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What's coming through is alive.
What's holding up is a mirror.
But what's singing songs is a snake
Looking to turn this piss to wine.
They're both totally void of hate,
But killing me just the same.
The snake behind me hisses
What my damage could have been.
My blood before me begs me
Open up my heart again.
And I feel this coming over like a storm again.
Considerately.
Venomous voice, tempts me,
Drains me, bleeds me,
Leaves me cracked and empty.
Drags me down like some sweet gravity.
The snake behind me hisses
What my damage could have been.
My blood before me begs me
Open up my heart again.
And I feel this coming over like a storm again.
I am too connected to you to
Slip away, to fade away.
Days away I still feel you
Touching me, changing me,
And considerately killing me.
Without the skin,
Beneath the storm,
Under these tears
The walls came down.
And the snake is drowned and
As I look in his eyes,
My fear begins to fade
Recalling all of those times.
I could have cried then.
I should have cried then.
And as the walls come down and
As I look in your eyes
My fear begins to fade
Recalling all of the times
I have died
And will die.
It's all right.
I don't mind.
I am too connected to you to
Slip away, to fade away.
Days away I still feel you
Touching me, changing me,
And considerately killing me.
What's holding up is a mirror.
But what's singing songs is a snake
Looking to turn this piss to wine.
They're both totally void of hate,
But killing me just the same.
The snake behind me hisses
What my damage could have been.
My blood before me begs me
Open up my heart again.
And I feel this coming over like a storm again.
Considerately.
Venomous voice, tempts me,
Drains me, bleeds me,
Leaves me cracked and empty.
Drags me down like some sweet gravity.
The snake behind me hisses
What my damage could have been.
My blood before me begs me
Open up my heart again.
And I feel this coming over like a storm again.
I am too connected to you to
Slip away, to fade away.
Days away I still feel you
Touching me, changing me,
And considerately killing me.
Without the skin,
Beneath the storm,
Under these tears
The walls came down.
And the snake is drowned and
As I look in his eyes,
My fear begins to fade
Recalling all of those times.
I could have cried then.
I should have cried then.
And as the walls come down and
As I look in your eyes
My fear begins to fade
Recalling all of the times
I have died
And will die.
It's all right.
I don't mind.
I am too connected to you to
Slip away, to fade away.
Days away I still feel you
Touching me, changing me,
And considerately killing me.
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My interpretation of everything is this - in the song he is referencing two individuals. They are his son, who he is speaking to and a part of himself that isn't ready to be a father.
He is having a conflict between the part of him that's ready to be a father and the one that's not (the snake). He's been having it since he found out he was going to have a child.
Beneath the storm is referencing his final "break down" after his son is born. He's realizing and understanding the fearful part of himself is the problem. He's understanding that he could have done this at any time.
He looks at his son and remembers the other times he has "had" to change(die) and everything will be fine. Considerately killing me is his son killing "that" part of him.
I've listened to this song for maybe 15 years but this is the first time I've really felt confident about it's meaning :S
I think the first line is: "What's coming through is a lie. not "alive." "What's holding up is a mirror." This is to say that we ourselves create the reality of this world and that everything you see id but a refection of your and everyone elses thoughts. This is about how no matter what the religion or thoughts about a god and a devil it's a lie cause we cannot define what life and existence really is. We try through religion to give us purpose thusly defining our existence.
When he says that they're both void of hate and killing me just the same. He's talking about god and the devil not really hating us but that for each we must die. Religious debate aside there are those who feel the devil also loved us and that by showing eve the way to a higher level of consciousness so that we aren't simple monkeys like it seems god wanted us to be.
When he says that he feels it coming over like a storm he's talking about dying and that no matter what the form "change the way, I still feel you" he still feels the existence of what we would call god. but not split up into good and evil. when he speaks about being without the skin here, beneath the storm hes talking about that place when you die. the storm is the storm of life and all the things that go on in it. Time there has no bounds, the walls of existence itself come down, and he is able to see his past lives.
He talks about when the snake is dry, (when this life is over.) The snake of life behind him hisses what his life could have been. And his blood, his flesh begging to open his heart and live again.
As the snake is dry, There's a look in his (god) eyes, my fear begins to fade, recalling all of the times he dies. He thinks about times where he could have cried about dying that way. and the times when he should have cried about his death. And as he comes to realize the true nature of existence he doesn't mind dying again. I visualize crazy death scenes in the guitar solo part where he thinks about the hundreds of times he's lived and died. at the end he starts again saying that "I sense someone killing me." He starts again in a new form.
Change the way, I still feel you touching me, changing me.
That's just my personal interpretation..
Big Tool fan and probably the only black guy at their concerts. lol....
"Maynard" is name James picked up at Westpoint, he was born James "H"erbert Keenan.
He wrote this song while his girlfriend was pregnant with his child, and it is about the storm of emotion bred up inside him over conflicting feelings of perpetuating the abuse he suffered at the hands of his stepfather, and a desire to overcome these worries of "Do unto others, what they have don to you" (perpetuating the cycle of abuse) and raise his child with love. "H" is about Maynard struggling with his soon to collide past and present, and his realization in the face of it, that he can do it.
However, there is good news. As soon as you lose that battle (which you will). Once you *finally* give in to that craving, once you realize that there is no immovable object with which to battle the irresistible force and just let yourself *be* – you won't care. You won't even remember why you thought that thing that had you was so horrible in the first place. And that's because your new reality–where you exist now–will be using that horrible black thing which once held such sway over you as its new baseline for normality. But don't worry, it's alright, you don't mind.
"What's coming through is alive.
What's holding up is a mirror.
But what's singing songs is a snake
Looking to turn this piss to wine. "
The snake is the needle, here to help numb my pains, a great numbing sensation this is, its turning my piss to wine.
"And I feel this coming over like a storm again.
Considerately."
This is my withdrawals, being sucked back to the needle. As hard as I try to stay away for my own concern and the concern of my loved ones, I keep being sucked back.
Venomous voice, tempts me,
Drains me, bleeds me,
Leaves me cracked and empty.
Drags me down like some sweet gravity.
The drug wont let me go, its destroying my life but I cant, for the life of me, get away. I need it so bad, I want to get away but it keeps calling my back.
"I am too connected to you to
Slip away, to fade away.
Days away I still feel you
Touching me, changing me,
And considerately killing me."
I dont know life without you, now that I am clean, I dont know what to do but be depressed, this depression is killing me as bad as you were once killing me. I still want you so badly, I feel you trying to come back into my life.
"Without the skin,
Beneath the storm,
Under these tears
The walls came down."
I am hopeless, I am weak and I am open, I cannot proceed. The walls are coming down. This is my withdrawal.
"And the snake is drowned and
As I look in his eyes,
My fear begins to fade
Recalling all of those times.
I could have cried then.
I should have cried then. "
My sweet, sweet relapse. I miss you so much. I hate the fact I am doing this, but I need it so bad, I shouldnt have done this.
This is the best part of any song I have ever experienced. I love this line so much, it is so compassionate, so deep. I listen to this song every single day and the moment this line comes on, my heart sinks:
"And as the walls come down and
As I look in your eyes
My fear begins to fade
Recalling all of the times
I have died
and will die.
It's all right.
I don't mind. "
This is it, Im hooked again. I've already relapsed, there is no turning back now, and you know what? I really dont mind anymore. This is all I know so this is all I will stick to. I'm dead inside, I have nothing more to give, nothing more to live for but this drug.
Sincerely,
Lafayette
I know addiction, I know the effect it holds on someone, and this song sounds to me like my own compassionate addiction which may be why I love this song with all my heart.