Threw you the obvious
And you flew with it on your back
A name in your recollection
Down among a million same

Difficult not to feel a little bit
Disappointed and passed over
When I look right through
To see you naked but oblivious
And you don't see me

But I threw you the obvious
Just to see if there's more behind
The eyes of a fallen angel
Eyes of a tragedy

Here I am expecting
Just a little bit too much from the wounded
but I see, see through it all
See through, see you

'Cause I threw you the obvious
to see what occurs behind
the Eyes of a fallen angel
Eyes of a tragedy

Oh well, oh well
Apparently nothing
Apparently nothing at all

You don't, you don't, you don't see me
You don't, you don't, you don't see me
You don't, you don't, you don't see me
You don't, you don't, you don't see me
You don't see me
You don't, you don't
You don't see me at all


Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by sciencejim, BreakingTheFaith, Serspring, aKiRatM, AnthraxPrincess, markydissod

3 Libras Lyrics as written by Maynard Keenan Billy Howerdel

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

3 Libras song meanings
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502 Comments

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  • +24
    General Comment

    the most obvious meaning behind this song is: a) not being noticed b) looking through someone you originally thought highly of, or loved (probable in this sense) and seeing that they are actually nothing - "eyes of a fallen angel, eyes of a tragedy" referring to their nature c) possibly the person this is referring to is hurt inside and they can't go on to love

    Maynard posted a meaning dual meaning for the song on aperfectcircle.com... here's that:

    "Up until the mid twentieth century the mountain gorilla was considered a myth. Oddly enough, a legend not unlike bigfoot or the loch ness monster. The chance of actually seeing/experiencing this elusive shadow was as likely as finding ones soulmate. Rare.

    Precious.

    Even once discovered they seemed unapproachable. The only way to get close to this magnificent creature was to become empathetic. Abandon all pretense and preconceptions.

    To bare an open throat. To collapse into the arms of vulnerability.

    All but extinct, these beings/moments are threatened by the black hearted.

    The cold and oblivious. The empty eyed profit seekers that overlook these

    Rare

    Precious

    Moments."

    this is an absolutely incredible... try to figure this out for yourself :) amazing pertinence to what the song means in terms of love, in terms of love... i'm still contemplating the title of the song, that probably has more to do with WHO this specifically for, but it is a song that has pertinence throughout all of life.

    THIS SONG'S AMAZING ahhh

    Jondude11on December 04, 2001   Link
  • +14
    General Comment

    Thew you the obvious, (HE PLAINLY LOVED HER & SHOWED IT IN EVERY WAY BUT NEVER SAID IT) And you flew with it on your back, (SHE KNEW BUT SHE IGNORED IT & HIM, JUST GOING ON W/ HER LIFE) A name in your recollection (THEY KNEW EACH OTHER IN THE PAST & HE'S JUST A NAME TO HER) Down among a million same (SHE CHALKS HIM UP TO BEING LIKE ANYONE ELSE, HE'S NOT SPECIAL TO HER)

    Difficult not to feel a little bit Disappointed and passed over When I look right through To see you naked but oblivious (THIS IS PRETTY OBVIOUS, HE SEES HER FOR HER BEAUTY AND THE TRUE BEAUTY HE KNOWS IN INSIDE HER ALTHOUGH SHE ACTS SHALLOW HE KNOWS THERE'S MORE THERE AND HE'S DISAPPOINTED IN HER ACTIONS. HE'S DISAPPOINTED SHE DOESN'T SEE HOW HE FEELS AND THAT SHE IGNORES IT, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE KNOWS HER SO MUCH MORE DEEPLY THAN OTHERS DO. HE'S ALWAYS THERE FOR HER EVERY WHIM BUT SHE DOESN'T SEE WHY HE DOES EVERYTHING FOR HER, HE FEELS NEGLECTED)

    And you don't see me

    But I threw you the obvious just to See if there's more behind the Eyes of a fallen angel Eyes of a tragedy (HE TRIED TO LET HER SEE HOW HE FEELS W/OUT TELLING HER TO SEE IF SHE COULD FIGURE IT OUT. HE SEES HER AS A FALLEN ANGEL B/C ALTHOUGH HE'S IN LOVE WITH HER HE'S ANGRY W/ HER AND IS NOTICING THAT SHE'S NOT OPEN TO SEEING HOW HE FEELS ABOUT HER. THE WHOLE THING IS A TRAGEDY)

    Here I am expecting just a little bit Too much from the wounded But I see, seeing through it all Seeing through, see you (HE'S NOW THINKING THAT HE SHOULD GIVER HER ANOTHER CHANCE TO SEE HOW HE FEELS B/C SHE'S BEEN WOUNDED AND HURT. HE'S SEES THROUGH HER BEING SHALLOW AND UNKNOWING AND KNOWS THAT SHE HAS TO KNOW HOW HE FEELS. HE SEES HER, ALL THE GOOD IN HER. HER WOUNDS DON'T WAIVER HIS LOVE. HE KNOWS THAT SHE HAS FEELINGS FOR HIM THAT SHE KEEPS HIDDEN.)

    Oh well (OH WELL, HE'S GIVEN UP ON HER EVER BEING ABLE TO LOVE HIM. HE'S STILL GONNA LET HER USE HIM B/C HE LIKES THE FACT THAT SHE NEEDS HIM AND EVEN THOUGH IT HURTS HIM, IT GIVES HIM THE CHANCE TO BE W/ HER THE ONLY WAY SHE LETS HIM. OH WELL IF IT HURTS, HE'LL TAKE ALL THE PAIN FOR THE FEW MOMENTS OF HAPPINESS IT GIVES HIM TO SEE HER GLEAM B/C HE'S BEEN THERE FOR HER.)

    Apparently nothing Apparently nothing at all (HE'S REALISED THAT THERE'S NOTHING INNSIDE OF HER, NO HEART. SHE'S EMPTY AND THAT SHE'S ACTUALLY MORE SHALLOW THAN HE KNEW. SHE'S BARE AND SELF CENTERED, ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT HERSELF AND HER ENJOYMENT AND HAPPINESS AND SHE CAN'T THINK ABOUT OTHERS AROUND HER.)

    You don't, you don't, you don't see me You don't, you don't, you don't see me You don't, you don't, you don't see me You don't, you don't, you don't see me

    You don't see me You don't You don't

    You don't see me at all (HE'S PLEADING WITH HER INSIDE HIS HEART AND HEAD. SHE DOESN'T SEE HIM AND HE WANTS HER TO SO BAD, HE LONGS FOR HER TO NOTICE HIM AND HIS FEELINGS. LISTEN TO THE WAY MAYNARD SINGS THIS PART... YOU DON'T SEE ME... OVER AND OVER AGAIN, YOU CAN HEAR THE LONGING AND THE EMOTION AND HURT IN HIS VOICE. REALLY, IN THIS HE'S SAYING, SCREAMING OUT TO HER SEE ME!! SEE ME!! PLEASE SEE ME!!)

    YappyMutton August 25, 2009   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    From the video clip and reading what Maynard wrote about this song, that finding a soul mate is rare and the only way to approach them is by dropping all preconceptions and collapsing into the arms of vulnerability. I would say this song is about seeing someone at a soul level with the third eye (3 Libras) or eye of the soul, whatever you want to call it. Seeing their true self, beyond physical identity and labels. Seeing through all their masks and different personalities and you can only do this when you Love someone.

    In the clip Maynard has his shirt off which represents vulnerability and revealing yourself. That is the only way to get close to another, by taking of your mask and becoming naked (vulnerable). He shows himself but she is blinded by her own wounds, fears, obsessions etc. She can see him physically but not who he really is inside and he can sense that. She looks at him like he just everyone else she has met.

    blackmoon69on January 07, 2012   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    I can't say what the song is about, only what it so deftly describes.

    When I see this song, the first thing that comes to mind is bipolar disorder. If I ever wanted to explain what it's like I'd just show them this song. I understand this only because I am bipolar.

    To me it's about a label and diagnosis, at first. You throw the doc what will obviously lead to your diagnosis. You feel like it's all smokin mirrors. The other part is realizing that everything that was real to you isn't real. Your entire identity is put into question. Who am I beyond this label?

    Bipolar people can see through peoples bullshit and see them for who they are, but no one can see them. It's the heart of this song.

    You realize you will never see yourself and the world won't ever see you either. The "among a million sane" to me is being classified as a statistic. I believe even the name 3 libras, which means 3 stories, is more like 3 states of being in bipolar. Mania, normal, depressed.

    It's as if he is seeing all these sides and realizing all these things are him, not just the best but the worst as well. The other sides of this, is that in bipolar it's so much more complex than anyone understands. In relationships, all relationships, we try to either show our best or pretend to be what we are not only to hide our changing states. This drains us so much, because even if we could identify who we were, we'd still have to "fake it to make it."

    Sometimes the hardest thing for us though, is when we show people who we are, we are rejected. We make relationships with wounded people and just hope they can understand our demons since we can see and understand theres. Tragically this is rarely the case. We are not seen by the wounded, by anyone.

    He wants people to be deeper than they are and so few people lack depth.

    It creates detatchment, and in the end the easiest way to describe a bipolar person is the mind of a child. It's why in the video he sees the boy and sees a part of himself in the boy and the boy sees himself in him.

    Ultimately it all leads to disappointment, a bipolar person wants so desperately to learn who he or she is but we fall short of being able to accurately display who we are. It leads to isolation, giving up, when he says oh well , apparently nothing at all. Out of frustration and anger it's like he's trying to explain that they don't see him and it's why he is isolated. Even with company, as the video shows, he feels isolated.

    Whether you believe my definition or not makes no difference to me because he truly is describing bipolar whether it was intentional or not.

    InvitroCannibalon March 14, 2014   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Midix is right, music is art, meant to be interpreted by the listener for what they want it to mean. i think this song is about being overlooked by someone you truely care about, you know them and see them for how great and true they are, but they look past you to someone else who they think is better and being married does not mean you havent experienced a bad relationship before

    hedonbasson January 27, 2002   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    This song means a lot to me now. These songs bring back a lot of memories from being with my ex girlfriend. A lot of key moments (and very happy moments) in the relationship happened while A Perfect Circle was playing.

    This song speaks a lot about my ex. She used to be the most amazing girl. She was an amazing person that brightened up my life. Now that we have been apart for 7 months, I have to almost think that she has become what this song is talking about. Whenever I hear this song, I remember how she used to be, and how things are now. Maybe she is a fallen angel that has forever changed her ways.

    Dartht33baggeron March 11, 2012   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    i kinda feel like this song is about being more in love with someone than they are with you. also, knowing too that you care/love that person more. so, i feel like he's testing the person to see their response and i feel like he's felt this way several times (or 3 specific times) and that the reason they dont stay together is because he feels they don't understand him. i think once you feel like you've been screwed that way, you dont want a relationship. so you just use people for sex, even tho all that does is fill a temporary void. idk, just my thoughts. his lyrics always have multiple different meanings, obviously his is the true one.

    push1ton January 28, 2013   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    So, you're saying just because he is married he can't have been hurt by a girl in the past, because he did something right to get married, something couldn't have gone wrong before? It is a shame when a song that has so much meaning can get pushed aside as words, because it is the meanings behind words that make songs great.

    Midixon January 27, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    at aperfectcircle.org, they say "It's about "being overlooked", according to Maynard. It's inspired by three women, apparently all libras, who maynard seems to be a bit bitter towards."

    lenaon March 05, 2002   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I don't claim to "know" what it's intended meaning is, but this is what it means to me:

    "I threw you the obvious, And you flew with it on your back, A name in your recollection Down among a million same"

    Here, the speaker seems to be addressing someone he loves (for all intents and purposes, I'll say "he" and "she"). Someone he clearly loves, and has no interest in trying to hide it from her. Yet, she doesn't respond. Instead, he becomes just like any other, just another blurry face a the sea of people.

    When I hear it, though, I don't think he's talking directly to her - but these are the things that go through his mind when he thinks of her or looks back. Like, when you can't get someone off your mind, during the late stages of a would-be relationship, when you're realizing that it just won't work out or won't be the way it used to be. To me, it's that conversation you have with yourself, and you desperately want to try to justify why it's all okay in your head. You want to find a reason to leave it all behind you.

    "Difficult not to feel a little bit Disappointed and passed over When I look right through To see you naked but oblivious

    And you don't see me"

    I really like this line; he's not saying "oh, I'm sad now." He purposefully understates his pain, saying that definitely isn't nothing. He feels something, at least, which seems like a real world way of communicating something like "you hurt me." He also lets you that he felt he had a real connection. He can see her pain, her troubles, her soul. He KNOWS her, but she just doesn't recognize that, or can't. And as a result, he's left alone to deal on his own.

    "But I threw you the obvious just to See if there's more behind the Eyes of a fallen angel Eyes of a tragedy"

    Again, he avoids being entirely upfront with her. Maybe because he's timid, maybe just because he's human. He sees her, why doesn't she see him? After all, he's doing what he can to make it easy - he's not direct, but he is open. I think he's trying to say, "I see you, I feel you... But, can do the same for me?" He certainly wishes she would, which is ironically why he must remain passive about. Otherwise, it's almost forced or just artificial.

    "Here I am expecting just a little bit Too much from the wounded But I see, seeing through it all Seeing through, see you"

    Maybe, he feels, that he could be asking for too much. Maybe she's not strong enough to look past her troubles to see him and the way he is. As much as he wants that mutual connection, he knows that it's not an easy thing to deal with, and it's perhaps... unfair to expect it. But he does want it.

    "'Cause I threw you the obvious to See what occurs behind the Eyes of a fallen angel Eyes of a tragedy, oh well

    Oh well

    Apparently nothing Apparently nothing at all"

    At this point, he's lost all hope. Sadly, she wasn't able or wasn't willing to let herself be moved by his efforts (not to say that he was expecting her to suddenly fall in love with him, but she just didn't respond). He put himself out there, hoping that she could respond to him the way he did with her, but that day never came.

    "...You don't see me at all"

    He was always invisible. To her, just another guy. Just another day. To him, well, it's hard to assign words... not great. Not great.

    Now this may not be what he's saying, but it's all I hear...

    :)

    NonConnotativeon August 25, 2011   Link

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