Schism

I have to agree with a lot of what everyone has said... the main fact I HAVE to agree with is that Maynard incorporates so many different meanings into his songs that almost anyone who makes an interpretation is correct, because he makes the music, and expects people to make their own interpretation and apply it to their own personal life... however i'll just tell it the way I see it, which is probably far from the truth, but it's my own personal truth.

For a long time I considered this song from the relationship stand point. I still see the strong arguements made to the relationship testament in this song... it very well could deal with 2 depleted lovers... and how although once the pieces were all there, yet after losing everything they had and breaking into those "pieces", he wishes to re-find them... bring them back together... I mean that can even be seen in the video (but I'll make a different point on the video later) where in the end they come together, reforming the one... which is what i believe a relationship does. It takes 2 people and forms them into 1 body...

But that's not even what this interpretation is about... after a long time of pondering over it, I've come to realize I think the song is about the religious aspect of it all... there are a lot of Tool songs that deal with religion... so... here goes nothin.

Okay, the hardest area for me to cover is who the song seems to be coming from... I don't feel that Maynard meant for this to seem as if it's coming from his mouth... maybe these words are meant to be from Christ? but my best feeling is that the words are simply from any believer who can realize what has happened to "faith" because of the blunder known as "religion"...

At one time, the "church" was one body. It was a singular unit, set on one system of beliefs that everyone who had faith followed... there was none of this "denomination" shit... "I know the pieces fit, cuz i watched them fall away" (saying that he knows religion should be one body, even though it's not. he's seen the separations) "Mildewed and smoldering. Fundamental differing" (rotten and burned up, to put it into different terms... when he says fundamental differing, i think he's showing the basis for the break... that from the very FUNDAMENTALS of the belief structure, there started to be DIFFERING feelings among people, and how they wanted to express them) "Pure Intention juxtaposed will set 2 lovers souls in motion" (meaning that although the intentions every time were pure, they were juxtaposed, or twised, and because of that, it sat 2 lovers [of Christ] into almost a square off to see who could be MORE correct) "Distentigrating as it goes, testing our communication" (simply saying the square off was what orignially caused the separation into pieces, and it caused a lack of discussion) "The light that fueled the fire then has burned a hole between us so we cannot see to reach an end, crippling our communication" (the light of passion that originally fueled our fire [love] for Christ is what, in the end, tore us apart and burned a hole between us... it's caused the end of the communication as well) "I know the pieces fit cuz i watched them tumble down. No fault, none to blame, that doesn't mean I don't desire to point the finger, blame the other, watch the temple topple over bring the pieces back together, rediscover communcation" (I think here the meaning is that although no one is directly to blame for this break, because every "piece" that was broken was done in the name of righteousness. Still, he thinks he's right, so he wants to be able to point the finger, say the OTHER was wrong. Yet still he wants to see the separate temples topple over, and the pieces brought back together, so they can reunite under one belief system."

I know the end of that last interpretation was a bit shaky, because i say that the meaning of the "temple toppling over" was the separate temples, so they could be reunited... but i think my theory is backed up in the next paragraph.

"The poetry that comes from the squaring off between, and the circling is worth it, finding beauty in the dissonance" (although the separation needs to end, the writer is saying that the separation NEEDED to happen... because the church split, and each went it's own direction, the poetry [writings, findings, ideals] that came from the separation, and the fighting was worth it. It brings new truths back to the faith, thus strengthening it.)

The next paragraph just restates the others... that the whole was broken into the "pieces" due to the fighting and coveting. The writer knows that they MUST return together. otherwise the separate pieces will fall. They must grow, and strengthen, and reunite.

At the end, Maynard says "Cold silence had a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion between supposed lovers".... I think what he's saying is that the breaks have cause us to lose true LOVE for our counterparts (the other pieces)... and we're SUPPOSED to be lovers of Christ, or the one true god (whatever your belief states that that is)... but how can we be if we can't even get along with our fellow believers?

Okay, to wrap this all up... I'll refer to the video one more time... although it can be seen as 2 separate people becoming one, i believe it's the "church" reforming into one unit... I mean notice what happens to the 2 separated people [who represent "denominations"]... they almost seem to be trying to outdo the other. I mean one even stands on his head during the song. It seems they're trying to show that they're the BETTER group (which you can't deny happens today). Yet in the end, the 2 come together, reforming the one true body...

Thanks for reading my entirely too long interpretation... I know a lot of what I've said isn't right, but I like to believe that my belief is pretty close. However, once again, Tool's music is meant for you to make your OWN interpretation, so you can apply it to your own life... Once again, sorry this is so long (as are all of my other interpretations). Continue to keep posting, and keep open that third eye...