What does The Gaping Lotus Experience mean?

Tool: The Gaping Lotus Experience Meaning

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The Gaping Lotus Experience Lyrics

I had a friend once he took some acid
Now he thinks he's a fire engine
It's okay until he pisses on your lighter
Kinda smells kinda cool kinda funny anyway

satan, satan, satan...

I had a friend once he took some ecstasy
Tried to marry...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    SystemofaRevelation
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    Oct 24th 2008 !⃝

    This song is clearly about fighting Satan with a pirate sword

  2. anonymous
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    Feb 11th 2011 !⃝

    This song's lyrics are self-explanatory.

    And remember kids, "Over-thinking, over-analyzing separates the body from the mind."

  3. anonymous
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    Apr 6th 2010 !⃝

    Zaq I like Tool also but you need to calm the fuck down buddy boy. You the master of lyrical interpretation though.

  4. anonymous
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    Dec 3rd 2008 !⃝

    i remember the first time i experienced a gaping lotus, and i emphasize the GAPING. i only lasted about 2 minutes and i think i heard her laugh, but what a slut though.

    cheers

  5. Rick_Roll
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    Nov 11th 2008 !⃝

    This song talks about marijuana. Not really complicated.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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    Sep 24th 2008 !⃝

    I think there is a hidden meaning in the fact that there is no hidden meaning (yes I know that is a paradox but whatever)
    It means that because of human nature we try to look into things too much and understand everything. We delve too deep when the answer is right in front of us. Like this song (not really with the way I put it but you know :P )

    Ok I kinda thought about that but I'm doubting this myself already buy it could happen right? I mean we're all crazy at some time in our lives.

  7. anonymous
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    Jul 25th 2008 !⃝

    Geez a little defensive are we Zaq?

    I think this song is very straightforward, and quite hilarious. That's a neat thing about Tool, they send cryptic messages most of the time, until you start looking for them where there aren't any. For example, in the Gaping Lotus Experience.

  8. Zaq
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    Oct 25th 2007 !⃝

    Jeezus fucking christ, maybe I was joking, genius.

    And you asked who I am, paja? I am the moderator for the Tool interpretations. So that's why I'm on most of these pages. And I only added these 2 for my own pleasure, because I found it funny that you thought I was serious. I didn't add one of your interps, because all it said was "Zaq is way off..." That's not an interpretation. That is a fact on this song, and a lie on the others. Many people agree with my interpretations, actually. And I agree with many other people's interps too. We're just sharing ideas, sharing opinions and hopefully not judging others based on their thoughts.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. paja713
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    Oct 21st 2007 !⃝

    And Zaq... a "fire engine" doesn't do anything. a fire TRUCK puts out a fire. sometimes when people to crazy halucinogens they think they are an inanimate object. my friend once thought he was a cup, and stood for hours on end with his head in the cupboard with the door closed on his neck until it wore off. he talks about someone using a lighter to light up and the friend pisses on their lighter to put the fire out, not to save them from a fire.

  10. paja713
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    Oct 21st 2007 !⃝

    Uhh no Zaq, The Gaping Lotus Experience doesn't have secret meanings. its very straightforward, there are nop metaphors, what he says is exactly what he's saying. him talking about have sex with the lazy-boy, isn't about making bad decisions due to taking drugs. rolling on ecstasy makes you very horny and you can receive sexual pleasure from practically anything when you're on it. god this song is funny though.

  11. anonymous
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    Sep 19th 2007 !⃝

    Uh I think its just a song with no deep meaning at all
    not ALL of tools songs are all serious, this song is actually funny

    STOP READING BETWEEN THE LINES OF EVERY LYRIC IN ALL OF THEIR SONGS

  12. anonymous
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    Feb 19th 2007 !⃝

    "I had a friend once..." reminds me of someone trying to use someone/anyone else other than their often obvious selves to explain an embarrasing situation. "yeah I have this FRIEND who uhh.... got this girl pregnant, what do you think HE should do??".

  13. Zaq
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    Jan 16th 2006 !⃝

    This song is about how drugs can lead to satanism, which can eventually lead to nirvana, hence "The Gaping Lotus Experience."

    "I had a friend once he took some ecstasy
    Tried to marry me and every one in the room
    He was sort of loving kinda caring."

    This is the lyric that makes it all come together. The drug ecstasy leads to the loving of everyone and everything.

    "kinda tried to fuck my lazy boy.
    It got a bit messy all over the curtains,
    arm chair covers, throw pillows, and carpeting."

    This lyric refers to how people on drugs sometimes do things that are wrong. In other words, how easy it is for the righteous to go awry.

    "I had a friend once he took some acid
    Now he thinks he's a fire engine
    It's okay until he pisses on your lighter
    Kinda smells kinda cool kinda funny anyway."

    This lyric refers to how drugs make you want to help people. The person on acid didn't think he was a fire engine, he was just trying to save his friends from the fire. Anywho, it turned out okay anyway, because it smelled "kinda cool" in the end, so the kid on acid was right to piss on his friend.
    The satanism part comes from the "satan, satan, satan..." lyric. If you look into satanism, then this will make more sense to you, but I have niether the time nor the space to delve deeper at this moment.

    "I'm bored again..." refers to how the effects of drugs wear off, leaving you bored and feeling empty, only part of what you could be.

    Anyway, I'm out of cocaine and the last of it is starting to wear off, so I can't interpret anymore, and I kind of have to piss, so I'm out.
    Peace.


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