Tool: Sober Meaning
Song Released: 1993
Sober Lyrics
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last thought. I have read all of the comments and I know we all have this intense desire to be correct and have everyone agree with our interpretations but they are just interpretations. Anyway the butler reference and the the word murder are metaphors that are used from movies and stories where they say "the butler did it." The butler represents Christianity watching over us providing for us and serving us. However as we are led to hate ourselves (all of the fingers pointing at ourselves) constantly by religions for not measuring up it is the butler that should have the finger pointed at him.
Religions are led by people who want us to trust in them and then we are let down. Religion finds a center in us and chews it up. Christianity gives us hope then pulls the rug out from under us. Religion is designed to manipulate us into reverence and compliance. Keep us coming back for more like junkies. We will never be good enough. Like a junkie chasing a high that will never be high enough. It is religion as a drug that is ment to pacify. But ends up making us miserable. Opiate for the masses. -
OK, Listen Children. Karl Marx said that Religion is "opiate for the masses" This is a theme and metaphor in many songs and albums by tool. Their LP is called Opiate and has a priest on the cover 4Godsakes. The song sober is taking about giving up religion which is like a drug upon our minds. Clouding everything in self doubt and self loathing. Maynard is lamenting in this song why people can't give up the "Junk" and be sober.
I know that the song is not about narcotics or alcohol because they would not title the song about a drug and have it be about drugs. That is too simple for them. The emphasis to think for ourselves is the bigger theme.
I am an artist and I know they want to leave the meanings of the art to the viewer/listener but I see this as a clear slam at Christianity.
So yeah I agree with anonymous from Oct. -
Maynard is way to smart to be saying it so clearly!! He makes everything almost as a hidden message. I very highly doubt he is talking about drugs when he says sober. Think outside the box!! Sober isn't only about drugs... Being Sober is just a state of mind that can be affected by many things!! Eg. Beliefs. Personally he is talking about religion and how it is slowing down our evolution and also making us evolve in a worse way!! People who are religious usually are more old fashioned(not everyone). They strongly believe that what they have is correct that they don't want anything to change! Not to mention our society IS starting to rebel against religion which is probably starting to scare the believers!!!
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guy under me,
You're exactly right. they've said in all of their interviews that their music and lyrics is made to spark intrest and emotion in people so they will make there own interpretations that fits them. and to the guy who thinks its religon, apparently you know nothing of christianity. Jesus came to earth and died on the cross to save us from our sins because no one actually has the ability to follow all of the commandments. it's impossible ever since adam and eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge. -
I think the first verse refers to Smerdyakov, the stalking butler who was the illegitimate son of the brothers in the Brothers Karamozov. I think it's "murder now the pater must we, just because the son has come" refers to Ivan Karamozov coming home and chatting with Smerdyakov about philosophy and Smerdyakov killing their father and telling Ivan it was because of their talk. I am astounded that no one else has wondered whether this is the reference being made. I think it's pater instead of father because father and son are so tiresomely associated with Christianity.
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Well, being a musician myself, I feel that this song is brilliant and keeps us all thinking. I feel that there is many meanings to this song and none are right or wrong. Everyone is entitled to there opinion, but I think that tool is amazing and love the dark, minor chords used in their tunes. I think that we are all fortunate to have lived and heard music from a band like Tool. They are true prodigy's.
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I think this song is about moving on with fights and guilt between two people.
"Why can we not be sober?"... Why can't we just move on and forget about this... "I just want to start this over".... he wants to just .start things over, have a fresh start.
"I am just a worthless liar, i am just an imbacile, i will only complicate you, trust in me and fall as well.".... he is admitting that what he did was wrong..."I will find a center in you, i will chew it up and leave, trust me, trust me, trust,".... Just let me makes things better -
"Jesus, won't you fucking whisper someting but whats past and done" Saw it somewhere that it was just another way of them saying in frustration, "jesus christ, talk about something else other than the past."
I don't think this song is necessarily anti religion. Its anti ego.
Ego influences how we act and how we interperate others. The ego being the stalking shadow. -
This is definitely anti-religious but man I'm a big tool fan but its to bad that there is no hoops to jump through nobody is judging you. The fainth isn't about controlling your life it will only set you free, nothing more than a gift is faith. If you follow him closely that will be your own freewill.
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Um Its a concept so anything applies to it in its own way. There's a 80's version of this song with C.A.D. Maynards lyrics were a little different then and the song was called "burn about out". I like to look at Tool songs like the little stories for children that always have a moral at the end.
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I agree with all the ones about religion completely, however there is a double meaning behind the "Why can't we not be sober" part. Tool themselves said that a friend of the band could only tap into his creative side when he's drunk.
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oh yeah...."I am just a worthless liar. I am just an imbecile. I will only complicate you. Trust in me and fall as well. I will find a center in you. I will chew it up and leave, i will work to elevate you just enough to bring you down."
....this is what mjk's friend's , new and sober aquaintences said to him about mjk...he's mocking them -
facts
mjk had a very very close friend
they used to drink and do drugs together
friend got sober and didn't want to be around not sober people
this all took place in grand rapids michigan while he attended kendall college
lived in house on fulton st or was it fuller...near diamond..smelled like cat piss
address of the force that drove the friends apart...1020 college ave
sorry to burst the bubble of "not literal" this one actually is. -
This song reminds me of a drug addiction:
"there's a shadow just behind me,
shrouding every step I take,
making every promise empty,
pointing every finger at me."
When you are addicted to a drug that addiction is always and unlying issue, "hiding in the shadows" so to speak. I don't know how many of you have ever been or known someone who was drug addicted but they make many promises that they rarely keep.
As for the chorus, "Why can't we not be sober", is a double negative which would be the opposite of sober...intoxication. Sounds to me like an addict justifying their addiction as if to say, "what so wrong with being high, drunk, etc."
Then there is the bridge:
"I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.
I will find a center in you.
I will chew it up and leave,
i will work to elevate you just enough to bring you down."
If that is not an example of exactly what drugs do to a person than I don't know what is. Drugs do all of those things to otherwise respectable people.
I could be wrong, but that's is what I think of when I here this song.
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