The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
So familiar and overwhelmingly warm
This one, this form I hold now
Embracing you, this reality here
This one, this form I hold now
So wide eyed and hopeful
Wide eyed and hopefully wild
We barely remember what came before this precious moment
Choosing to be here right now
Hold on, stay inside
This body holding me, reminding me that I am not alone in
This body makes me feel eternal
All this pain is an illusion
This one, this form I hold now
Embracing you, this reality here
This one, this form I hold now
So wide eyed and hopeful
Wide eyed and hopefully wild
We barely remember what came before this precious moment
Choosing to be here right now
Hold on, stay inside
This body holding me, reminding me that I am not alone in
This body makes me feel eternal
All this pain is an illusion
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
This whole album is entirely comprised of therapy concepts, concepts used in counseling and therapy to help people keep from freaking out. This is not about sex, although that is what I thought it was about when I first heard it. The concept here is the practice of living RIGHT NOW, which is very hard. It is about the difficulty and the reward of not living entirely in the past and in the future. The idea is to live without your preconceptions and your hopes and projections ruining the wonder of the immediate world. Try it sometime, and you will see why it is worth writing songs about. The pain metioned is the anguish of always worrying about the past and the future. Those things are not happening right now, so any pain you are feeling from the past and the future is illusionary. It is only you. Crucify the ego, and you find that there is not much that is worrisome that is happening RIGHT NOW. Try it.
Exactly. This is what meditation, enlightenment, life, god, and all things can relate to. It's beyond words, and definitely NOT about sex.
@Infirmo In fact, if you think about it, it is also about sex, because sex is one of the situations where people, that think too much, sometimes loose their way of thinking just for a few minutes or seconds and thus experience some idea of what it could be to just overcome your way of thinking in general.
The pain will pass, even though it is strong in your mind now, things will get better
Reassess; look back over songs like Third Eye, Forty-Six and 2, and even Reflction and you'll find a common theme between them and Parabol/Parabola. I think this song, and Parabola, ARE about birth--and rebirth. AS we enter again into the world, so fresh, so hopeful and hungry for experence and life to enrich our existence outside this plane. "Celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing/This body holding me remidns me of my own mortality, embrace this moment, remember, we are eternal, all this pain is an illusion." - Parabola. I think it's saying that each gift of life in this world is to be cherished, don't give in to the pain and strife you experience; learn from it, and remember that it's fleeting. Life is fleeting.
Forgive any glaring typographical errors, my keyboard is oddly sticky o_O
Parabol/Parabola (i consider it one song) is one of my favorite songs of all time...it's beautiful. it has alot of meaning to it. ice nine got it correct... this song is for when you're losing all hope. just remember that you should never give in to pain, you learn from it. pain is an illusion. you can make it all go away if you try hard enough.
This song is pretty much a beginning to Parabola, and it flows beautifully into it. Maynards voice is so haunting on this song, and it is saying that he is looking forward to things that may come, and that "we are eternal" and that "all this pain is an illusion".
I think infirmo has the right idea.Read things by alex grey and that will give you great understanding of the whole cd.
Our "souls", which is my concept of eternal, feel no pain. Because our souls feel no pain, its our bodys and minds that create the pain. When we die we don't take our external with us therefore having them here is a privelage.
see look shanangans, dont try to understand what maynard was writing...i think somehow that he want you to have and individual meaning...and thats what this website is about:to have an individual meaning.i think that the meaning is correct but dont just think the song has the meaning that maynard had when he wrote the song, create your own meaning if it falls into the boundery of the song...this is to everyone
Jah, I'd personally never seen this as a "sex" song, but I can see that interpretation as I read back over the lyrics.
I always took it as an incredibly spiritual song. Rather than conforming to their peers in the nu-metal camp singing about how horrible life is and how God has forsaken them, Tool are showing us how life is a beutiful thing. I can relate to this song as in my view it re-inforces my own views on life after death and re-incarnation, and how a soul in the afterlife chooses to be re-born ("Choosing to be here").
This is a very positive song, as is 'Parabola', as both are showing how lucky we are to receive the gift of life and how wonderful existence can be. It is saying that we should hold onto it.
parabol..i asked my math teacher about this, this morning, as i bought the album yesterday and was confused about why Parabol and Parabola are spelt similarily. i though Parabol was another math term.. but actually.. it's a bible story, at least that is what i was told about it. and when you think about it.. it's true. not the damned christian bible, but as Alex Grey was making real, the Human Bible. Our bible. the bible of life. the bible of creation. the bible of religion is a facade lie. but the feeling of being real and human and mortal is reason enough to write a "bible story" about us. we are the greatest thing that we have found so far on this planet. but so many of us have taken the feeling for granted. as Infirmo said, live each moment..to the truest, most purest form. live like each second is the last. this song could be.. a plea for each person listening to do this. it's difficult to do such, and in a sense, you must act like you have been reborn. experience the same things that you learned when you were a child. one way i have found this to be possible is.. if you know a familar wall.. continuously run your fingers over it.. touch it.. BECOME the wall.. it's a way to "re"-experience it. but, do this with everything. apply it to every day life. try to find the "lateral" of everything you do. find a new reason, a new belief... this comment went a lil long.. =/ but.. if you understand what i'm saying... try it sometime.. the feeling.. is... familar, yet overwhelming warm.