynard shows this point of truth in a beautiful way, people are drawn to this song but don't know why, hopefully this can help everybody understand it a bit more.

drumx7 May 4th, 2006 08:23PM  

Lateralus.....
definition of lateral - change in organization
Us - me and you
Lateral - Us - - change in me and you


push the envelope, watch it bend
envelope - structure, cover, boundaries
push the boundaries, and watch them extend

anonymous May 5th, 2006 06:59PM  

The section of the song where it goes, "Black/And/White are/All I see/In my infancy..." was inspired by the book The Giver. Under the influence of "sameness" the people could only see black and white. However, when the Giver opened Jonas's eyes to reality, he began to see red. Then (you guessed it) yellow.

In response to the person who said, "your brain controls your body, how could they be separate?" He's not talking about the brain, he's talking about the mind. Believe it or not, there's a difference. I have often been the victim of over-analyzation. When this happens, I exist only in my mind, which often travels "beyond the lines of reason." I'm not thinking about the present moment, where my body is. Therefore, the mind and body are separate.

anonymous June 12th, 2006 07:13PM  

This song does have a lot of spiritual meaning and this is part of my interpretation but I think the obvious is that he is singing about the human condition of thinking Laterally, he is a very intelligent person and as I'm sure you would probably find this leads to making you always calculate things, to be very analytical. This spiritual search of his it would seem could not work with out logic in his mind, he needs to "embrace the random", for him to be able to accept this spiritual path he is looking for, he speaks of needing to let go of the 'self', "Over thinking, over analysing separates the body from the mind." It would seem that once he finds this place it’s a beautiful thing, so intertwine this with the spiritual interpretations above and below and you have found out why this song continues to connect with us all. ------- DiSsOnAnT1

anonymous July 19th, 2006 04:24AM  

Several of the images used in this song derive from the alchemical works of Carl Jung, who sourced many of his theories (including archetype theory into which the anima and shadow are subsumed) from the late alchemical works of the 17th and 18th century.

The use of color imagery appears to have manifold meaning. Firstly, the specific colors used (black, white, red and yellow) designate the phases of the alchemical transformation: the melanosis (blackening), leukosis (whitening), iosis (redenning) and the xanthosis (yellowing). The latter two colors (red and yellow) were later synthesized into the aurora consurgens or fusion of red/yellow as explicated in alchemical works attributed to Thomas Aquinas: the dawning of the true self. I'm not sure of the actual scientific validity of the infant theory of visual perception as expounded on in 'the giver,' but I do know that these colors attributed to the work of the alchemist's predates any possible scientific speculation by several millinea.

Though I unfortunately don't have my jung on hand, 'as below so above and beyond' does end up being an alchemical dictum having to do with the sourcing of materials for the opus and then their transcendent function. The basic idea, and tool excels in their use of these images, is that the work of transformation begins by reaching down into the shadow dimensions of human consciousness and so fusing them with the transcendent (beyond) function in revealing the wholeness of the original man. This constitutes an embrace with the animal desire elements (i.E. I embrace my desire to...).

The series of images related to the feeding of the will and then 'sucking it in,' are basically the same and this idea is earlier referenced in 'the grudge's' explication of the saturn motif. Basically, saturn ate his own children as part of the cosmogonic creative process. In alchemy, the generation of the prima materia--or base material of transformation--is accomplished by the king's eating his son. The movement across the skin is another arcane refrence to what the alchemist's call the 'inner fleshiness' of the lapis (or stone), which is likewise referenced in 'the grudge' (i.E. 'give away the stone). Basically, it is a motif that has to do with the mythic lietmotif of 'the sacrifice,' as in the sacrifice of the son (which is recapitulated in the christian mythos). Tool is pointing in all of this music towards the actual nature of the sacramental or sacred.

Finally, the spiral which is built from an outward growing spiral whose growth is regulated by a series of numbers that's known as the "fibonacci number sequence", was also a favorite symbol of jung and the alchemists as representing the circumbulatio approach to the true self.

There's more, but I think this communicates an appropriate sense of the depth of this particular group of musicians. It's amazing to me that they bring this stuff to a popular audience.

Az

anonymous July 29th, 2006 05:40AM  

Could it be possible that this is a poetic way of looking at how humans age? The first verse sounds as if an infant is born and not yet ready for everything, the baby still has much to learn. And as he says "I imagine...Push the envelope...Watch it bend.." ...It's Maynard saying "hey...I mean I don't remember childbirth but lets get outside the realms of self and imagine". Maybe the "over thinking" verse is Maynard saying to his fans that too much thinking is a bad thing. If you think all your life, you won't act, therefore you separate the body from the mind...So the second verse.."beckons..Infinite possibilities"...Maynard is now a child with an imagination and he sits and dreams of all these impossible feats and realities (like that Rugrats cartoon). And he finishes the verse with "watch it bend"...Reminding us to just think and challenge because we might find something not in front of us. Back to the lazy part of my argument "over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition leaving all these opportunities behind. " backs me up. Too much thinking destroys your ability to throw caution to the wind and let go. Remember Maynard is all about letting go. So when he talks about the crossing of the line, he reaches maturity, and the story is beginning to close. He ends by saying he is ready to be a part of society and push the human race towards more forward progression in whatever it is that he feels is still not understood.

I really don't feel like I captured my whole thought...But here is the brainstorm...I would love to discuss anyone's thoughts on this...I also enjoyed the other interpretations...Its fun to see how Tool always leaves you guessing (remember the april fools jokes)...

keepgoingspiralout August 7th, 2006 05:21PM  

I think this is the ultimate song about Tool's music, or music in general. At first, the listener only takes the music and lyrics at face value, but as you listen more and dig deeper, the listener begins to realize how there is much more to the song than initially thought. For example, when people first listen to the song "Stinkfist" they initially believe the song is about nonexistant sexual gratification, but when listened to more and more the listener comes to realize that this is merely a metaphor for desensitization and addiction in general. Lateralus is about finding the latter meaning and completely understanding the created music, and eventually losing yourself between the sounds.

anonymous September 29th, 2006 11:56AM  

Maynard's vocals during the first few minutes of Lateralus form a fibonacci sequence. The number of syllables progress to the sixth step, then back down to the first step; up to the seventh step, and then back to the fourth step:

[1] black
[1] then
[2] white are
[3] all I see
[5] in my infancy
[8] red and yellow then came to be
[5] reaching out to me
[3] lets me see
[2] there is
[1] so
[1] much
[2] more and
[3] beckons me
[5] to look through to these
[8] infinite possibilities
[13] as below so above and beyond I imagine
[8] drawn outside the lines of reason
[5] push the envelope
[3] watch it bend


the fibonacci sequence shares a relationship with phi, the golden ratio. The golden ratio is used to describe spirals, which are mentioned several times in the lyrics: "swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be human", "spiral out, keep going" twice, and "spiral out, keep going." five times.

Also, Keenan first begins singing 1 minute and 37 seconds into the song, which equates to 1.617 minutes (the golden ratio = approximately 1.618).

But despite all that, I believe there's a prety good chance that not only the song, but the album Lateralus is aimed at the ideas of alchemy, especially due to the fact that the philosopher's stone often serves as a spiritual metaphor to evolve from a lower state of imperfection and vice (symbolized by the base metals) to a higher state of enlightenment and perfection. References to this spiritual transmutation are:

"give away the stone. Let the oceans take and transmutate this cold and fated anchor.
Give away the stone. Let the waters kiss and transmutate these leaden grudges into gold." ~ the grudge

"black then white are all I see in my infancy, red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me....Lets me see". ~Lateralus
if seen in this perspective, the part from Lateralus can either refer to the four colors of the philosopher's stone during different phases of creation, or to the colors of the ingredients themselves (i.E. Black = mercury, white = salt, yellow = sulphur, red = stone).

But let's not close our eyes to the infinite possibilities ;-) it is also believed that the same line refers to the order in which infants start to see colors.

The infant theory is strongly referenced in the book "The Giver," about a secluded utopian-esque society with many secrets. It is suggested that all within the society are fully color blind. Slowly the main character begins seeing colors, the red of an apple, then the yellow of the sunlight, like an infant awakening to reality.

anonymous November 12th, 2006 06:42AM  

Does anyone else find this ironic?
Let's take the chorus for example.. "over thinking, over analyazing seperates the body from the mind"

doncha think we're all over thinking and over analyzing this song and its seperating the body from the mind?

anonymous November 21st, 2006 06:52PM  

The fibonacci thing you can find out immediately in wiki. That's just the first level: a pattern, chosen, used...adds unity and strength to the text. The interesting stuff lies deeper.

How about a homonym? When my son first put me onto this album (and tool), I thought he was saying "Ladder Alice." Funny, right. But think about it. Alice in Wonderland. DNA spiral...

Everything is a spiral. Things spiral out of control. Vicious circles. The "spin" on a situation. Revolutions per minute. What goes around comes around. I could keep going and going...

T. Kuhn described the cycle of institutionalization: the new, latest-and-greatest gets layered with more and more baggage, becomes THE authority, begins to dictate, until the next New becomes the latest and greatest...

The ACTION is where the norm ENDS, at the edge of "the envelope." Need for speed. Here, time and public opinion BEND, until they break.

Go ahead, think if you want, which is safer, the norm, the institutional. OR you can DO. Research can lead to knowledge and knowledge explains. Very efficient. But boring. It loses the freshness of first discovery, the life of first rebellion, the opportunity of the random.

Stay if you want, but this poet says, instead, keep going. Swing on the spiral.

anonymous February 3rd, 2007 11:23PM  

Just thought i'd mention that there is such a thing as "the golden spiral" that is said to be the source of human beauty.

anonymous February 21st, 2007 11:39AM  

all I can add to those really perfect beautiful interpretations is I think Maynard has been inspired by the bands music. when trying to write lyrics I think he has been moved so intensely that at one point he is describing what the music is doing to him. ie move myself between the sound open wide to suck it in I feel it move across my skin..etc. -you know the words! just think bout it next time your into the song so intensely...i think youll agree I have a point

anonymous March 10th, 2007 03:45AM  

How about follow this song as a trip (acid). As you start to become aware of the drug affecting you and how you are being affected you see more and more (the "black and white are all I see" lyrics).

This 'idea' can be followed all the way down through the song to the "Ride the spiral to the end / it may just go where no-ones been" where the person on the trip is just falling down through their own thoughts and may end up seeing or realizing something that has never become apparent to anyone else. I know the whole idea sounds mega stoner but it is a way that the song can be listened to. (And no, I do not advocate drugs, it is merely a way a friend said she interpreted the song and I thought it was valid)

anonymous April 4th, 2007 04:04AM  

"over thinking over analyzing separates the body from the mind, withering my intuition leaving opportunities behind"
means that analyzing everything separates but when you follow your intuition your mind and body are acting as one. "true will unassuaged of purpose, and delivered from lust of result..." or something along that line Crowley said.