Tool: Vicarious Meaning

Song Released: 2006

Vicarious Lyrics

Eye on the t.v 'cause tragedy thrills me.
Whatever flavor it happens to be like.
Killed by the husband...
drowned by the ocean...
Shot by his own son...
she used a poison in his tea, Then she kissed him goodbye.
That's my kinda story
It's...

1. anonymous

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   Mar 2nd 2009 !⃝

   Consider reading the lyrics as if written by god. fits with the rest of the albums "spiritual" theme.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
2. anonymous

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   Feb 15th 2009 !⃝

   Really? You need to have someone tell you what this is about? Vicarious is a real word, it means to experience things through someone else. Kind of like if you have a friend who is in love, and you feel all happy and in love because they are. (THAT LOVE THING IS NOT WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT, JUST AN EXAMPLE)
   If you want a more clear definition, you can look up the word Vicarious in a dictionary.
3. anonymous

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   Dec 2nd 2008 !⃝

   Maynard actually explains this meaning in a lot of his interviews, but doesn't say it's about this song.
4. anonymous

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   Nov 20th 2008 !⃝

   I think most of you are reading too much into this. Even thought most tool songs do have a double meaning, this one is more straight forward than most. Everyone likes to see things die, no matter how much you might try to hide or shiver away fro it...if it's happening you will watch it and you will be curios. even though you might be sympathetic (vicarious), you are defiantly intrigued. Maynard is just speaking from his point of view I believe. He likes to see things die, and he thinks most people have a higher opinion of themselves than he might himself. But all in all he knows everyone like to see, hear, read, or know (any action other than feel) death, decay, chaos, or impotence. Lastly if you look at the last words in the song (much better you than i), I don't think he is speaking of people's character but rather it's better for you to be dying than him.
   
   And like everyones post this is just an interpretation, so treat it like one. I'm so sick of seeing people post things like FUCK YOU or YOUR FUCKING WRONG. We're all just guessing. But if someone has to be wrong..."much better you than I".
5. Rick_Roll

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   Nov 10th 2008 !⃝

   this song doesnt talk about the tradegy of people dying and the need for people to watch things die, it talks about how people not realizing how many people die in the world. like for example, you watch the news, a guy robs a bank and shoots a guy in the head. you might say "awww, thats sad" but you just contunine onto your life and just forget about it the next day. most people eat dead animals, isnt that like eating a person? most people dont even notice. some people play shooter games and blow peoples head off, but they dont care, its just a game. so what im saying is that you dont notice how many times you see, hear, or watch people die every day month or week, so why not just admit you like watching things die? you hear about it all the times, so why not?

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. anonymous

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   Sep 9th 2008 !⃝

   I love this song is so true but besides the TV junkie parts this is as such is the universe that life cannot exist without death as all we can eat(and not die) is from that which was once living and so above is the stars for our milky way is eating up Sagittarius creating new stars.

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7. anonymous

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   Jun 27th 2008 !⃝

   Sure it's about how we're blobs watching the tv all the time, but it's also about what the universe actually is. The last paragraph that states, you shouldn't have to say it again in your head, I think that refers to the people who are constantly replaying the beginning of the universe in their head and trying to figure out that ultimate question. Because he goes on to say that the universe is hostile, impersonal, and life must devour life. This is the way it is and has always been. Pretty much saying, don't focus too hard on the unfocusable, the answer is right there in our day to day actions, just our own minds tell us we deserve better.

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8. SaoirseC

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   Apr 28th 2008 !⃝

   Plain and simple, it's about humans morbid curiosity. Nearly everyone has it, its natural. But we won't admit it.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
9. anonymous

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   Oct 19th 2007 !⃝

   Well, I gathered that Vicarious is about the need of people to feed on human suffering, for so many people sit in front of their TVs watching violence and disaster on the news, getting a sort of sick pleasure through the suffering of others. They don't care about tragedy and the lives being lost if it doesn't effect them ("From a good, safe distance"). But this is just my interpretation, everyone is entitled to their own.
10. anonymous

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    Apr 25th 2007 !⃝

    No guys Jewstalker is wrong. There is no "God" implementation on the 10,000days album. Wing's for Marie/10,000days; the only 2 songs I could even possibly see being interrupted as a "God" message, are not as they seem. Its about Maynards mom, nothing more. But, when you listen to the song not knowing the true meaning, your interpretation would be completely correct. Quite possibly Maynard wrote the songs as a "Double-edged sword" if you will. The problem is, that you are going to interpret the song in a way that is related to your personal being; so everyone's interpretation is going to be different (i.e. God/no god; whatever) But back to Vicarious. Yes the def. of vicarious is "felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others" (reference.com) Straightforward the song is about of fixation on death, and our thirst for more. This isn't ONLY americans, its the entire world. We are a blood thirsty race, that get off on the death's of others. And since we don't have a personal relationship with the people we are seeing die, it's not "shocking" enough to knock us out of our fixation. The desired effect is desensitization.(i.e. Stinkfist- if you think that's about anal fisting; my god go back to school and learn what metaphors are.) Now remember that our news agencies our controlled by MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATIONS. And that these MNC's lobby government's around the world. They have more say in national policy than we do. Who do you think is "determining" news? Guys, Im sorry to tell you this, and you'll think Im crazy of course, but The United States is a Fascist Nation, and has been since the end of WW2. The problem is we grew up, being Innodated by misinformation and strong nationalism. This is what the New World Order is. A socialistic, fascist one world government. "...sleep to the rhythm of the New World order, and count bodies like sheep to the rhythms of the war drums." (Remember this in PET [APC]?) The idea of NWO is to pit the populations of the world against each other, killing off the major population centers so that the remaining will be much more controlable. So literally you can count bodies like sheep to the rhythms of the war drums. Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but a lot of TOOL songs point in this direction. Don't be fooled by Bush and Cheney. They are just the continuation of a policy that was put in place by President Truman, and if we allow things to continue the way they are, our next President will be exactly the same. you know we are going to have to fight a revolution to fix this right? Cause our political system has been derailed. Look, we elected Gore in 2000, he won the popular vote by more than 1 million votes. I know, it's the electoral college thing right? don't you remember that the Supreme Court anointed Bush President? So did your vote really matter? Wake up, Don't go back to sleep like they want us too.
11. anonymous

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    Feb 16th 2007 !⃝

    I wouldnt agree jewstalker, the word vicarious in fact means feeling second-hand or:
    'Felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another: read about mountain climbing and experienced vicarious thrills.'
    
    i.e we all feel death through the television but do not, in fact, partake in the violence.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
12. anonymous

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    Dec 6th 2006 !⃝

    I like it jewstalker!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. jewstalker@yahoo.com

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    Nov 20th 2006 !⃝

    I will say that many of the interpretations I have read for this song are for the most part correct. But there is something missing, and it's a farely large piece. Maynard is speaking from a "god's" point of view. A lot of this album itself deals with the spiritual world and transending to it. The word vicarious means to understand completely what another is feeling. Think about it, who in this world could understand every single one us down to our most hidden fears? Who knows exactly how we feel or where we are? Ladies and gentlemen, Maynard is pretty much telling us that God is an evil being. This song is about how God is watching the world end. And since we were built in his image, then we need to watch things die as well. I know that many won't agree with my interpretation, oh well.
14. Zaq

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    Jul 24th 2006 !⃝

    Dude, we're pretty much saying the same thing...
    
    What I did with my interpretation was I took the song, verse by verse, and simply reworded it. It is easy to understand, and I agree with some of your points. I wasn't saying we literaly "need" to watch all this shit on the news, I'm saying we do it and then we get "addicted" to it and don't stop until we need more and more blood to sate our thirst for violence. Check out the interpretations for "Stinkfist," it's along these same lines.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
15. Third3y3

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    Jul 24th 2006 !⃝

    Zaq, first I strongly disagree with
    you. This is by far the easiest Tool songs to understand.
    Its about how americans feel of tragedy, and that when you get sucked in to watching the news, it only will become a stronger addiction, and you won't be able to get out of this black hole of endless death. (lol)
    
    tragedy, death, "fear", these things...They sell,
    fear sells, why is it when you turn on the news, and all the shit you here on th news, is about death, tragedy.
    I shit you not this is a true story, my friend calls me up thinking the world is coming to an end, why you might ask?
    Its because of this bull shit on the news. He thought apocolypse was coming, I'm not evein kiding you.
    
    What the hell are you talking about we all need and live off of death. No that's not, I haven't watched t.V. In about a year, besides the exceptional shows, e.G. Samurai champloo athf..Ect.,
    the point is is that fear sells, and soon enough it will become an addiction, "its like blood to a vampire"
    
    meaning we need fear to live/as a vampire needs blood to live.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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