Plato and Tool

Maynard's lyrics have a lot to do with the idea of growth, and the pain that one must endure in order to become a greater version of one's self.

"I have come full circle"

"Saturn ascends, choose one or ten, hang on or be humbled again"

"The snake behind me hisses what my damage could have been, my blood before me begs me, open up my heart again"

"I feel this coming over like a storm again, considerately killing me."

"I have died, and will die, it's alright, I don't mind."

"We need the fuckin' space to nail up the next fool martyr."

Ofcourse there can be many interpretations of his lyrics, and there are many layers to their meaning. However I think at the very foundation is the idea of allowing one's self to let go of the image of themselves that they have created, so that they may move on to the next incarnation of themselves.

Every few years I feel this transformation in myself. I realize that I have become a caricature, a cliche. A fake version of someone I hoped to be.

Then I have to figure out how to let it go. To let myself die a metaphorical death, and essentially allow myself to break out of another shell and percieve the world in another light, from a different perspective.

It reminds me of Plato's allegory of the cave. If only I let myself be dragged out into the sunlight will I be able to see myself and the world for what it really is. Then I must return to the cave and allow my newfound sight to adjust my understanding of life in the darkness below, where we all must inevitable return to. Nothing gold stays.

Anyway, I've had a pretty shitty day, but the hype about the new album has made me think about why it is I enjoy Tool so much in the first place.

They touch on archetypal themes. Archetypes are true for everybody, and Maynard is so good at manifesting those ideas into poetic lyricism.

I'm so grateful these guys exist. There's no bullshit. Just art.

Submitted March 08, 2019 at 06:41AM by 1234567_8_7654321 https://ift.tt/2TBxAQB