Lyrics for Cold And Ugly as interpreted by Jack

Cold And Ugly Lyrics
Underneath her skin and jewellery,
Hidden in her words and eyes
Is a wall that's cold and ugly
And she's scared as hell.

Trembling at the thought of feeling.
Wide awake and keeping distance.
Nothing seems to penetrate her.
She's scared as hell.

I am frightened too.
I am frightened.

Trembling at the thought of feeling.
Wide awake and keeping distance.
Nothing seems to penetrate her.
She's scared as hell.

I am frightened too.
I am frightened.

Wide awake and
Keeping distance from my soul.

Wide awake and
Keeping distance from my soul.

Underneath her skin and jewellery,
Hidden in her words and eyes
Is a wall that's cold and ugly
And she's scared as hell.

Trembling at the thought of feeling.
Wide awake and keeping distance.
Nothing seems to penetrate her.
She's scared as hell.

I am frightened too.
I am frightened too.
I am scared like you.
I am frightened.

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  • 52 Comments
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thickbrown2002
02-06-2002

Rated 0 
this song is so fuckin cool. its the first too; spng i ever heard and it is also my faavorite.

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DatheR
03-09-2002

Rated 0 
This song is about a young girl who has been hurt deeply (most likely sexual or emotional abuse from a family member or friend) and now will no longer open herself up to others. He sees this in her and wants her to know that he is just like her, he is cold and ugly too.

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RoCkNrOllWhoRe
04-17-2002

Rated 0 
I thinks it's the reality that people can dress however they want- but you cant hide that core thats cold and ugly. It talkes about underneath her skin and jewelry. There locked away where she thought no one could see. and she's so scared that it must have scared other people.

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joshthack
04-19-2002

Rated 0 
"Underneath the skin and jewellery,
Hidden in their words and eyes
Is a wall that's cold and ugly
It's a skeleton."
This is what I thought the lyrics were. If you looked at it like this it can be a song about people that are so obsessed with their image that inside they're empty.
So speaking from their viewpoint:
"Wide awake and
Keeping distance from my soul."
And because of this he is scared like them--they are scared because they are empty inside.

Just my interpretation

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simpleplandreamgurl
05-01-2002

Rated 0 
this is such a great song i love it to death

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revpauljames
07-04-2002

Rated 0 
People put up facades and they are terrified people will see inside. This girl puts up a front of beauty and strength but inside shes ugly and scared. He's just telling her she's not the only one that does it. Many of Maynard's lyrics teach lessons. I think the lesson in this one is that we all do this to some extent. It's ok, everyone is scared.

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dncnmami018
08-11-2002

Rated 0 
i think this song is about an adolescent girl who everyone loves and adores and admires because or her outer beauty and personality etc etc. she has gotten so used to that kind of stuff that she doesnt show her true emotions all the time and she has learned to not let herself get worked up about hardly anything. she hardly cries or gets mad about things that most people would react to. "the wall thats cold and ugly" doesnt exactly mean that she is a bad ugly person inside, its just that she doesnt really know how to open it up anymore.


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Diabl02k
08-16-2002

Rated 0 
this song fits perfectly with my current predicament. to me its about a girl who this person cares for deeply, but she has been hurt in the past or has hurt others and is afraid to open up and love again for fear of someone getting hurt. :\

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APoisonedChild
08-17-2002

Rated 0 
My first impression: The song is from the viewpoint of a rapist/stalker. It keeps switching from the past (nothing seems to penetrate her) to present (trembling at the thought of feeling.)

Now though I can see where it can be about a girl who is wearing a mask for everyone around her, including herself. Baaaaaaa!

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Blind Opius
09-01-2002

Rated 0 
I love you, APoisonedChild. The idea of this as a song about raping someone is fucking beautiful on a level beyond beautiful.

I still think it's pretty fucking simple, though. I mean, shit, how complicated is it? Chick hides behind mask. Guy can relate, but can't bring himself to tell her that he relates, because...NOTHING SEEMS TO PENETRATE HER. This isn't rocket science, kids.

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xxxDARKIRISxxx
09-04-2002

Rated 0 
**claps** nuff said

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chino69
09-17-2002

Rated 0 
I see it as a girl who is maybe beautiful on the outside hides much of her true self on the inside. As with many of Tool's songs, a person should learn to wade in that dark side of themselves; all the things that they refuse to accept and fear from themselves.

Whenever this girl tries to look on the inside, she is scared to understand who she really is. I think almost everyone suffers some sort of abuse within their life -- whether it be emotional, physical, directed from someone else, or even at that person's own hands. It's just the way this world is built and therefore we must learn to expose that darkness that we bury so deep and so often in our life. Before this person can truly be beautiful (hence cold and ugly refers to her inner untouched self), she must expose all this.

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MountainJew
09-23-2002

Rated 0 
...throw that Bob Marley wannabe motherfucker out here.

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hirotheavitar
07-22-2003

Rated 0 
How is rape beautiful?

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Artemisian
05-26-2004

Rated 0 
Go MountainJew!

I think its about a girl who was emotionally raped in the past, and therefore cuts herself off from romantic contact. She hides the fear of opening up under 'skin and jewelry', but her 'words and eyes' betray it. I believe this is about a man who has been similiarly hurt, and he is trying to coax her into being vulnerable, as he is.
But that's my more mushy take of things :P

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hevydevy
06-22-2004

Rated 0 
Im suprised noone has picked up on the semi-abiguity of "frightened to"/"frightened too." I've seen versions with each form of to/o and I think this is one of Maynard's ways of allowing differing interpretations of his songs (a recurring theme of his lyrics seems to be any meaning you construct for yourself is more 'valid' then one you've been told).

If you take it as frightend too, then this links in with the problem 'she' has opening up. He too is afraid of what she is gonna find when she lets it all out. Afraid he'll still want her, afraid he wont etc etc.

Taking it as frightened to, you can still take the same meaning (he is frightened to help her open up) but it also gives you leeway to think of a certain act he is frightened of. This may be a way to get the rapist interpretation in there (he is frightened to do it etc etc), but I think that link is tenuous at best.

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jamesherbertkeenan
06-28-2004

Rated 0 
wouldnt you hate to be that guy that maynard called a bob marley wannabe motherfucker. i mean everyone who buys this cd gets to hear about your stupidity.

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quigon_chow
10-10-2004

Rated -1 
MY CONFESSION: I was that Bob Marley wannabe Fucker, and yes i did get systematically removed like you would any kind of termite or roach, but hey it was my friends being the assholes, i was just there out of Art school trying out the whole Dread Lock thing.

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huge tool fan
10-12-2004

Rated 0 
i think its about how some people get so caught up about being what every one else wants them to be, and eventualy they cant turn back and become "cold and ugly" inside; but thats just my opinion

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CÆT
10-29-2004

Rated 0 
This song....is my interpretation of me.

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CÆT
10-29-2004

Rated 0 
I like hevydevy's interpretation(s)

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m4t3k
11-01-2004

Rated 0 
'cold and ugly' is about WALL not HER.

This song is about all girls that didnt want to have sex with me and now are dead :)

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Prisoner311
12-28-2004

Rated 0 
I agree completely with Joshthack. That is what i thoguht about the song when i heard it. About a girl whos afraid and hides from herself not really showing people who she really is, because shes afraid. ... one of my favorite tool songs.

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toolrocksmysocks1
01-15-2005

Rated 0 
tool is the best damn band ever

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pikki
01-23-2005

Rated 0 
I think this song is about a dysfunctional family. I tihnk it's being song from the son to the mother or/and about the mother. Often in families with child abuse the parent that is not commiting the abuse will shut down and distance themselves from the child, that is being abused. The non-abusive parent is terrified to admit to themselves or anyone else, including said child, that they know what is going on behind closed doors.
I think the son is trying to say to his mother WAKE UP, SAVE ME, YOUR NOT THE ONLY SCARED AROUND HERE.

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