10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2)

First, people really need to listen to TOOL, APC, and Puscifer and realize that Maynard Keenan, although very spiritual, is not a fan of organized religion. The 10,000 Days album is not about religion, but a variety of topics, such as vicarious being about vicariously living out violence through TV (eye on the TV...cause I need to watch things die from a distance), The Pot being about hypocrisy (every line in the song pretty much being an analogy for hypocrisy), and Rosetta Stoned being an overdose from X and DMT (10 to 2 AM, X and yogi DMT and a box of krispy kremes). The song Wings for Marie, and 10,000 Days (Wings pt. 2), these very beautiful and powerful songs, are about Maynard Keenan's mother, Judith Marie, who suffered from a stroke that left her paralyzed and wheelchair bound until she died 27 years later, which is about 10,000 days, rounding up. He also makes a specialty wine named after his mother.

Listen to the tales as we all rationalize Our way into the arms of the savior, Feigning all the trials and the tribulations; None of us have actually been there. Not like you.

Many people spend their life rationalizing, trying to make a logical decision of what to believe in. Maynard respects his mother for going by her true feelings, or intuition, instead. people try to convince themselves to keep faith or believe in this or that. she actually experienced the "light" described by so many different schools of thought through her faith in Jesus. Even though maynard doesnt like the stories of jesus he cant help but respect and admire this "light". christianity isnt the only way to achieve it, probably the least likely way actually. all the more reason to respect his mother for it.

This is what maynard learned from his mother. to seek that light and live for it. he just chooses to seek it in a different way... "a gift you passed on to me"

the feeling most people only "read about"

she never lived a lie, she actually felt this spiritual connection to jesus. her set of beliefs says that in doing this she will be saved, go to heaven or whatever. thats why maynard says she can look god in the eye and demand her wings. Its an assurance that she did her part.

she saved maynards life by teaching him to trust his spirituality.

I'm a 16 year old guy, and a huge fan of TOOL.

I just want to say that this song has the most powerful lyrics of any song by TOOL. Hell, it has the most powerful lyrics of any song by anyone. In all honesty, after reading the lyrics along with the music, I was crying. Like actually crying. Don't get me wrong, but I've never been religious. But religious or not, this song truly sums up life and death. This is a beautiful tribute to his mother that delves into the unknown deeper than anything ever before. Producing a poetic masterpiece like this is an achievement no one should ignore. The time, the effort, the emotion that goes into creating something like this: it all just adds up to song that is nothing short of monumental.

Haha...all the people that posted back in 06 thought this was a fake. Nope. Anyways this song is obviously written to Judith Marie, Maynard's mom. She was paralyzed for 27 years, or 10,000 days, but you already know all that. This song serves two purposes: 1. As a eulogy to his mother and 2. as a way to call attention to the hypocrisy within the christian church. Judith was heavily religious and dedicated her life to God despite her being paralyzed. Maynard calls her a savior in herself because she is the only one, it seems, in the christian faith to follow the teachings so devotedly. He also says that the rest of the "ingorant sinners" are lost without her. The song also includes an account of what it would be like as Judith approaches the gates of ST. Peter.

@drds63 - I think you may have taken the lyrics a bit too literally, from lyrics from this song and other it would seem Maynard is probably an agnostic if not an atheist outright (Set in my ways and my arrogance, burden of proof tossed on believers). What I think hes saying, interpreted from that perspective, is that he hopes his mother is rewarded for her lifetime of hardship, belief, and faith, that if anyone is deserving of a reward it is her.

You're definitely right that he is holding her high on a perch, but come on it's his mom. In other songs hes seemed to allude to her saving him (Reflection: "I have come curiously close to the end" "Within my darkest moment, feeling weak" "As full and bright as I am, this light is not my own, A million light reflections, pass over me") so she probably was very special to him, and this is his send off to her.

Trexor.... you think that there's no way an artist would dedicate a song to his dead mother???? did you not see the APC site after she died? the site was turned into a rather touching memorial to her for almost 2 weeks...

(the song) Judith... MOCKING HIS MOM??? dude, you don't honestly believe that do you? the opening line being... 'you're such an inspiration for the ways that i will never ever choose to be'...

even if 10,000 Days is a decoy (note: NOT A HOAX, but a decoy) it was made to sound as convincingly like a Tool album as possible...

^ theres prolly a "shortage" in you pants....and I.Q.

Then again every girl deserves a fairytale... A Cinderella Story... the end.

On 10,000 Days, Keenan wanted to explore issues more personal to him:[95] the album name and title track refer to the twenty-seven years during which his mother suffered from complications of a stroke until her death in 2003.

Who cares if its a hoax or not, it's still new music from tool. If its a hoax then its even better becuase then theres another album coming out in a month. But this album is really good in my oppinion.