Sober

Best interpretation I've seen on any song on the 'internetz' ever.

thats actually the opposite of the songs point. the song isn't about being addicted. its about if you can do drugs with out becoming an addict then fuck off and let me do drugs. source: Adam Jones

I have read a few comments regarding this song, and for once I have to admit I am pleasantly surprised to read some people actually believe in many respects that this song is primarily about God and the proof of his existence. I believe the reference to being sober refers to those who are not drunk on believing and or following God. This like MANY tool songs is about God...period!!! Maynard isn't "so deep", "so mysterious" he's a puppet, a pawn for the devil!!! The only reason this band is where they are is because they sold out to the devil for talent and fame!!! This band will burn in hell unless they repent of their sin and turn to Christ!!! It always astounds me how 90% of the time people read these lyrics and interpret them, that people almost always turn to God or Christ in the reference and justify it as though "well its not really about God" but Maynard is just using it as a metaphor or drug addiction or insert your favorite load of garbage. The bottom line is God or Christ is blasphemed in dozens of Maynard written songs, and it's no coincidence, or happenstance but rather deliberate! Wake up! You people who channel these songs into metaphors and other arbitrary concepts are choosing to change the meaning of the songs to justify the fact that you as well as I know these songs are in fact evil wicked and wrong and you just want to justify your lifestyle because your conscience bears the true witness of the Godhead and you are simply refusing to change your life to live for God!! Quit justifying your wickedness stop serving the devil and see that these men in this band are evil and this song is no exception!!! They are puppets given fame and glory and riches by the devil for a purpose to lead fools astray! Satan is the God of this world, and whether you choose to serve God or Satan you are serving one or the other no matter what! Start paying attention to what these people are brainwashing your minds with people!!! All rockstars promote and encourage wicked behaviour and sin! Everyone in this band is FULLY aware that they are serving Satan and that they are on their way to Hell! Maynard promotes the devil and the occult and anyone who even scratches the surface of their image and music/lyrics knows this so stop ignoring it people! Be advised! Turn to Christ and repent! I once was fooled and beguiled by this band over 20 years ago, and now I know what they are and what they stand for! They are damning millions to hell!!!

OMG!!!! Ephesians6:13, your retarded!!!!<br /> And even if that is what his meaning behind the lyrics are, that is his choice. Why all the hatred? I really like this song but it has a different meaning to me. When you listen to it you see the anti-Christ, when I listen to it I see struggles I've gone thru. For such "a strong believer" in Christianity, you sure act like everything your not suppose to be. God is the only one who is suppose to pass judgement, and you thinking you can do a godly act is blasphemy in itself!!!

My thoughts stemmed just from my point during my addiction. A justification for using while realizing damage that is done during the process. But I'm happy to rattle cages with my perspectives. However right or wrong they may be.

@iob890 Ima addict too. You are 100% right.

@iob890 love your point of view! @Ephesians6:66 lol! I could start debating with you about your invisible friend, but it wouldn't change anything. It's just funny to see the hypocrisy: you so called "Christians" condemn and judge daily the people who your own Jesus was gathering around himself! Where is the "Jesus loves you all"? However I feel sorry for people like you.

@iob890 I really like your interpretation. Although I have the thought that the whole "I am just a worthless liar....." part was him speaking as if he was the drug and that the drug has an evil intention. "I will complicate you" I am going to change your life for the worse. "Trust in me and fall as well" Trusting me will cause your downfall. "I will find a center in you" I will make you need me. "I will chew it up and leave" My goal is to ruin you. "I will work to elevate you, Just enough to bring you down." I can make you feel a way you like feeling but we both know that I'm going to make you regret it. The center could be your physical self i.e heart, stomach, mind, or it could be viewed as if the "center" is something held near and dear to the addict (like the center of his/her world) something like a significant other or family member and that "chew it up and leave" is like it saying it will you make it depend on it and drive everyone away. I don't know though. It makes a lot more sense in my head than it does on here albeit I didn't do the best job of portraying it but hopefully people can see what I was trying to get at.

@jaredford_ totally understand where you're coming from there. I had the same thought but I think you expounded on it much more proficiently than I did.

e@phesians6:13<br /> That was easily the dumbest thing I've read in awhile (congratulations). You should really work at not being so indoctrinated. Your little rant was actually kind of sad.

@iob890 Not sure if you are a man or women but either way. I as a father of a 6 year old and a 9 year old, as well as a husband to a wife of 13 years...wants to express my thanks to your effort put into getting your opinion of this song out to others. Your post, it hit me really hard. Because even in my drunkenness the examples you gave I remember like they were yesterday even though I wanted to forget them. I'm 31, I make enough money to not have to worry about financial things in general, but the question for me still remains "Why can't I not be sober". Its a struggle but you have just helped me and will continue to help me with my problem. I sincerely thank you.

@iob890 I agree, great explanantion. @jaredford_ I agree with you as well. I actually take it a little further even to say that the individual while on the drugs/alcohol is this way themselves. They become another person because of their addiction and they are saying "I am a worthless liar. 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." Because they bring others down who try to save them or help often stealing etc. in the process.

@iob890 I think that you nailed it, man.<br />

@iob890 great interpretation. I think the only think I would add as food for thought is the references to Jesus and Mother Mary with regards to the past is that most recovery programs have a spiritual or religious reliance as well as addressing the past in order to recover. This may be an admonishment of the need to rely on religion to recover...

the light at the end of the tunnel is in 46 and 2. which is a continuation of the shadow reference in begginning this song. in sober he is "stalked" and controlled by his shadow self (see carl jung) and can't push through till he faces and accepts it in 46 and 2. At that point real change can occur. oddly enough this has personal meaning for me because i learned about shadow self and jung in therapy while getting sober myself.

@Tunes24 agreed. I do think it may be because of alcohol and drug abuse as well. This is his personification of himself at his worst and lowest. Absolutely correct too @minty33

@HammerFloyd This is the best writing of what I felt when I was listening to this song. Thank you so much for writing something so correct in so few words.

@HammerFloyd This is exactly right .... This is from the perspective of the alcoholic who is pissed that everyone keeps telling him to stop drinking. "Jesus won't you fucking whistle something but the past and done" has nothing to do with Jesus or religion. He is saying "Jesus" as in a curse - like "Jesus F-in Christ, would you shut up and talk about something else" - he's saying this to the people who are always on his case.

@HammerFloyd As someone who started my career working in drug and alcohol treatment facilities, and was engaged myself for a period of 8 years to an active alcoholic, I can tell you your reading of these lyrics as a portrayal of the addictive personality is spot on. Especially the "Trust me" part. Needless to say, the 8 year engagement didn't end well.

@HammerFloyd <br /> Hi, one if the best comments on the lyrics of Sober that I've read. I just had to say something as I haven't thought about my alcoholism for a long time, I occasionally need reminding as I finally succeeded in overcoming my burden 18 years ago(probably the hardest thing I've ever done, as I originally really enjoyed social and going out, and wasn't addicted)<br /> My addiction happened rather quickly...<br /> (a year to becoming an extremely heavy drinker of vodka, a <br /> "self-medicator" - which then lasted a year or so, including trying to hide the amount that I drunk. Litre of vodka daily, plus wines and beers. )<br /> ....in my late 30s after a series of circumstances. <br /> I was successful after several failed attempts as an inpatient, then finally realising that it was causing others so much pain, and a specialist doctors support and encouragement. I was very lucky that my body managed to recover.<br /> You are very perceptive. Plus excuse my messy sentences and paragraphs, I rarely type.<br /> Regards<br /> John in England.<br />

@HammerFloyd the song is written in code.. nice try but you can do a better interpretation\r\n

"why can't we NOT be sober"

I find that few people in general think for themselves, whether they claim to be religious or not.

Ther definatly is abit at about 4:02 because I always think its my mum calling me (my name is joe you will see what I mean)

It sounds like something scratching against a bass string.

dude man, the reason he was such an alcoholic was because his mother was paralyzed and bed-ridden for 27 years (approximately 10000 days, as the latest tool album suggests) before passing away. this song is about all of the guilt that he felt while losing his mother. if you knew anything about losing someone you would know that the guilt can fucking eat you alive man. and as for the "why can't we not be sober" vs "why can't be drunk"... well that just wouldn't quite have the same effect. and he's the artist, he created the song, he can do what he wants with it, haha.<br /> <br /> as far as i'm concerned, this is probably maynard's most powerful song to date, and the least you can do is atleast appreciate that he got through it all safely and made beautiful music out of it.

Hey cowboy, I dont think anyone was asking Maynard to rewrite the song, I believe the drunk comment was used to simplify the lyrics for people who were digging to deep. I do agree that this is a very powerful song, and the song is one of my favorites.

@Babyeater I didn;'t feel that the rhetorical questions ask these higher powers anything. It's more of an observation that he's been abandoned. Sort of the grief-anger stage before bargaining, "Why can't we be drunk?" Then he pretty much accepts that fate at the end.

@Ganondox Have you ever had an addiction?<br />

@Ganondox As the one asked you before, as an addicted, hes saying that we probably didnt to have used anythig before.

@Ganondox everything is an addiction here. The things we are not suppose to do but, it makes us feel so good. Drugs and alcohol are not the only addictions in this forsaken place that society calls a world. Jesus was a whistle, like a train horn! Trying to wake all you mother fuckers up. But a whistle is not that loud, not like a train horn so I figure he was trying to be quiet about his mission here. A whistle catches your attention usually to get you to stop, like at a traing camp. Addictions can become trends and fashions. Jesus was about the spirit and the body that host the spirit. The song is not about one person, it\'s about everyone. Ignorance is bliss but, on the other hand ignorance is the threat! You driving your fucking car is an addiction and stuffing your gut full of flesh is an addiction too. Wake the fuck up. All the body needs is water, and the spirit advances and changes through knowledge and wisdom which comes from the phrase or word G.o.d- genetic over dose. The center he talks about is a chakra and he wants to chew it up so you have no sense of direction or a sense of what\'s right and what\'s wrong. Jesus was the whistle, he came here to wake you up out of your many addictions and he was murdered for it. Some addictions are thought to be a necessity for the body. Man and woman have been taught wrong from the beginning, I guess you could say the guarden of eden, adam and eve, but eve was corrupt from the beginning. Mother mary whispering is based on fear and betrayel. Jesus was betrayed even by the ones closest to him. They elevate you to see whats in your container, you are a container full of sin and deception to others around you. Don\'t be an infection or a manifestation, don\'t corrupt others but you can corrupt yourself. He\'s saying don\'t seek advice from another he will only lie to you, he has too. They know not why they do or say. Words came from the devil, and he taught the beast the word. A form of communication for a system. You were spirit and you fell and became flesh, everyone has a shadow under the sun but without physical matter you are darkness passing through light and light passing through darkness. I\'m just a fucking opinion, an interpretation, an idea maybe. So you all need that fucking whisper and you all need jesus to blow the whistle so you\'ll stop doing what your doing long enough for jesus to get your attention. Need I say more. Menard

Nope, what's ironic is that someone who doesn't have any grasp of the concept of irony is posting a comment about it. Good day sir!

lmao you mean Maynard is saying "Turn that shit down" to you, the listener of the song, because the listener turned up their music really really loud. He's saying it directly to the listener.<br /> <br /> ha ha.