Staring Into the Abyss_ Darkness, The Ugly Truth, And Comfort in the Lyrics of Tool _ Progarchy_ a...

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Progarchy: A Celebration of Music

Pointing toward Proghalla

Staring into the Abyss: Darkness, the Ugly

Truth, and Comfort in the Lyrics of Tool

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(http://progarchy.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/tool2.jpg)Oneof my favorite books is The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli.Anyone having even a passing familiarity with this workknows it is a lightning rod of controversy, with some hotly-debated interpretations. To say that I like this work is not to

say I am a fan of methods that are referred to asMachiavellian or that the ends justifies the means (aninterpretation that I would hotly dispute). What I like aboutMachiavellis writing in The Prince is his stone-cold soberlook at human nature warts and all, and more generally, the

unvarnished truth. Machiavelli has no time for such pieties that people are basically good and, leftto their own devices, will do the right thing. He knows better.

If Machiavelli were alive today, Im guessing he would certainly identify with the lyrics of some ofTools work. Heck, he might even write their lyrics. Aside from the fact that there were not many

hippies in Florence during the early 1500s, its not hard to imagine Machiavelli the lyricist penningthis verse from Tools Vicarious:

Credulous at best, your desire to believe in angels in the hearts of men.

Pullyour head on out your hippy haze and give a listen.

Shouldnt have to say it all again.

The universe is hostile. So impersonal. Devour to survive.

So it is. So its always been.
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Machiavelli would have certainly understood the sentiment in the above verse. And likeMachiavelli, Maynard James Keenan and Tool have no illusions about whether or not there areangels in the hearts of men. They know better.

Tool lyrics range from very disturbing (Stinkfist, Prison Sex), depressing (Schism), occasionallyweird (the Area 51 acid trip of Rosetta Stoned), and often times take a generally dark view ofhumanity. If you are looking for happy, sunny lyrical themes, Tool is most decidedly not your

band.

Before I get into this too much further, I do want to note that I am going to practice a little self-censorship in this piece, as certain Tool songs contain enough F-bombs and S-bombs to cause acollective nervous breakdown of Tipper Gore and her staff at the PMRC. Ill simply insert asterisksinto the F-bombs and S-bombs. My reasoning is that I dont know who reads this site and I dontwant to overrun it with curse words, particularly if any minors are reading. Well, that, and the factthat the Dept. of Swearing has informed me I used up a significant portion of my lifetime curse-word quota during my six years in the U.S. Navy, and thus need to save the remaining portion ofmy quota for when it could really come in handy (for example, when my piece of @#*& printer

keeps !*


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Thats my kind of story

Its no fun til someone dies

While Vicarious may appear to some to be more directed to the media and the if it bleeds, itleads ethos, stepping a little farther back reveals that its more about what lurks in the hearts ofpeople everywhere. Now, in fairness, not everybody wants to watch people die, at least not in real

life but I think more of us are at least insensitive (if not outright desiring) to the witnessingviolence we will admit. In my own personal life, my two favorite spectator sports are Americanfootball and boxing both of which are violent and can take a frightening toll on the participants.The issue of concussions and their after-affects is an ongoing story that presently puts a cloud overAmerican professional football. With respect to boxing, most of us are familiar with the plight ofonce quick-witted Muhammad Ali, now saddled with a severe case of Parkinsons disease. And yet Iwas thrilled, absolutely mesmerized by his titanic battles with Joe Frazier, especially 1975s Thrilla inManila, which I have re-watched on numerous occasions despite knowing Alis current condition.

Dont look at me like

I am a monster

Frown out your one face

But with the other

Stare like a junkie

Into the TV

Stare like a zombie

Let me repeat that sentiment dont look at me like I am a monster. Several years ago in aconversation with an acquaintance I mentioned that I liked boxing. He asked me how I could watchsomething like that where the only object (in his view anyway) was to beat the s**t out of eachother. That was on a Friday. The following Monday he was raving about a hit from one ofSundays football games, one in which a player returning a punt was wiped out and carted off thefield.

Why cant we just admit it?


I also remember, later that year, being over at a friends house along with dozens of others to watchthe heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. When in round 7 a huge righthand by Lewis momentarily separated Tyson from his senses and put him on the canvas for the 10-count, a deafening roar of approval erupted.

You all feel the same so



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Human beings are quite good at not merely watching others fight, but becoming participantsthemselves at least at the scale of nation-states and other large organizations having politicalgoals. This lamentable characteristic is explored in Right in Two:

Angels on the sideline,

Puzzled and amused.

Why did Father give these humans free will?

Now theyre all confused.

Dont these talking monkeys know that

Eden has enough to go around?

Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys,

Where theres one youre bound to divide it.

Right in two.

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey.

Over pieces of the ground.

Silly monkeys give them thumbs.

They make a club.

And beat their brother, down.

Fight over the clouds, over wind, over sky

Fight over life, over blood, over prayer,

overhead and light

Fight over love, over sun,

over another, Fight

The creator has endowed us with a planet having more than enough for everybody, with plenty tospare and in defiance of the most dire Malthusian predictions. While some of our drive toacquisition and the defense thereof is undoubtedly springs from deep seated survival instincts (noteasily discarded, even in times of abundance), much of our conflict is still driven by greed, lust,envy, and ideology. In the last century, literally hundreds of millions were slaughtered, fightingover blood, prayer, ideology, whatever. So far, this century doesnt look like it will be muchdifferent. For that matter, previous centuries werent that much different either.


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Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of hisfleeting time here.

Indeed.

This is not to say that I condone pacifism (I most certainly do not), nor that there is no such thing asa just war. But still, look at us

Destruction of Others, Destruction of Self

One of the seven deadly sins is wrath. From Wikipedia (stop laughing), wrath may be describedas inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. Wrath, in its purest form, presentswith self-destructiveness, violence, and hate that may provoke feuds that can go on for centuries.Tool deals with this deadly sin in The Grudge.

Wear the grudge like a crown of negativity.

Calculate what we will or will not tolerate.Desperate to control all and everything.

Unable to forgive your scarlet lettermen.

Clutch it like a cornerstone. Otherwise it all comes down.

Justify denials and grip em to the lonesome end.(https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0624/5b2f205724755/5b2f205961c02.jpg)


Terrified of being wrong. Ultimatum prison cell.

Saturn ascends, choose one or ten. Hang on or be humbledagain.


Justify denials and grip em to the lonesome end.

Saturn ascends, comes round again.

Saturn ascends, the one, the ten. Ignorant to the damage done.

Wear your grudge like a crown. Desperate to control.

Unable to forgive. And were sinking deeper.

Defining, confining, controlling, and were sinking deeper.
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There is so much truth and wisdom in those few verses its really hard to know where to begin. Imsure most of us have held at least a petty grudge at some point in our lives, particularly when wewere kids. With maturity, some will outgrow such grudges and avoid their self-destructive effects.Others will not, or will develop new ones, and will be consumed by them. Thats what grudges doto their holders they consume them.

And its not just individuals that hold grudges. Groups of people, from small clans to the largest of

civilizations may also hold grudges. Hatfields and McCoys, anyone?

And is it any wonder why wrath is among the seven deadly sins?

Greed, Gluttony, and General Decadence

Greed and gluttony are two more of the deadly sins, and are among the themes explored by Tool innima. While nima on the surface appears to be an indictment of that hopeless f**king hole wecall LA, it could just as well be an indictment of the current state of western culture. LA justhappens to be Maynards example (via his friend, the late Bill Hicks) of a bulls**t, sideshow, three-

ring circus of freaks that best exemplifies our decadence.

Fret for your figure and

Fret for your latte and

Fret for your lawsuit and

Fret for your hairpiece and

Fret for your Prozac and

Fret for your pilot and

Fret for your contract and

Fret for your car.

F**k L Ron Hubbard and

F**k all his clones.

F**k all these gun-toting

Hip gangster wannabes.

Learn to swim.

F**k retro anything.

F**k your tattoos.

F**k all you junkies and


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F**k your short memory.

Learn to swim.

F**k smiley glad-hands,

With hidden agendas.

F**k these dysfunctional,

Insecure actresses.

Its like shooting fish in a barrel, isnt it?

Its been said that politics is downstream from culture. Cue Intolerance, from the Undertowalbum.

I dont want to be hostile.

I dont want to be dismal.

But I dont want to rot in an apathetic existence either.

See

I want to believe you,

and I want to trust you

and I want to have faith to put away the dagger.

But you lie, cheat, and steal

lie, cheat, and steal

you lie, cheat and steal

And yet

I tolerate you.

Veil of virtue hung to hide your method

while I smile and laugh and dance

and sing your praise and glory.

Shroud of virtue hung to mask your stigma

as I smile and laugh and dance

and sing your glory

while you


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lie, cheat, and steal.

How can I tolerate you?

I cant speak for what goes on in other countries, but for my own, does this nothit the nail on thehead as to the state of our current political climate (please, though, no political debates on this site)?While the lyrics above could apply to a number of different institutions, they lend themselves

particularly well as a scathing indictment of the current state of American politics and the twowretched parties in control.

Alas, we cant just point the finger at the politicians, when we are the ones that keep putting themin power and willingly give them even more after weve put them there.

Our guilt, our blame,

Ive been far too sympathetic.

Our blood, our fault.Ive been far too sympathetic.

I am not innocent.

You are not innocent.

Noone is innocent.

Why?

So why listen to these kinds of lyrics? Why take in so much negativity, so much anger, and somuch darkness? Isnt listening to music supposed to be some form of joyful experience? Isnt itsupposed to be entertainment?

Well, no, not necessarily anyway.

Science attempts to explain the physical world around us. Technology can help us harness thephysical world for our benefit. But it is the humanities that grow our minds and convey to us therealities of life that are beyond the reach of science and cant be addressed through technology.Literature, poetry, and film, and other art forms fall under this larger umbrella as do song lyricssuch as those discussed herein. Particular ones of Tools lyrics are particularly good at illuminatingcertain realities of life.

It is essential to see the world as it is, warts an all, if one wants to obtain any sort of comfort or innerpeace. The great Stoic Epictetus instructed his students to not avert their eyes from the painfulevents of life, but rather to look at them squarely and contemplate them often. To do so is to freeones self from illusions and thereby avoid the unnecessary pain that otherwise occurs in theinevitable collisions with reality we all have. The world is what it is, not what we want it to be. And

as we have already been reminded, the universe is hostile, so impersonal.

Some might choose to descend into cynicism and misanthropy upon contemplating the ideas withinthe lyrics presented. But that is taking the easy way out. Do you actually think Tool is going to letyou off easy? Ha. Pffft. Think again.


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The Way Out

Nope, Tool isnt going to let you take the easy way out. They arent going to let you fall into thecynical trap. Youve still got work to do. Weve already discussed some of the lyrics of TheGrudge above. But even in a song that explores the deadly sin of wrath, Tool lets us know that it isstill a choice and that another path is there to be taken:

Saturn comes back around. Lifts you up like a child or

Drags you down like a stone

To consume you till you choose to let this go.

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.

Let go.

You can be consumed by a grudge, or you can let it go. Your choice. One choice is harder to makethan the other one but the harder choice is the only beneficial one.

The learn to swim lyric noted above in the discussion of nima above presents an interestinguxtaposition within that song. At first glance, it appears to be a reference to saving ones self when

LA falls into the ocean. But reading between the lines, it could just as well refer to learning to beones selfinstead of denying that and becoming consumed by stupid s**t, silly s**t. Indeed, whilewe cannot control the culture or society around us, we can certainly make a conscious choice to notlet it drag us down. We can learn to swim to maintain our own personal integrity and dignity.

The album Lateralus has a number of songs with lyrics that point to the way out of despair. TakeParabola for example:

Twirling round with this familiar parable

Spinning, weaving round each new experience

Recognize this as a holy gift and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing

A chance to be alive and breathing

This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality

Embrace this moment, remember, we are eternal

All this pain is an illusion

We all deal with pain in our lives, but so much of our pain is indeed illusory. Often times withcertain events it is our own perceptions that cause the pain, rather than the events themselves. Andsometimes changing those perceptions can do wonders.


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To swing on the spiral

To swing on the spiral

To

Swing on the spiral of our divinity and

Still be a human.

Spiral out

Keep going

Spiral out

Keep going

Spiral out

Keep going

Spiral out

Keep going

The lyrical pattern established in the beginning of Lateralus and carries through to the very end isone that instructs the listener to keep expanding the mind, to step beyond the black and white, tospiral out. Embrace the random also encourages the listener to accept those realities of life whichare beyond ones control and not subject to change, and to accept events as they occur.

While Parabola and Lateralus are both fantastic songs, it is the 11-minute plus tour de force ofReflection that really points the way out from the cynicism and misanthropy that is too easy to fallinto when contemplating some of the harsher realities expressed in songs such as Vicarious, Rightin Two, and nima. Reflection starts with us being at rock bottom:

I have come curiously close to the end, down

Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole,

Defeated, I concede and

Move closer

I may find comfort here

I may find peace within the emptiness

How pitiful.

But even at the bottom of the hole, even when it all seems lost and hopeless, there is still a glimmer:


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And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping

The moon tells me a secret my confidant

As full and bright as I am

This light is not my own and

A million light reflections pass over me

Its source is bright and endless

She resuscitates the hopeless

Without her, we are lifeless satellites drifting

And it is from that glimmer the direction is revealed. There is a way out of despair, a way out of thedisillusionment, the cynicism, the negativity, out of the darkness that will consume us if we let it do

so.

And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt

Dont wanna be down here feeding my narcissism.

I must crucify the ego before its far too late

I pray the light lifts me out

Before I pine away.

So crucify the ego, before its far too late

To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,

And you will come to find that we are all one mind

Capable of all thats imagined and all conceivable.

Just let the light touch youAnd let the words spill through

And let them pass right through

Bringing out our hope and reason

before we pine away.

As much as anything, Reflection is about a maturation process, a maturing of the soul and the

acquisition of wisdom that comes with it. But, that too is a choice.


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(https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0624/5b2f205724755/5b2f205d86400.jpg)As stated above, itof cynicism. Its easy to hold grudges, and easy to just go along with the wider culture instead oflearning to swim. Its definitely easy to take a dark view of humanity while forgetting what is onthe other side of the ledger art, architecture, a civilization that is more humane with moreabundance than anything imagined by our ancestors, and so on. But taking the easy way out

rarely leads to anything good, nor does it get you closer to the truth or lead to real peace of mind.

During the writing of this piece, I received an email from a friend with a quote from C.S. Lewis thatI think really sums up the message in the lyrics of a number of Tool songs when taken as a largerbody of work:

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not geteither comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.

You certainly will not find comfort in the lyrics of Tool, if thats what you are seeking. If you wish to

seek comfort directly, go listen to something else, mindful of the quote above. On the other hand, ifyou seek truth and are willing to face it, even when its dark and unpleasant, then the lyrics of thevarious Tool works discussed above should not bother you. Not only will you get a good dose of thetruth, you may also find a little bit of comfort as a result. And most assuredly, you will also hearsome incredible music by some exceptionally talented musicians.

About eheter

n my professional li fe I am a patent agent, writing and prosecuting patent applications in the field ofelectrical engineering for high-tech corporate clients such as Apple and AMD. In my home life I am ahusband and a father of one son, football fan (the American kind, that is), a reader of history and many

other things (avidly when time permits) and a lover of music (progressive rock in particular), amongother things.View all posts by eheter

Posted on April 30, 2013, in Uncategorized and tagged C.S. Lewis, human nature, lyrics,Machiavelli, metal, prog metal, Progressive rock, Tool. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
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Leave a Comment

Comments (7)

robstroud| May 1, 2013 at 3:59 pmThanks for the extremely thought-provoking post. Im unfamiliar with Tool, but checked outthe lyrics to Opiate. Very strange to my Christian eyes but I will join in the prayer in thechorus: Jesus Christ, why dont you come save my life now Open my eyes and blind me withyour light.

iangreatorex| May 2, 2013 at 4:02 pmWhat a fantastic review Erik. Incredible depth. Ive never listened that closely to the lyrics butthis requires a total revisit to all their work. Thanks for spending what must have been aconsiderable time in sharing your thoughts. It would be great to meet up sometime and discussour love of music over a beer.Ian

eheter| May 2, 2013 at 4:06 pmThanks, Ian, really appreciate that. I did spend some time on it and ended up re-writing a

few sections because I wanted to get it right without sounding preachy. But it was a trulyenjoyable project, a textbook definition of a labor of love. And yes, I would ABSOLUTELYlove to get together for a beer with you and the other Progarchists as well!

Pete Blum| May 2, 2013 at 4:02 pmExcellent, Erik! Und keine Eier? Nein!!!

eheter| May 2, 2013 at 4:07 pmThanks, Pete. No eggs, but Ich brauchen ein bier!

P.S. thats about all the German I remember, but I figure its enough to survive if I am luckyenough to visit there one day

Thaddeus Wert| May 5, 2013 at 1:16 pmErik,Finally got a chance to sit down and give your essay the attention it deserves wow, what aremarkable piece of writing. I havent listened to Tool, because my first exposure to them was thevideo for Prison Sex, which I found terrifyingly dark and hopeless. However, a friend of minewho has battled addictions shared A Perfect Circles Thirteenth Step with me, and I wasextremely impressed with Keens vocals. Your essay has given me a new perspective from whichto explore Tools music.

eheter| May 6, 2013 at 12:16 pm
http://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/comment-page-1/#comment-4827http://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/comment-page-1/#comment-4817http://fractad.wordpress.com/http://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/comment-page-1/#comment-4787http://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/comment-page-1/#comment-4785http://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/comment-page-1/#comment-4786http://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/comment-page-1/#comment-4784http://iangreatorex.wordpress.com/http://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/comment-page-1/#comment-4767http://mereinkling.wordpress.com/http://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/#commentshttp://progarchy.com/2013/04/30/staring-into-the-abyss-darkness-the-ugly-truth-and-comfort-in-the-lyrics-of-tool/#respond


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Thank, Tad. I was actually somewhat of a latercomer to Tool as well, as I didnt really start tolisten closely until Lateralus came out in 2001. Once I did though, my eyes were reallyopened up, not only to some great lyrics, but some incredible music as well. BTW, as a mathguy, you might appreciate that the title song for Lateralus that the way some of the lyrics aresung is in an ascending then descending Fibonacci sequence. Thanks for mentionin APCsThirteenth Step Ive had that disc laying around for a while but have never given it a goodlisten, but will do so know. I hope your friend is winning his battle.

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