In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
So glad to see you well
Overcome and completely silent now
With heavens help you cast your demons out
And not to pull your halo down
Around your neck and tug you off your cloud
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're planning to go about making your amends
To the dead
To the dead
Recall the deeds as if they're all
Someone else's atrocious stories
Now you stand reborn before us all
So glad to see you well
And not to pull your halo down
Around your neck and tug you to the ground
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're planning to go about making your amends
To the dead
To the dead
With your halo slipping down
Your halo slipping
Your halo slipping down
Your halo slipping down
(With your halo slipping down) but I'm more than just a little curious
(With your halo slipping down) how you're planning to go about making your
(With your halo slipping down) more than just a little curious
(With your halo slipping down) how you're planning to go about making your
(With your halo slipping down) more than just a little curious
Your halo slipping down
To choke you now
Overcome and completely silent now
With heavens help you cast your demons out
And not to pull your halo down
Around your neck and tug you off your cloud
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're planning to go about making your amends
To the dead
To the dead
Recall the deeds as if they're all
Someone else's atrocious stories
Now you stand reborn before us all
So glad to see you well
And not to pull your halo down
Around your neck and tug you to the ground
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're planning to go about making your amends
To the dead
To the dead
With your halo slipping down
Your halo slipping
Your halo slipping down
Your halo slipping down
(With your halo slipping down) but I'm more than just a little curious
(With your halo slipping down) how you're planning to go about making your
(With your halo slipping down) more than just a little curious
(With your halo slipping down) how you're planning to go about making your
(With your halo slipping down) more than just a little curious
Your halo slipping down
To choke you now
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This song is about Alcoholic Anonymous... If you din't notice the name of the album is "Thirteenth Step" There are 12 steps in AA. He is talking about how sometimes in AA people are on a "pink cloud" the pink cloud represents how people are overly confident in early recovery and get cocky. They think they are angelic and a totally different person that when they were using, hence the halo... One of the steps in AA is to make amends to people you have harmed in your addiction. Maynard is saying that the feeling one gets of perfection in their recovery can be their biggest downfall. Their halo will be their end. How do you make amends to someone you've killed in your addiction? You can't so you're not as perfect as you think.
Why are you so ignorant?<br /> A Perfect Circle's members believe that Lucifer is a real savior and they always criticize Christianity, The bible and Jesus. Their 'Thirteen Step' is not about alcohol or drugs. These Thirteen Steps about purify the religion addiction. They hope that with their 12 songs we can reject the religion.<br /> Sometimes a cigar just a cigar. They are not metaphors.
@luxdator but your interpretation is a lot more metaphorical than @lanntay 's interpretation??
@lanntay Hi there. I think that Your interpretation is very possible. if You excuse, I would like to share my own interpretation. I think that there is possibility to take this record title as masonic (illuminati and other stuff like that) 13'th step. There are 13 casts in masonic. Like on one dollar bill the pyramid has 12 layers and the last 13 is above other and symbolize Lucifer. The Noose is, only in my own opinion, about Jesus Christ's second come. Let me explain.<br /> <br /> So glade to see You well - Jesus died on cross and now he(Maynard) can see him Well<br /> <br /> With heavens help you cast your demons out - after deth Jesus was 3 days somhere - maybe in hell and now he cast demons out with heaven help.<br /> <br /> Now you stand reborn before us all - next coming<br /> <br /> The lyrical has regret for Jesus and hate Him.
Guys if you have watched the APC DVD emotive with commentary on Maynard tells you exactly what this song is about to him. However there is no right or wrong answer. Each song means something else to each individual. <br /> Having said that though the overall theme of this album is about addiction (not just drugs or alcohol but sex, gambling or any other kind of addiction) and the 13 steps of recovery from that addiction. For example track 1 - The Package - is about acquiring the thing that you are addicted to let's say drugs as it's most commonly associated with addiction. Track 2 - Weak and Powerless - this is about taking the drug - opening lines are "tilling my own grave to keep me level, jam another dragon down the hole" this is about getting your fix. Track 3 - The Noose - I think what lanntay said about people entering recovery and being over confident to the point where they are ignoring and forgetting the misdeeds they have committed is correct, but not necessarily that it's about AA - I'm assuming that's something lanntay can identify with...<br /> I think you get the idea of what I'm getting at now, this album is about addiction in all its forms from drugs to sex to gambling.
@lanntay this made me finally join this site so I could leave a comment. This is so true, I burst in to tears when I read this. I have old friends who have done the program, some with great success, some dead. I quit on my own several times, I always though AA or NA was trading in one addiction for another. Hope you see this since this was from 2012.
I'm with prayingmantis on this one. It seems like it's about some one who killed an innocent person (or people) while DUI. They've either gone to rehab or 'found Jeebus' so they feel like they've made up for their past mistakes. The singer, though, is kinda like "Hey-- you're all better now!... That's great and all, but uh, what about the people you killed? They're still dead, and nothing can change that."
Yeah, I can't quite picture Maynard wording that last part like that.
Note the text below "::add your comments::". It says what does this song mean to you. I don't think it says ::tell us what you think about everyone elses' opinion::. I'm not trying to be a whiny bitch or trying to be hyppocritical but damn, respect people's opinions. Instead of saying, "No, you're wrong...", just say, "I think...insert your interpretation here". The beauty of songs is that they can be interpreted in many different ways, especially songs by Maynard, otherwise, a site like this would be insignificant. I love how some people just say, "No, that's wrong...", like they wrote the fucking song themselves or something. If you disagree with what I've said, guess what, I don't give a fuck. Good day.
Someone talking to a person that just came out of rehab for, say, drunk driving... well, DUI.
The person did some bad things, probably killed some people (by accident), but now he's "better."
So the singer is wondering how he's going to make it up to the people he destroyed now that he's clean.
hence the name 13th step. hes involved with na, aa, ca, etc... one of the steps is you must make ammends to people you have hurt thru your addiction. some have stolen, hurt, and even killed loved ones or people in their addiction. in the na program..they speak as the addiction is that voice in your head..the devil. in this song the addiction is trying to bring him down since he is become so far and doing so well. its asking him how is he going to make those ammends he owes to the ones that have passed away. the voice of addiction will do whatever it can to get you to use again..until it wins. hes using the voice of the addiction for the lyrics to this song
I watched the aMOTION DVD with Maynard's commentary on and when the music video for this song came on he said that he went to an AA meeting with one of his friends and one of the guys who was sharing said "Don't let you halo fall and choke you to death." and that's how he got the idea for the song
You are absolutely right!
first of tall, terrayzin, your a moron for not knowing that Maynard was jokeing and second... i always liked to believe that Maynards writing, although have meaning to him personally and maybe even the entire band, but are all written in a way that are open to interpretation to his fans. so, in a sense, we could all be right... except terrayzin, thats Maynards humor dude.
but thats just my opinion, i could be wrong
@Thisblankearth6 I disagree. <br /> I think Terrayzin is closer than anyone else. <br /> I know one thing…everyone keeps quoting him off a dvd<br /> <br /> Since when has he ever told the truth or anything close to the truth for interviews etc <br /> <br /> The writing on this album seems highly political to me. For instance Pet is about politics for certain in my opinion.
My, my I haven't read all the comments but what I have read cannot be any more far off the mark. The song is about someone who has managed to kick a habit through rehab but has developed a holier than thou attitude which is now starting to screw him over. The halo on his head is now turning into a noose, there is no actual noose. The song makes zero attacks on religion whatsoever.
I always felt this song is about someone finding "god" and kicking a n addiction. But the person had a very bleak, perhaps violent and murderous, past. The song is basically sarcastically asking "Well, now that you have forgiven yourself, how do you go about getting forgiveness from those you killed or hurt?"
Although this song may be already explained i wanted to share the meaning that it has for me, as I think the meaning is open for interpretation individually as almost every song out there. That is the beauty of music it does not really matter the actual meaning, but the meaning you give to it its what makes the song special for every individual. For me this song reminds me of suicide, describing everything perfectly but in metaphor, making reference to the person as a kind of an angel and hanging himself, as for the parts like "so glad to see you well" for me its not actually watching the person but to know that he might be in a better place.
I disagree with you all.....I saw APC life in Birmingham in feb and before he played this song he said "we appologise for our president" this song is aimed a President Bush for sending the troops into Iraq and hes saying its good to see hes ok even though hardworking American people have lost love ones......